Any regulars to Visordown will know the Chinese motorcycle industry has a habit of pleading imitation as being the sincerest form of flattery, though in many eyes it is considered just straight up copycat designing.
Countless well-known models have been traced on the design board over the years and it seems no manufacturer is immune from some cynical cosplay, as we have previously revealed here.
The latest motorcycle to get the identi-kit treatment is the MV Agusta Superveloce 800, a machine so distinctive it would be hard for any intrepid designer to claim mere coincidence, which has evolved into this, the - pleasingly titled - Motrac Unicorn.
We will stop well short of saying this is a faithful copy of the elegant retro racer since it imbues none of the sleekness and intricate detailing, but you can’t look at the Unicorn - so-called we assume because of its porthole headlight front-end - and think it is ripping off anything other than MV Agusta’s pride and joy.
For the most part, the copying seems largely restricted to the front and rear-ends of the Unicorn, with the angular fairing appearing to have been borrowed from elsewhere, though the red and silver paint scheme is another tell-tale sign.
It does offer an 800cc twin-cylinder motor but with only 60hp, one wonders why you’d go for such a big lump with such little return.
If MV Agusta is ‘Motorcycle Art’ then the Motrac Unicorn is indeed at best a pony with a horn stuck on its head pretending to be something it isn’t.
What’s surprising about this machine though is the fact it comes at a time when it seems Chinese manufacturers - as many as there are - are beginning to find their own way when it comes to design and engineering, something that should consign these unfaithful re-designs to the history books.
Still, if your heart is set on a Superveloce 800, are nowhere near able to afford one and don’t mind squinting (hard) then perhaps there is a market for a Unicorn to become your thoroughbred.
