The Chinese-owned retro motorcycle maker Brixton is working on an adventure motorcycle utilising its existing 1,200cc parallel twin-cylinder engine platform.
The bike seems to be based loosely on the Gaokin GK 1200, also known under some other brands as the "Big Grasshopper", which sounds extremely exciting. It features the same general spec engine as the existing Cromwell X 1200, meaning a four-valve parallel twin-cylinder engine, with 1,222cc capacity, a single overhead camshaft, twin Dell’Orto throttle bodies and a bore and stroke of 98.6mm x 80mm.
We know in the Cromwell X the motor can produce 82bhp at 6,550rpm and a chunky 79lb ft of torque which peaks at a very low 3,100rpm. The numbers on a spec sheet are about right for a midrange and mid-weight adv bike. Brixton would want to tweak things like the delivery and peak torque rpm around for this very different application.
What we don’t yet know is the critical stuff, especially when talking about a 230kg+ adventure - the suspension, brakes and electronics. We can see the bike is running a USD front fork and the rear end is suspended by a suitably retro-looking twin-shock set-up. We obviously can’t glean from the black-and-white patent image if any adjustability is included. The braking system used by Brixton on a number of its other models is from Nissin, so at least the stopper should be up to the task!
Obviously, the potential new ADV bike from Brixton is a long way off. They are still considered a bit of a niche brand even in the UK which has a big appetite for modern classics and cafe racers. If this bike ever does see the light of day, don’t expect to clap eyes on it before the winter bike shows come around.
