ZONTES 350 V. MINI-DEVIL
The Chinese brand Zontes is becoming more and more successful in the Polish motorcycle market. So far only in lower capacity classes. Customers are tempted mainly by the quality of workmanship and rich equipment.
The Zontes brand (which apparently means “life” in Chinese) was established in 2003 and, although it has only been present on our market for a short time, it is starting to become well-known. It is one of the brands of the powerful industrial concern Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology Co., Ltd., which produces motorcycles and mini cars. From the very beginning, it has been focused on creating vehicles of a very high standard, aspiring to the premium class. The best proof of this is the fact that Tayo has over 250 patents protecting its own motorcycle design, 121 patents for utility models and 36 patents for technological inventions. And the vast majority of these patents and proprietary solutions concern Zontes motorcycles. Indeed, it must be admitted that these machines stand out from other two-wheelers produced outside the Great Wall by the number of modern solutions. However, on the other hand, the competition is also experiencing rapid, positive changes. The Tayo company believes in its brand so much that it not only does not hide the country of origin of its machines, but is proud of it and strongly emphasizes it.
Just a dozen or so years ago, the production of Chinese motorcycles for the domestic market, although unimaginably huge, was limited almost exclusively to the 125 cc class, and the local machines were associated in our country with – to put it mildly – so-so quality. And yet, already then, renowned global brands were moving their plants there in order to reduce costs, and no one particularly complained about the lowering of workmanship standards. Over time, however, Chinese producers began to enter the market of slightly larger capacities more and more boldly, and today no one is particularly surprised by machines of the 300-600 cc class, and there is no doubt that the expansion will not end there. Various exhibitions present machines of various categories with drive units with a capacity of up to one liter. So far, Zontes has offered motorcycles with capacities of 125 and 350 cc on our market, but the first five hundred models are already appearing (only a scooter for now). However, I am convinced that this is not the manufacturer’s last word.
Does your face look like anyone else?
It’s hard not to notice the similarity to the Ducati Diavela – you can certainly say what was the inspiration for the creation of this Zontes model. Only that the Chinese motorcycle is half the size and has much less power. Diavel is a real rage on 2 wheels, used to generate incredible amounts of adrenaline when you suddenly open the throttle. I would call it a “power cruiser”, if it weren’t for the fact that it probably isn’t one and basically creates its own, separate category of motorcycles. For obvious reasons, there is no mention of the incredible acceleration sensations in the case of Zontes. So really, it’s probably neither “power” nor “cruiser”. But is this a serious disadvantage? In no case!
Diavel has its own specific charm, although personally I am not a fan of such structures. I just don’t know what the purpose of this bike is. It seems that it will not work well on the road, in city traffic it is a bit better. But its launch factor is sky high and this is probably its main advantage. However, the Italian motorcycle also has its disadvantages. Some motorcyclists may be discouraged by its “wildness”, dimensions, weight and hard-to-control power. Meanwhile, the Zontes 350V is light, agile and does not come out of your ass when you suddenly open the throttle. In short, the Mini-Devil is a good alternative for people who love this style of motorcycle, and their little experience or small size do not allow them to struggle with a large and furious machine. Not to mention there is some difference in price, but we’ll get to that a bit later. Either way, Zontes 350V is absolutely unrivaled in its capacity class. Why? Because he is the only one! It is difficult to compare it with 300 cc machines, because 40 HP is not 30, and it is far behind 500 hp engines (the devil-like Benelli 502C) in terms of capacity, power and torque. So if you are fascinated by the original Diavel, and for some reason you cannot decide on it, the Chinese Diablo is an alternative.