Weird Flex: Meet Moxiao 500RR - A Cut-price Ducati Panigale

Too poor to buy the real deal? Check out this Chinese knock-off

Let’s face it, along with MV Agusta, Ducati too is well-known for making absolutely gorgeous machines that not only look spell-binding but are every bit as ferocious on the racetrack as well! Chinese manufacturer Moxiao Motor has tried to emulate the 2016 Ducati Panigale 959’s essence, albeit in a 471cc package, called Moxiao 500RR. The results are pretty much what you’d expect from a Chinese knock-off (with soul-scarring irregularities).

It looks like a pretty accurate copy of the real deal from a distance, especially thanks to the shamelessly blatant red paint job with white brand stickering. Hell, even the fonts appear to be the same! The front angle reveals the bike’s fairing and the fork aren’t really aligned. Even at the rear, the tail lamp is a bit offset from the rear wheel’s axis. That said, they seem to have gotten the crucial bits such as the gold-finished inverted front fork, rear offset monoshock (they have even copied the shock absorber cover!), and the single-sided swingarm accurately.

The bike is powered by a 471cc twin-cylinder liquid-cooled engine churning out 47.5PS at 8500rpm and 43Nm at 7000rpm. It can help the bike accelerate from 0-100kmph in 6.1 seconds and reach a claimed top speed of 165kmph. These figures are not that bad at all. If you’re wondering about the mileage, its claimed figure of 22.2kmpl is pretty decent for its class.

The specifications of the brakes feel a bit overkill, though. Dual 320mm discs up front with radial calipers feel a bit too much for a sub-500cc bike. The rear uses a 260mm disc at the rear with dual-channel ABS as standard. At 22 litres, the fuel tank is generous enough to make the motorcycle a potent tourer. It also gets meaty 120-section front and 190-section rear rubber to look like the real deal. 

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All in all, the Moxiao 500RR has a great powertrain and underpinnings combination. However, its design is such a blatant copy of the Panigale that it feels like they downloaded the blueprint off Torrent and straight-up 3D printed the motorcycle. If only its design team was creative enough to come up with its own creations. What do you guys think?