CFMOTO is launching its 450 cc CL-C cruiser in Europe. This is a bike built around ergonomics, designed to combine a seat height of 690 mm (very low) with adequate control of the vehicle. With its eye-catching design and British flair, the 450CL-C attracted many fans at EICMA.

Design and style are two key points in cruiser motorcycles. The new 450CL-C has a well-made overall look and attention to detail has not been overlooked: we find a polished fuel tank cap, the 1989 silver ring logo, the ultra-polished fuel tank, the leather seat treated with Pinstripe® Retro technology.

The headlight is a key design element and, in true classic 450CL-C style, we find a circular, fully LED headlight unit. Behind this is an integrated and very eye-catching rear light.

The engine is the well-known – and tested – 450 cc in-line twin cylinder with 270° ignition timing, with a power output of 40.8 hp at 8,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 42 Nm at 6,250 rpm. The gearbox is six-speed and uses a final drive – as is almost obligatory in the segment – with toothed belts.

CF MOTO states a weight of 181 kg in running order in the data sheet. The frame is made of steel, coupled with a 37 mm USD fork, while at the rear there is a monoshock. The brake system consists of a single 320 mm front disc with a four-piston radial-mount caliper, while a single 220 mm disc operates at the rear.

The CF MOTO 450CL-C has a set of LED headlights, a circular 3.6-inch TFT instrument panel and Traction Control, and two colors are available: Nebula Black and the eye-catching Ruby Red.

The price is yet to be determined for a cruiser that will arrive in the course of 2024 and is accompanied by a – in our opinion – beautiful one-off, a special bike manufactured by CFMOTO to express all the technical and stylistic potential of the cruiser/bobber theme around the 450 cc twin-cylinder engine.

O conteúdo CFMOTO 450CL-C – eye-catching design and a British touch aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

CFMOTO launched some interesting new models at EICMA 2023, but one that stands out especially for adventure lovers is the MT-X Concept. Clearly inspired by the growing adventure segment, the CFMOTO MT-X Concept is all about off-road performance mixed with high-end technology.

Since the MT-X Concept is just that, a concept, CFMOTO has intentionally left a lot of information open when it comes to its specification list. The biggest mystery of all is the engine that will power this robust machine, however, judging by the images, we can deduce that it’s probably an iteration of the 800cc engine found in the 800MT, which subsequently uses KTM’s technology in the LC8c twin-cylinder engine. If this is the case, it’s likely to produce close to 100 hp, which puts it in the same range as the KTM 890 Adventure and the BMW F 900 GS.

As for the details we know, it’s clear that CFMOTO is betting heavily on the brand’s adventure DNA, particularly that associated with the MT range. The MT-X concept features a robust fairing, inspired by rally models, and a dashboard that closely resembles the 800MT adventure bike. It also has a 21-inch front wheel and very high ground clearance due to the increased suspension travel. As far as technology is concerned, the CFMOTO MT-X Concept gets a full-LED headlight and an eight-inch TFT touchscreen inspired by the navigation towers on rally bikes, for a more realistic, race-inspired experience.

Beyond all this information, we’re left wondering what the new CFMOTO MT-X Concept has to offer. What we do know is that the bike seems to perform well off-road. At the press conference, the CFMOTO spokesman said that the bike will be “available very soon”, so we’ll have to wait and see if more details are available.

O conteúdo CFMOTO – CFMOTO MT-X Concept unveiled at EICMA 2023 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The 800 MT Touring is undoubtedly CFMOTO’s most eagerly awaited model yet. The Chinese brand – for a long time best known for its ATVs – is growing rapidly all over the world and will soon be able to do so with its new trail models. The 800MT Touring is therefore the first big test for the Asian brand!

We all know what the last three have been like worldwide. A pandemic that lasted two years, after the outbreak of a war that is yet to last, and with it the motorcycle market also suffered. The lack of components delayed the arrival of many models and we were supposed to have ridden the 800MT Touring and Sport much longer ago. The opportunity has arisen now that CFMOTO has a new importer in our country, the famous Multimoto group, so let’s get to the analysis. First of all, CFMOTO was founded in 1989, has more than 4,000 employees and distributes motorcycles, ATVs and Side-by-Sides in more than 100 countries through more than 3,000 dealers. The brand doesn’t hide the fact that it wants to be a global premium brand, and the recent bet on the Moto3 World Championship is also proof of this, in order to give the manufacturer more visibility. The range is currently made up of models of different styles (stay tuned for more tests coming soon) and the brand’s partnership with the KTM group is no secret, as well as having other global partners such as Bosch, Brembo, KYB, J.Juan, among others.

LOTS OF EQUIPMENT

From the outset, this is a very well-born bike in aesthetic terms, with spoked rims on both axles (just the way the public likes them), a 19-inch wheel at the front and a 17-inch wheel at the rear. Then there’s a lot more equipment to take note of: the presence of various protection bars, the sump protection, which is not only lower but also lateral; the tire monitoring system, which in this case are Maxxis tubeless units; the steering damper; the heated grips and seat; the electronic cruise control; the cornering ABS, the hand guards… And let’s catch our breath because there’s more, such as the center stand, the manually adjustable front screen, the slipper clutch, the bidirectional quickshifter, the auxiliary headlights, the KYB suspension with adjustable inverted fork at the front, the full LED lighting, the two driving modes or the 7″ TFT color instrumentation with full connectivity. If you want to save 1,000 euros, you’ll find all of the above in the Sport version, with the exception of the hand and sump guards, the quickshifter and the heated grips and seat. And the wheels, which remain the same size, are not spoked. Is there anything missing in all this equipment? We’ll see.

THE BEST DRIVING POSITION AND COMFORT; SUSPENSIONS; EQUIPMENT

IMPROVING THE SIDE STAND; CONFUSING INSTRUMENTATION; THE POSSIBILITY OF TURNING OFF THE ABS ON THE REAR WHEEL;

ENGINE AND CYCLING

When it comes to the engine, there are no secrets either. It’s a parallel twin-cylinder of KTM origin, the famous 790 that produces 70 Kw (around 95 hp) at 9,000 rpm and 77 Nm of torque at 7,500 rpm. A very compact unit, with a 75º crankshaft, which aims to offer the best sensations of a V twin cylinder, but with less mechanical complexity, in which we find forged pistons and various internal components designed for low internal friction and, consequently, a rapid rise in engine speed. The throttle is naturally ride-by-wire.

The tubular frame and subframe weigh a total of 16 kg, while the aluminum alloy swingarm weighs just 6.9 kg, but as this is a large bike with a lot of equipment (various guards, center stand, auxiliary headlights, everything weighs…), the total weight is 231 kg, excluding the luggage. The KYB adjustable suspension (the only thing missing is the rear compression adjustment) offers 160 mm of travel at the front and 150 mm at the rear, and J.Juan, a Brembo brand that is becoming more and more fashionable, supplies the braking equipment.

Also noteworthy are the 19-liter tank capacity, the seat placed 825 mm from the ground and the 190 mm ground clearance, which will be enough on a bike that CFMOTO considers to be 80% asphalt. But let’s get to the riding impressions, because that’s what you really want to know!

POLIVALENT

That was our cover headline, and you only have to look at this 800MT Touring to imagine that this bike is just like that! Well, the riding position is very good, with a comfortable seat, wide handlebars and a footrest with a rubber cover (which can be removed) that eliminates possible vibrations. The riding position is clearly less racing than that of the Austrian model that gave up the engine, which is in line with the model’s more touring philosophy. However, the seat is a little wide at the front, so those with shorter legs will find it difficult to reach the floor with their feet. Worse still is the fact that the side stand is too short, so you always have to think about how you’re going to park it, especially if you’ve got your suitcases packed. Not only will it be difficult to lift it off the side stand, but it could even topple over into the interior if you’re not careful. The ideal is always to use the good center stand! And by the way, the rear-view mirrors have a slight tendency to misalign on the highway, even if they are tight.

On the road, however, everything works fine! Between the Rain and Sport driving modes, we ended up always using the sportier mode and the ride is super pleasant, the suspensions are very competent and we didn’t even feel the need to change the settings, offering comfort and capable dynamics. The Maxxis tires also surprised us positively, with a high level of dry grip, and the braking does its job, although we had to apply more force to the lever than on other rival machines. Our unit made a slight vibration under heavy braking, which could just be an impurity between the pad and the disk. As for the engine, it offers all the sensations we know from the KTM, but it seems smoother and less jerky on this model, perhaps due to the greater weight of the unit. But it’s very linear and excellent on the open road, with the quickshifter working relatively well (it’s not a reference) but allowing you to use the clutch if you want to, as the gearbox is still very light and easy to operate.

VALID OPTION

Before we move on to the conclusions, there are several more details to mention. The fact that the aerodynamic protection is very good (we rode with the “glass” in an intermediate position), while the instrumentation is very complete but somewhat confusing to navigate on the first few days, so we need some time to get used to it, as well as the brand’s App, which gives us other information that is not available on the 7-inch TFT, such as the average consumption, which was around 5.5 l/100 km. The huge Shad Terra suitcases we used in the photo shoot are of high quality and also make you dream of long journeys, but for most users they may be too big, as well as making the bike somewhat unstable at higher speeds, even just by mounting the top case. And if the heated grips and seat work perfectly (they heat up very quickly), the more demanding could ask for traction control or, above all, the possibility of turning off the ABS on the rear wheel, which we really miss the most when riding off-road. In these areas, even with very road-going tires, the 800MT handles well, with a riding position that’s easy to stand on and suspension that keeps everything under control.

All in all, there are a number of details we’d like to see revised, but that doesn’t stop this CFMOTO 800MT Touring from being an excellent bike right now, not least because the price-quality ratio is very interesting. It’s a beautiful machine, very well equipped and very comfortable, powered by a well-known engine and offering high-quality suspension. Agile and stable in a good compromise, it also doesn’t fail dynamically in the way it corners, brakes and accelerates, so it’s another good proposition in a segment that’s on the rise and where there’s plenty to suit all tastes.

O conteúdo Review – CFMOTO 800 MT Touring – the big test aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

There are three new models and concepts to be presented at EICMA 2023, courtesy of CFMoto. Given the brand’s momentum in recent years and all the novelties it has already presented, it will definitely be a must to visit its stand at the show or check out its social media to find out what’s new from the Chinese brand. 

To say that the concept and production bikes that will be presented at this year’s EICMA are breathtaking depends on which part of the world you live in. To begin with, CFMOTO already has an A2-compliant model, the 450 NK. For A1 compliance, a new generation 125 NK is on the way, which is already being presented on CF’s social media pages.

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After that, the CL-C Low Ride concept will have some time in the spotlight during CF’s presentation in Italy. We already know what the standard CL-C looks like, but the concept will take that platform and turn it into a kind of bobber. It’s possible that CFMOTO is exploring the possibilities of the CL-C platform and how it could introduce a little more style and content to the brand. For now, the teaser shows the outline of the bike, but we can already see various bobber elements.

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Next up, and probably what many people are looking forward to, is the MT-X Concept. This is probably the bike that CFMOTO and its fans are most excited about and, if you listen to the audio of the presentation video, you’ll notice that there’s a very distinctive and characteristic sound coming from the clips, which is that of a twin-cylinder engine

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That said, and through the process of elimination (yet another set of rumors in the industry), CFMOTO may be trying to fill a very lucrative segment in its adventure touring categories. Currently, the MT series is only available in medium-displacement versions, with the 800 MT being the best of them all. A smaller, lighter and more affordable version will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to the range and something that will excite many motorcyclists, especially those looking to get started in adventure riding.

O conteúdo CFMOTO is ready for EICMA 2023 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.