Excelle 321R: A Yamaha At Heart And A KTM In Body?

The excelle 321R borrows its motor from the Yamaha R3 and styling elements from the 390 Duke

China is known for producing some of the most compelling two-wheeler knock-offs. From KTM and Bajaj to Honda and Yamaha, it’s all there, with minor design tweaks, of course. Fresh off the oven is the Excelle 321R, a Yamaha at heart and a KTM in its flesh! Look closely, and you’ll know why. 

The bike’s design -- right from the trellis frame and split seat to the rear quarter panels and the hardware, to some extent -- harks back to the KTM 390 Duke. Of course, the tank and headlight have been redesigned so that people can tell one from the other (and primarily to avoid copyright infringements). That said, the bike does come with LED headlight, tail light and indicators and what looks like a TFT/LCD display.

Then there’s the 300cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor apparently sourced from Loncin Motorcycles. It’s a ‘reverse-engineered’ Yamaha YZF-R3 mill capable of belting out 40.7PS at 10500rpm and a claimed top speed of 180kmph. Add to it a weight of 153kg, and you have a nimble-footed machine. 

Other notable aspects include its premium hardware comprising USD forks, a monoshock, petal disc brakes, and chunky radial tyres. Prices for the Excelle 321R are likely to be revealed next week. Expect the bike to retail at around CNY 25,000 (approximately Rs 2.76 lakh in India).