Chinese motorcycle manufacturers have gained a lot of notoriety for their, shall we say, borrowed concepts and designs from bigger, more established brands in the business. In the motorcycle world, there are a few Chinese brands that have indeed blazed a trail of innovation, and made their own path—veering away from copycat styling and engineering, at least for the most part.
However, bikes that are straight up copies of existing models from popular manufacturers continue popping up left and right. Take for instance, the Longjia XDV 250Si, an adventure-type maxi-scooter that's clearly cosplaying as a Honda ADV350. I mean, sure, at this point, the adventure-scooter segment is big enough that it's no longer solely associated with Honda, but you get what I mean when I say that the XDV 250Si just has a bit too much in common with Big Red's mid-size ADV scoot, right?
Now, if that's not enough, Longjia has gone ahead and introduced yet another model under the XDV moniker, the XDV 150. This smaller adventure maxi-scoot is meant to go head-to-head with, you guessed it, the Honda ADV150! Longjia hasn't really done anything to revise the styling either. At a glance you'd be forgiven for thinking that the XDV 150 was a slightly modified ADV150, sporting burlier tires, more rugged bodywork, and a gray motif.
Longjia, the Chinese manufacturer in question here, has been in business for quite some time in China now, and has recently expanded operations to other parts of Asia. Indeed, it does offer budget-friendly alternatives to mainstream two-wheelers with similar specifications on paper, at a fraction of the cost. With technology and manufacturing practices, for the most part, advancing leaps and bounds in China, new two-wheelers like the XDV 150 might just have the chance to prove their worth in the global environment, provided that Chinese manufacturers get their act together design-wise.
The Longjia XDV 150 is powered by a modern power unit—a 150cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine. With 14 horsepower on tap, it's at par with its Japanese idol. As for underpinnings, the XDV 150 is suspended by budget-friendly standard telescopic forks, and gets ABS as standard on both front and rear disc brakes. A nifty plus is that you have the option of switching ABS off, you know, for when you tackle that gnarly patch of gravel on your commute to the office. Other amenities include a full-color TFT screen, smartphone connectivity, keyless entry, and a USB charger—all features meant to one-up the Honda.
Longjia has yet to announce pricing for the XDV 150, however, it does say that it'll launch in China in July, 2022. Expect the scooter to be substantially cheaper than the Honda ADV150, though, which has become a favorite city commuter all over the world thanks to its versatile and approachable platform.
