Brixton Motors Limited, the Chinese motorcycle manufacturer that has been mainly producing retro-styled naked motorcycles, has introduced its naked Sportster with large displacment, the Crossfire 500 XC Prototype.
To add a little more context, the Chinese manufacturer showcased what it believed was a worthy rival against the Triumph Bonneville, the Cromwell 1200, at EICMA 2021.
I don’t think we can overstate just how vital this market segment is. So what is it precisely that makes 400cc to 700cc bikes so significant? Well, consider this.
In the traditional U.S. rider market—demographics mean the mainstream rider, which means age and experience.
In other words, low displacement motorcycles dominate the largest group of potential buyers in the western market by a margin that’s just about 10:1 as compared to high displacement machines.
It’s no wonder then why nearly all major motorcycle makers from across the globe are developing, if not already offering such machines in some form or another for their respective markets.
While we are talking about the U.S. market, let’s not forget the fair share of other markets.
Specs
And we know there are other Chinese manufacturers like CFMoto and Benelli who are disrupting the 400 to 700cc space.
And we don’t see how Brixton is different. A new machine has joined the Brixton line-up, dubbed the Crossfire 500 XC.
More than just a dressed-up version of the 125cc and 500cc Crossfires we’ve seen in recent years, this new machine combines the best elements of both.
The 125cc and 500 models have a semblance of past aesthetics that instantly make them part of the Crossfire family. These are street-oriented machines first, scramblers second.
Brixton finally introduced the Crossfire 500 XC to the world; however, it has yet to produce. If you’ve been following us for a while, then you probably know that we have a thing for naked, off-roadish machines.
We’re particularly fond of retro-styled motorcycles that promise just as much fun on the highway as they do in the dirt. The Crossfire 500 XC fits the bill perfectly.
It carries over the 486cc parallel-twin engine from its road-going sibling and gets a high-mounted fender, long-travel suspension and vastly different styling.
The 486cc para twin makes 47 hp / 8500 rpm and 43 Nm / 6750 rpm.
via Brixton
