This Motofino Streetboy V-Maxter 300 from China looks eerily familiar

There are a lot of motorcycles on the Chinese domestic market. Why? You'll wonder why the bike looks like some weird caricature of some other more popular bike from a reputable manufacturer. Not all made-in-China bikes are blatant copycats-just look at brands like Benelli and CFMOTO, which are rapidly expanding worldwide.

We're not here to talk about reputable Chinese motorcycles today, as we've done that quite a bit since EICMA 2022. Let's check out the Motofino Streetboy V-Maxter 300, the newest kid to copy someone else's work. 

The flavor of the month, if you will, of Chinese motorcycle makers is cruisers, as I chuckled under my breath typing that name. Copycat Chinese sportbikes like the Moxiao Funny-Gale and Finja, a ZX-10R clone, have already been discussed. Motofino decided to get into the sporty cruiser segment this time around.

Harley-Davidson Sportster S is the perfect "sporty cruiser" to imitate. With its unique styling and killer performance, the Sportster 900 has received global acclaim. Therefore, it's not surprising that the Steetboy V-Maxter 300 was inspired by the Sportster S.

Like the Sportster, the Streetboy has a wide oval headlight. Even the fuel tank, seat, and tail section are copied from the Milwaukee roadster. Even the "Streetboy Motofino" font on the fuel tank is a direct copy of Harley's.

The Streetboy lacks some of the defining features of the Sportster S. It lacks a 150-cross section front tire, for example. No raised exhaust system like on vintage flat trackers. A more generic, somewhat dorky stance replaces the low-slung stance of the Sportster S.

It's interesting to see that the Streetboy shares some familiar underpinnings with the Harley Sportster S, despite its lower performance. Harley-Davidson has been working with fellow Chinese manufacturer QJ Motor for a few years now on a smaller V-twin powered model. 

Other manufacturers have also been using this engine, including the Streetboy, which has the same 300cc V-twin. A belt-driven six-speed manual transmission transmits power to the rear wheel.

Motofino Streetboy is just one of hundreds of motorcycles that imitate popular Chinese models. Therefore, it is unlikely that this bike will reach the international market. However, Harley-Davidson will soon bring small-displacement models to Asian and European markets.