CFMoto

CFMoto plans 450CL-C Bobber, 250CL-C Cruiser and electrics By Ben Purvis

Last year's EICMA saw the unveiling of CFMoto's CL-C Low Ride concept bike - a slammed bobber with girder forks based on the company's new 450CL-C cruiser - and now a production version of that machine has emerged in Chinese approval filings.

Unsurprisingly, the showroom version tones down the style of the concept. The girder forks are gone, replaced by the standard upside-down telescopics of the normal 450CL-C, and the tyres aren't as fat as those on the show bike. Despite those downgrades, and the fact that it shares the same engine, frame and fuel tank as the base 450CL-C, the new bobber manages to look substantially different.

CL-C Bobber

The changes are focused on the rear end. There's a single seat, recalling bikes from the 1940s or earlier thanks to its clear, saddle-shaped style. It hovers above a rear fender that's close to the back tyre, almost disappearing from view and giving the back end a lightweight look. In a clever move, CFMoto supports that rear hugger with a diagonal, tubular bracket that extends forward from the rear swingarm to the upper front of the fender, giving the illusion of a hardtail bike's frame while actually using exactly the same monoshock rear end as the standard 450CL-C. The licence plate and rear lights hang on a swingarm-mounted bracket at the back.

Mechanically, the bike is powered by the same 449 cc parallel twin used in the normal 450CL-C, putting out 30 kW (40 hp), and rides on a 1,485 mm wheelbase. The more stripped-back style genuinely saves weight too, cutting 4 kg from the CL-C's mass and bringing it to 177 kg including fuel.

Another CFMoto type-approval, filed in China, shows a smaller cruiser heading to market soon in the form of the 250CL-C. This one has a new, twin-shock frame with a shorter 1,470 mm wheelbase and lower 165 kg wet weight. It's powered be the 249 cc single-cylinder engine that's already used in the 250CL-X and 250NK (and offered in a larger 292 cc form in the 300NK and 300CL-X in many markets), with 18.5 kW (25 hp). 

CL-C Cruiser

In addition to working on both advanced ICE models, CFMoto is still pushing ahead with electric bikes, including this battery-powered middleweight sports bike.

While CFMoto's future ICE sports bike projects include a 675 cc triple, a 500 cc inline four and a 1,000 cc V4 superbike, all intended to sit above its existing 300SR and 450SR machines, the brand has patented this electric model using the 450SR as its base.

Previously, CFMoto's electric bikes have been 'clean-sheet' designs, including the 300GT-E electric sport-tourer that was designed as part of a project for China's police force and security services to use. It also makes the Papio Nova electric minibike and has a dedicated EV sub-brand, Zeeho, for city models and scooters. 

But this new design takes a different approach by utilising the existing chassis from the 450SR sports bike and packing an electric powerplant into the space normally occupied by a 450 cc parallel twin.

The patent explains that the battery unit is in a metal case, bolted to an electric motor behind, and the whole thing can be used as a structural component to replace the combustion engine in the 450SR, which uses its motor to add rigidity to the chassis. By making a drop-in EV powertrain with the same mounting brackets as its 450 cc twin-cylinder engine, CFMoto would be in a position to create a range of electric models easily, quickly and cheaply. 

At the moment, bikes using variants of the same 450 cc V-twin include the 450SR sports bike, 450NK roadster and 450CL-C cruiser. The new electric power unit and batteries would easily slot into any of them.

Electric sports bike

The downside of this design, when compared to clean-sheet electric bikes, is that the battery pack appears to be much smaller, suggesting range would be limited. That might not be a big hurdle for small-capacity bikes used mainly in cities, and if CFMoto can implement a fast-charging system that can take advantage of the growing network of rapid chargers, refilling a small battery should be a relatively quick job.

What's clear is that CFMoto is positioning itself to be in a strong position regardless which way the market turns. If legislation forces or technology enables a rapid shift to electric power, or if combustion engines get a reprieve, the next generation of the Chinese company's bikes are likely to be formidable rivals to the motorcycling establishment.