Sharmax Motors is preparing to enter the UK motorcycle market after expanding from a small workshop in northern Italy into a manufacturer with operations and commercial links across several regions. The company began in 2014 as a family-run workshop, built around the idea of making adventure motorcycling more accessible, and now offers motorcycles in several categories alongside ATVs, buggies and golf carts.

Its first move into the adventure sector was the 250cc Power Max enduro. Sharmax lists 21bhp and 300mm of ground clearance for the model, which it presents as an early demonstration of its off-road ambitions. The company says its motorcycles have been tested in heat, sand, high-humidity conditions and difficult off-road terrain, with checks beginning during prototype development and continuing through production.

From workshop to wider manufacturing operation

Sharmax expanded its in-house manufacturing activity in 2016, adding piston systems and internal-combustion engines. A three-stage quality-control system followed in 2017, covering the development of the first prototypes as well as the production process. The stated aim was to apply the same quality checks across the company’s parts and finished motorcycles.

A major change came in 2018, when Sharmax partnered with the Geely automotive group. The company links that collaboration to access to additional technology and its subsequent entry into Asian markets. Sharmax says the partnership brought new investment, model development and broader ambitions in 2019. In 2020, the business officially became Sharmax Jiangsu co LTD and continued its expansion in central Asia while widening its product portfolio.

By 2021, Sharmax said it was producing 120,000 vehicles annually. It also associated the Geely collaboration with the use of Marzocchi suspension components, Bosch fuel-injection systems, Canadian CVT transmissions and Brembo braking systems in its vehicles. Sharmax engineers began training at Geely facilities as part of the continuing collaboration.

A broader international footprint

The company’s international expansion moved beyond Asia with the opening of its first dealership in Dubai in 2023, followed by a $140 million investment in Latin America. Sharmax also lists dealerships or headquarters in Spain, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Its motorcycles have therefore been joined by a broader recreational-vehicle business as the company has entered additional markets.

The UK is now the next planned step. Sharmax says it wants to build a community around riding, exploration and freedom while bringing its adventure range to British motorcyclists. The company’s stated proposition combines adventure use with performance, price and reliability, although the UK expansion is still presented as a forthcoming move rather than an established retail operation.