Zontes 350R

The Zontes 350R is a 350cc streetfighter offering from the Chinese brand to take on the likes of the KTM 390 Duke and the BMW G 310 R. But, does it have what it takes to take on those two bikes? Let’s take a look below:

The Zontes 350R captures attention wherever it goes due to its unique design. It features a robot-face headlight, a muscular tank with integrated indicators in the tank extensions, and an arrowhead-style LED tail light. And combined with the sharp design lines along with the double-barrel exhausts and the striking alloy-wheel, the bike does stand out amongst its rivals in the same segment.

The Zontes 350R comes equipped with a list of cool features and the biggest highlight out of them is a small, pill-shaped key fob that lets you control the bike from a distance. You can easily unlock it, start it, and take off by just pressing a button. When you're done riding and walk away from the bike, it locks itself automatically. You can also open the seat and fuel tank with buttons on the handlebars.

The bike also comes with Bluetooth connectivity, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and a TFT instrument console with four display modes. It offers two riding modes: Eco and Sport, but they don't really change how the bike performs – they're more for show.

One of the major problems with the Zontes 350R’s inverted fork is that it keeps bottoming out when going over potholes and speed bumps. This leads to quite an uncomfortable riding experience in general and the low 152mm ground clearance just adds to the discomfort as you have to be really careful while encountering bad patches of road. 

The Zontes 350R's 348cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine’s 39PS and 32Nm power and torque figures seem impressive on paper. However, in reality, it doesn't live up to expectations. The engine sounds rough and lacks the performance you'd hope for in a 350cc streetfighter. It feels strained even when you are riding at city speeds around 4,000rpm, partly due to its gearbox.

Speaking about the gearbox, the gear ratios on the Zontes 350R are a bit odd. After a short second gear, the third gear is even shorter, making the bike quite tough to use in the city. You can try either running a gear higher or frequently shifting between gears. But then since the engine is not very tractable in nature, you'll find yourself working the gearbox a lot.

Another strange thing is that the gearbox feels jammed and clunky, especially when the bike heats up. While testing the bike, on many occasions, we had to press down hard on the shifter just to downshift because of this issue.

The Zontes 350R has a very soft suspension setup and due to this, it does not offer much confidence when through corners at high speeds. The bike doesn’t feel quite planted on the road when you ride it at high speeds. The softer suspension does offer a comfortable ride at times in the city, though.

The KTM 390 Duke and the BMW G 310 R might not have as many special features as the Zontes 350R, but they're still very popular because these European motorcycles are known for their good performance and dependability, areas where the Zontes 350R falls short. The 350R's main appeal is its advanced features, but that alone might not justify its price tag of Rs 2.79 lakh (in India). We wouldn't recommend buying it just for the features.

Besides not being very exciting to ride, finding places to service the 350R or get spare parts can be a challenge due to the limited number of dealerships and service centers. Given the difficulties other new brands have faced in our market, like FB Mondial, SWM, UM, and Cleveland Cycleworks, we'd choose the KTM 390 Duke over the Zontes 350R any day.