CFMoto

CFMoto By Ben Purvis

CFMoto has firmly established itself at the forefront of the Chinese motorcycle industry and is rapidly making headway globally thanks to bikes like the new 450MT.

Exploiting a niche that few others have tried, the 450MT uses a 449 cc parallel twin engine, similar to the one in the 450NK roadster and 450SR sports bike, bolted into a high-spec adventure bike chassis to create something with the tall riding position and tough style associated with the class, but much less weight than the bigger-engined alternatives.

450MT

675 cc three-cylinder engine

The 450MT puts out a claimed 32.5 kW (43.6 bhp) at 9,500 rpm to slide into the A2 licence class, but has a much more serious adventure bike look than rivals like Honda's new NX500, which replaces the CB500X for 2024. The Chinese bike's torque peaks at 44 Nm and 6,250 rpm.

The parallel twin slots into a steel tube frame with adjustable KYB suspension at each end, upside-down forks at the front, monoshock at the rear. There's 200 mm of wheel travel and 220 mm of ground clearance, plus a 21-inch wire front wheel and 18-inch rear. Coming in at only 175 kg, the package is far lighter than most adventure bikes, suggesting the CFMoto might actually be more usable off-road than larger competitors. A relatively accessible 820 mm seat, adjustable down to 800 mm, adds to the appeal.

There's lots of technology, too, with a curved 5-inch colour TFT dash, USB-C power socket and switchable Bosch ABS via J.Juan brake calipers.

MT-X Concept

CFMoto's EICMA display also included several concept offerings, all indicating potential future production bikes. Of these, the MT-X is the most intriguing and one of the closest to production. Based on the 799 cc parallel twin engine designed by KTM that's already used in the CFMoto 800MT adventure tourer, the MT-X takes a much more serious approach to its off-road ability, with long-travel KYB suspension, a 21-inch front wheel and low-mounted fuel tanks on either side, reminiscent of KTM's 890 Adventure. That KTM connection comes thanks to the joint venture that CFMoto and KTM have long cooperated on in China, with CFMoto manufacturing engines and complete bikes on behalf of the Austrian company. In previous years, CFMoto's concepts have become production bikes within 12 months, including the 450SR and the 800NK, so the MT-X has a strong chance of being a showroom model by 2025.

The same applies to the 125NK, shown as a concept, but clearly close to being a production model. With styling similar to CFMoto's other 'NK' naked bikes, but power from a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder 125 cc engine, it's a clear overture to learner riders in European markets, which CFMoto doesn't currently cater to. No specs have been released, but expect a licence-legal 11 kW (15 hp) from the production bike, which is also likely to lose elements like the single-sided swingarm and carbon-fibre rear wheel that feature on the concept model.

CL-C Low Ride

Launched in China earlier this year, CFMoto also introduced its CL-C450 cruiser to the European market for the first time, and added a concept version called the CL-C Low Ride to give it a bobber twist. The CL-C450 will clearly be a competitor for the likes of Honda's Rebel 500 and Kawasaki's Eliminator, with a 30 kW, 449 cc parallel twin that places it in the A2 licence category, but the Low Ride concept takes the standard bike's frame and adds a girder-style fork with an unusual, transverse front shock from Öhlins, operated via a system of bell-cranks to make it more compact than the usual vertical spring seen on bikes with a girder front end. That, in turn, allows the headlight to be set lower and further back. 

A bobber model with styling like the CL-C Low Ride certainly makes sense for CFMoto, although that unusual front suspension might be less likely to reach showrooms in the future.

125NK Concept

One thing that is guaranteed to be in production bikes very soon is CFMoto's 675 cc three-cylinder engine, which also made its European debut on the company's EICMA stand. Due to be launched very soon in the 675SR sports bike, the company claims it makes more than 100 hp, revs to more than 12,300 rpm and is the lightest engine in its class, weighing in at under 55 kg. 

The company previewed the 675SR at an event in China earlier this year, albeit in disguised form, as well as a four-cylinder 500 cc sports bike called the 500SR. In addition to the 675SR, the three-cylinder engine is likely to appear in a range of other models in the future.