Zontes is currently a relatively unknown Chinese company that has entered our market with five products in the premium 300-400cc category. It has now been revealed that the brand is working on a brand-new triple-cylinder platform that will be offered in two different capacities, 650cc and 1,000cc, across a whole range of models in the future. 

• Zontes claims 13.5:1 compression ratio for the engine

• Will have a claimed redline of over 13,000rpm

• To be available in 650cc, 1,000cc versions

Zontes triple-cylinder engine: details

Zontes has developed the engine in two displacements – 650cc and 1,000cc. While work on the engine was delayed by the pandemic (as is the case with other industry players), specifically on the electronic ride-by-wire throttle, Zontes says they have managed a redline that’s higher than 13,000rpm (higher than Yamaha’s CP3 mill and Triumph’s 765cc powerplant) and that they eventually plan to offer four versions of this engine. 

At the moment, the displacement of these Zontes engines is unlike any available from other manufacturers. The only triple-cylinder that’s close enough in terms of displacement to the 650cc Zontes engine is the 660cc mill from Triumph that underpins the Trident 660 and the Tiger Sport 660. Most bikes in this category utilise a parallel-twin or V-twin configuration, and Zontes could join the fray with a triple-cylinder bike to take Triumph head-on. 

The large displacement 1,000cc category is dominated by four-cylinder engines in either a V configuration or an inline one, while triple-cylinders are present in the form of the Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS and RR. With the claimed high redline, as well as the sky-high compression ratio of 13.5:1, the Zontes engine could prove a worthy adversary to the mainstream competition from Japan, Italy and Germany. 

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