Weird Flex: Gaojin Flame 500 is ready to set the Chinese roads on fire!

If the Suzuki GSX-S1000 ever had a long-lost Chinese twin, this would be it

Words by Soham Mayekar

Imitation is the best form of flattery! If so, the 2021 Suzuki GSX-S1000 must be blushing really  hard looking at the Gaojin Flame 500. The obvious similarity is the vertically stacked headlight unit. However, it is reported that the Gaojin has been using the stacked design even before the GSX-S was unveiled. Well, we’ll let you be the judge! But if that’s the case…

The rest of the motorcycle looks pretty masculine, though, with its sharp body lines, and that exhaust is definitely a treat to look at! What possibly makes it a hoot to ride is the liquid-cooled 486cc parallel-twin motor that develops about 50PS, which is about 2.5PS more than the India-bound Honda CB500F. That power does come with a safety net of Bosch ABS. There’s also a USD fork that’s painted golden, but that may just be for the aesthetics. 

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Apart from that, we can see that it’s equipped with dual petal discs on the front, single on the rear, axial callipers, and LED lights but not much else is known yet. However, it sure looks like it could give the Honda CB500F a tough fight, at least, on paper. The oriental media expects this to be priced around CNY 30,000 (INR 3.42 lakh). At the price, the Flame’s closest rival at home might be the Honda CB400F, which was showcased at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show.