Zontes GK350

Chinese manufacturer Zontes offers four motorcycles in India including a naked, tourer, adventure and neo-retro roadster, which share the same 350cc engine and deliver the same power output. The Zontes GK350 is a cool-looking neo-retro roadster which comes with a range of features. We rode it and this is how the bike performed in our real-world test:

Sporting a neo-retro roadster design, the Zontes GK350 blends modern and classic design elements quite well. The motorcycle is available in three colour variants including Black Blue, Orange Silver and Gold Black. The Zontes GK350 has a powerful and elegant look. It appears to be well-built from all angles and attracts attention on the road thanks to its striking looks. Nothing seems overdone or missing in terms of looks. 

At the front, the GK350 features a big round headlight that houses five LED projectors inside it. The neo-retro roadster has a boxy fuel tank with ‘GK’ graphics on it. The round bar-end mirrors are a nice touch. The front disc cover or indicator protectors might be an overkill for some people. But over time, they start to blend in with the rugged look of the GK350. The roadster has a sleek and tidy tail section with an LED taillight, but the upswept dual barrel exhaust looks striking and complements the motorcycle’s overall design.

Powered by the same 348cc engine as its siblings, the Zontes GK350 has a lot of vibrations on the handlebar and footpegs, which can be felt right when you start the engine. The vibrations increase even more when you start riding and changing gears, becoming even more noticeable as you gain speed. The engine isn’t very refined and the roughness can be felt at city speeds. You only feel the bike being more comfortable when you pass 50kmph. 

The gearbox is very rough and shifting gears becomes harder as the system heats up. It becomes so difficult at times that you would have to use more effort when you shift gears. Additionally, it has strange gear shift ratios, making the fourth gear feel almost useless. It is advised to shift directly from third to fifth gear to keep the bike going smoothly. The GK350 has two riding modes, Eco and Sport, but there doesn't appear to be much difference between them.

The noise from the airbox might make you think you're going fast, but the bike actually feels slow until you hit triple-digit speeds. Once you get past 80kmph, it can sustain highway speeds, making the ride a bit better. The Zontes GK350 has a 17-litre fuel tank and delivers 26.03kmpl mileage in the city and 28.08kmpl on the highway. That means it can travel around 450km on a full tank.

The Zontes GK350 fails to impress us with its performance due to the rough riding experience. However, the roadster handles very well, thanks to the good quality tyres. The CST Ride Ambro tyres take a while to warm up, but once they do, they ensure that you have enough grip to take on the corners confidently. 

The GK350 offers a comfortable ride quality. However, the suspension setup is a bit on the softer side. It comes with an inverted front fork and rear monoshock, without any adjustability, which is quite surprising considering the bike’s price. It takes on the small bumps and potholes very easily, but the suspension bottoms out when you ride over slightly bigger ones. The suspension setup needs revisions and has to be retuned to suit Indian roads. 

You will also notice the heavy weight of the bike, especially while riding through the traffic. However, it becomes easier to handle once the bike reaches speeds above 45kmph.

The Zontes GK350 comes with an easy-to-reach handlebar with slightly rear-set footpegs, resulting in an upright but sporty riding position. The roadster has a single-piece seat, which isn’t heavily padded but provides a comfortable ride. The rider seat has decent space but the pillion seat is small and comes without any grabrails, making it a bit uncomfortable for the passenger. 

With a seat height of 795mm, the GK350 might not be very suitable for shorter riders. But riders with average or tall height will find it comfortable. Parking or moving the bike around may require some strength due to its heavy weight.

As with many other Chinese motorcycles, the Zontes GK350 also comes feature-loaded. The roadster gets a five-inch TFT instrument console with connectivity features. The display has four layouts, but all of them have small fonts which aren’t clearly readable while riding the bike and require too much attention if you try to read the info. It also comes with a TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) that tells tyre temperature information.

The GK350 has a keyless operation that locks/unlocks the bike and opens the rear seat and the fuel tank with just a push of a button. Equipped with an all-LED lighting setup, the GK350’s headlight has five LED projectors. The headlight is pretty impressive and lights up the road very well at night. But that is when it actually worked, as not more than half an hour into our test at night, the headlight stopped working. Even the next day it only worked when the pass switch was pressed, which means it wasn’t fused but there were some electrical issues. Notably, the bike comes with spoked wheels and doesn’t get optional alloys.

The Zontes GK350 wasn't as disappointing as its naked sibling, but it didn't impress us much either. It comes loaded with features, but the roadster’s engine and gearbox aren’t refined enough. Additionally, the suspension is a little too harsh, making the overall riding experience less enjoyable.

Not to mention the small problems like the faulty headlight we faced, and the lack of a proper service network might discourage buyers. With a starting price of Rs 3,37,000 (ex-showroom), the Zontes GK350 is quite expensive for what it offers.