That’s misleading. CFMOTO has actually been in South Africa for some time. But the motorcycles are new.
We’ve actually featured CFMoto quite often in the recent past. They have a solid lineup of ATV’s and Side-By-Sides that sell solidly. This company has a history of partnering with manufacturers to build components and has established quite a reputation globally as a quality brand.
Their latest growth spurt comes in the form of road bikes and two brand new ADV machines.
It’s very rare to have a launch where so many new models are introduced and made available to ride. CFMoto South Africa invited Dealers and Media to the FK track in Benoni to meet the new machines and take them for a little ride…
There’s lots to tell, so pay attention.
We arrived to acres of blue flags and a proud display of bikes all lined up on the track. After a get together and chat where stuff like the fact that they are the first Chinese brand to ever win a MotoGP title (little chap called Alonso sorted that for them), riders were let loose to sample the goods.
Whilst the FK Track is certainly not the longest track around, it is a perfect venue just to get a feel for smaller capacity machines. About a million corners with long sweeps, tight turns and a decent top straight to feel what the acceleration of each bike is like.
About fourteen million laps later, we headed for home pretty impressed by what we saw and felt.
We’ll give a quick rundown on each bike in this feature, but we have requested that they feed us models as soon as the shipments start to arrive for a longer review of each machine.
Standing in the blistering heat, riders quietly took turns on each model. It was a day-long affair, so what was quite lekker was that – if you wanted to, you could ride each bike a few times. As usually happens, there were a few dices that took place and all in, it was a very chilled day of riding, bench racing and chin-wagging with like minded people.
Our choice was to ride the smallest capacity models first and work our way up.
The bikes:
All the bikes share thoroughly modern fit and finishes from LED technology, to TFT displays. Components vary from model to model – so for example, one will have Brembo brakes, another, J-Juan and so-on. Every bike feels well made – solid with real world performance.
The quality feel of all the bikes impressed us.
The derivatives are pretty easy to understand – NK – Naked. SR Street Sport. MT Adventure. Capiche?
The CFMOTO 300NK and 300SR.
Two 300’s: One is the naked 300NK and that’s the one that we rode first.
That was fun! An unassuming bike with a cool torquey little single-cylinder engine that puts out decent power for a bike in this class. It’s built for riders of all shapes and sizes with comfort kept in mind. The upright seating position makes sense and she roars along to the national speed limit really easily. It’s well appointed too, we particularly enjoyed the induction scoops that are built into the tank, so as you accelerate you get that lekker soundtrack…
300 NK R79,900
D I S P L A C E M E N T 292cc
RETAIL PRICE INCL VAT
ENGINE TYPE: Single Cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid cooled, 4-value, DOHC
POWER: 21.4KW
TORQUE: 25.3 Nm
TRANSMISSION: 6-Speed slipper Clutch
DIMENSIONS: 1990 x 780 x 1070mm
SEAT HEIGHT: 795mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 12.5L
ABS
The CFMOTO 300SR
Then it was time for the very pretty single cylinder Alonso replica 300SR.
The Alonso bike is not a specific model, the guys from CF had it wrapped and painted especially for the occasion. Perhaps they should offer this bike a commemorative model, it sure looks the part! Perhaps it’s a bit small for big galoots like us, with quite racey ergonomics in the leg department. The little fairing makes it feel like you are at the GP as you send it around the corners. A lot of fun – and the styling will appeal to the younger riders out there.
300 SR R84,900
D I S P L A C E M E N T 298cc
ENGINE TYPE: Single-Cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC
POWER: 22KW
TORQUE: 27Nm
TRANSMISSION: Wet multi plate, slipper clutch
DIMENSIONS: 2010 x 750 x 1100mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 12L
ABS
155 KGS
The CFMOTO 450SR S
They have nailed it with the 450 SR S
Now this one was particularly impressive. We love the scoops, the styling, the power output, the ergonomics, they really have nailed it. Performance from that twin-cylinder engine is perfect for a track like this and the bike feels less cramped than the smaller 300SR. It’s a bike that you can use every day as a runabout and then head to the track on the weekend to put in a few laps. Brembo Brakes. Did we mention that it’s pretty good looking?
450 SR S R124,900
D I S P L A C E M E N T 449cc
ENGINE TYPE: 2-Cylinder, water-cooled, DOHC
POWER: 34.5KW
TORQUE: 39.3Nm
ACCELERATION: 0 TO 100 = 5 Sec
DIMENSIONS: 1995 x 715 x 1140mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 14L
ABS
Two 700’s - The CLX Heritage and the CLX Sport.
These two were absolutely our pick of the day. Just look at them!
Light bikes with useable power like these just make them so much fun to ride.
The Heritage has high bars, the sport is fitted with funky old-school clubmans. Both are proper head turners and are packed with cool stuff.
The TFT screens have been ignored for an older school round digital display. The ride-by-wire delivers crisp response, the seats are comfortable, seating position is not like a pretzel…
What’s not to like?
And they go as well as they look – and the Sport even has Brembo brakes!
Please CF – can we get them for a proper street feature soon…
700 CL-X HERITAGE R144,900. Sport R149,900
D I S P L A C E M E N T 693cc
ENGINE TYPE: 2-cylinder inline, liquid-cooled
POWER: 55KW
TORQUE: 68Nm
TRANSMISSION: Wet multi disc, slipper clutch
TORQUE: 68Nm
FUEL CAPACITY: 13L
TCS
ABS
CFMOTO 800NK
Sporty quick and nimble, the NK 800’s riding position is pretty compact and sporty. You’ll like the 795mm seat height. The footpegs are positioned quite high, making the whole machine feel quite small.
The 800NK ‘s parallel twin is responsive and fun to ride. Suspension is from KYB and is fully adjustable, a nice touch. The standard set-up is quite stiff, great for the track.
The finish and quality seems excellent, it’s got a 15 litre tank, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity and three rider modes all displayed on a TFT screen that’s bigger than your TV at home! Good fun, we’ll ride it again soon.
800 NK R179,900
D I S P L A C E M E N T 799cc
ENGINE TYPE: Twin Cylinder, DOHC
POWER: 74KW
TORQUE: 81Nm
TRANSMISSION: Wet multi plate, slipper clutch
DIMENSIONS: 2132 x 810 x 1158mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 15L
ABS
189 KGS
The CFMOTO 450MT and 800MT Explore
The 450 parallel twin was the talk of the town for the day.
You get a parallel twin four stroke fuel injected engine, KYB suspension, A little rally inspired fairing, a 21/18 wire wheel combination, a TFT screen…
450 MT R124,900
D I S P L A C E M E N T 449cc
ENGINE TYPE: 2-Cylinder inline, liquid-cooled, DOHC
POWER: 32.5KW
TORQUE: 44Nm
TRANSMISSION: 6-Speed, wet multi-plate, slipper clutch
DIMENSIONS: 2210 x 870 x 1390mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 17.5L
GROUND CLEARANCE: 220mm
BOSCH TCS & ABS
The 800 MT Explore is a bigger, bolder spoked-wheeled ADV option.
129 litre fuel tank. Suspension is by KYB, spoke-wheels (19 and 17”), parallel twin engine, wide seat, adjustable screen, 6 rider modes…
800 MT EXPLORE R219,900
D I S P L A C E M E N T 799cc
ENGINE TYPE: 2-Cylinder inline, liquid-cooled, EFI, 8 valves, DOHC
POWER: 70KW
TORQUE: 77Nm
TRANSMISSION: Wet multi disc, sipper clutch
DIMENSIONS: 2234 x 853 x 1277mm
POWER MODE: Sport/Rain/Off-Road/All-Terrain
WHEELS: Tubeless spoked rims
SEAT HEIGHT: 825mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 19L
ABS
Read more about the adv offerings in Dirt And Trail magazine…
Overall:
You can’t help coming away impressed.
Everyone was really complimentary, commenting on the fresh styling and quality feel and finish of each bike. We saw a few orders being taken and lots of enthusiasm from the dealers who were on hand.
Watch this brand, go and have a looksee, they offer, what seems to be a really good package at pretty competitive pricing.
More on this brand as we go along…
