It’s been less than a year since Harley-Davidson unveiled its first adventure bike, the Pan America to the world. At this point, most markets have already gotten a taste of Milwaukee’s adventurer, and the reception has been generally positive. In fact, the bike is being considered by many as a serious contender to the BMW R 1250 GS, with our friends from Revzilla actually pitting the two bikes against each other in a thrilling episode of CTXP.
While whether or not the Pan America can go up against established industry giants in the ADV world is an exciting story to cover, this powerful and capable ADV isn’t the star of today’s show. In fact, the bike in question today is one which carries hopes and dreams of becoming the Pan America when it grows up. I’m talking about none other than the Lifan KPT 400. Wait, what? You’ve never heard of it?
Well, the KPT 400 is the latest creation to come out of Chinese motorcycle manufacturer Lifan’s assembly line. While the company is by no means a fledgling in the motorcycle industry, it’s seemingly blatant ripping-off of the Pan America’s styling seems like a rather sophomoric move. With its boxy bodywork, top-heavy appearance, and LED headlight and DRLs, it’s clear to see where Lifan got the design inspiration for this bike—even if it isn’t a dead-match copy of the Pan America. One would think that a company as established in the automotive industry as Lifan would at least be able to come up with a slightly more original design.
The copycat in question
The real deal
As far as tech and performance are concerned, the KPT 400 is leagues behind the Pan Am. With a 400cc parallel-twin motor and 42 horsepower on tap, you’d be lucky if this bike could even make it past 100 miles per hour, let alone comfortably sustain highway speeds for miles on end. It does, however, get adjustable front forks and a preload-adjustable rear monoshock, suggesting some degree of off-road capability. Apart from that, the KPT 400 gets a TFT instrument panel with Bluetooth smartphone connectivity. Unveiled in the Shenzhen Moto Expo in China, the KPT 400 has been priced at a bargain CNY 29,980, or the equivalent of $4,650 USD.
