CFMoto Enters US Motorcycle Market With 4 Models

Admin · October 18, 2021

CFMoto showed us the seven new models it’s bringing to the US last month, including the 650 Adventura tourer, the 700CL-X roadster, and the 300SS sportbike. (CFMoto/)

Thanks to the determined work of Ben Purvis, you’ve likely read about CFMoto in these pages many times in the last few years, but almost always as it relates to the brand’s efforts in European or Asian markets. We’ve yammered on (sorry Ben) about the fast-growing Chinese firm that’s made great strides in the development and production of new designs, which seriously accelerated after it signed yet another joint partnership with KTM in 2017. (The two firms’ relationship goes back even further, to 2013.)

You may even be familiar with the fact that the company has been in the US powersports market since 2006, offering a well-regarded line of ATVs and UTVs (it’s a market leader in that segment in 15 European countries). But its presence in the two-wheel category on these shores has been almost nonexistent, unless you count the cold launch of the 650NK/TK models in 2014, which went nowhere.

Related: CFMoto to Launch Sporty 250cc Single

That’s all about to change; at CFMoto USA’s first-ever North America dealer meeting last week, the firm announced it would be bringing motorcycles to the US for the first time since that ill-fated 650 launch. At the meeting we witnessed the introduction of not just one, but four new models, including small-displacement sportbikes, a nicely spec’d middleweight, an adventure bike, and even a Grom-like mini, all in the flesh—er, metal—and all of them going a long way toward dispelling the negative preconceptions about Chinese products we may have held up until now. There are seven discrete models, but we’ve broken them out into 4 groups, based on engine size.

700CL-X and 700CL-X Sport

The nicely equipped 700CL-X roadster, which has already hit Asian and some European markets, is one of the headline models CFMoto is bringing to the US for 2022. (Andrew Cherney/)

First seen at EICMA 2019 and then launched in China last year, the 700CL-X model was also released in Europe last month, so it’s been through its paces at this point. Appearance-wise the roadster has changed little from the design mock-ups we uncovered back in 2019 but the all-new model for the brand is powered by what looks to be an enlarged and heavily refined version of the Kawasaki-based 650cc twin that’s been in CFMoto’s bike portfolio for years. It’s stuffed into a new steel frame partnered with an aluminum alloy swingarm and rolling on a 56.5-inch wheelbase, and finished with distinctive, refined roadster-meets-scrambler styling that looks like a direct shot at the R nineT/XSR/Scrambler crowd. In short, it’s not unattractive.

In the 700CL-X, that supposedly “new” 693cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine is said to output a claimed 74 hp at 8,500 rpm, with 47.9 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm, a combination which will draw it about level with the competition (Yamaha’s MT-07 spit out 67 hp on our dyno) even if the CL-X’s heftier 432-pound curb weight might handicap it some. A Bosch EFI manages the air-fuel mixture, and for smoothing the six-speed transmission’s downshifts, a slipper clutch comes standard. So far, so good.

The list of other better-than-expected components on the CL-X goes on, with the front end seeing a fully adjustable KYB upside-down fork, LED lighting all around, one-touch cruise control, power modes, and J.Juan brakes front and rear.

Related: CFMoto’s Small-displacement Models Getting A Facelift?

The 700CL-X Sport is powered by the same 693cc engine but adds clip-ons and rearsets for a sportier riding position. Higher-spec brakes also earn it a higher price tag. (CFMoto/)

If you like your middleweights a tad sportier, the pricier, slightly better equipped (and slightly heavier) 700CL-X Sport variant gains a rear cowling at the redesigned tailsection, up-spec Brembo Stylema brakes with dual 320mm discs and four-piston calipers, and clip-ons with bar-end mirrors as well as rearset footpegs for a more crouched, compact riding position, giving it a streetfighter, cafe-ish vibe, but the engine is unchanged and you’ll see the same mechanicals at its core. We also saw the Sport wearing street-oriented rubber, as you’d expect.

Since the 700CL-X has now appeared in similar form elsewhere—we’ve seen it as the CL-X Heritage and CL-X Classic overseas—we know the design has been sorted and approved for sale; at this point it’s just a matter of meeting US homologation requirements before it officially hits US dealers, which reps believe will be sometime in mid-2022. And if the bike(s) makes it to these shores relatively unchanged and close to the $6,499 asking price ($6,999 for the Sport) CFMoto USA is quoting, things are about to get more interesting in the middleweight naked segment. The dealers we spoke to were visibly excited at the prospect of carrying the company’s all-new motorcycle lineup.

650 Adventura and 650NK

The 17-inch alloy wheels signal the 650 Adventura on-road touring intent. The $6,799 model comes standard with cruise control, ABS, and side cases. (Andrew Cherney/)

CFMoto’s next most anticipated model (judging by dealer reaction anyway) is the 650 Adventura, a bike which looks to be aimed at the adventure-touring market, rather than the hardcore adventure market. Unlike the CL-X, this bike isn’t all that new; it’s been around in one form or another since 2017 in other markets, but has slowly evolved over the years.

In its expected US iteration, the Adventura specs a Kawasaki-derived 649cc liquid-cooled DOHC parallel-twin motor equipped with Bosch fuel-injection system that’s said to pump out 60.3 hp at 8,750 rpm and 41.3 pound-feet of torque at 7,000 rpm. Those power figures sound respectable but definitely not head-snapping given the bike’s 469-pound weight handicap, though the Adventura packs on lots of other good stuff too, including an upside-down fork that’s adjustable for rebound and dual-disc 300mm J.Juan brakes with dual-channel Continental ABS, both of which are standard features. A slipper clutch and rather puffed-out, hard-sided panniers also come standard which, in the latter’s case, could explain the hefty payload. But given its distance-friendly design aspects, like a long touring seat, adjustable windshield, 4.75-gallon fuel capacity, and standard cruise control, the Adventura looks more suited to grand touring than true ADV-ing anyway, especially as it was shod with street tires at the show. The Adventura’s low seat height of 33 inches as well as the low buy-in will likely be key selling points, as its MSRP at this time is $6,799.

Related: CFMoto 700 Designs Leaked

The 650NK takes the Adventura’s 650 twin and tacks sportier bodywork onto it, along with revised ergos and a different seat. (CFMoto/)

CFMoto’s sportier counterpart to the 650 Adventura is the similarly propelled and lower priced 650NK, which shares the same 649cc engine and frame layout, and even the same wheel and tire sizes, but employs different bodywork, a more aggressive riding position, and an entirely different attitude. It will retail for $6,499.

300SS and 300NK

The sharply styled 300NK is the small-displacement naked in CFMoto’s US portfolio. Impressive standard bits include an upside-down fork, six-speed transmission, and ABS. (CFMoto/)

Although CFMoto lumped the 300NK and 650NK models under its sport naked category during the presentation, we’re going to go by displacement instead. In this case, we’ll pair the 300SS, the company’s small-displacement sportbike, with the naked 300NK roadster, given that both share the same 292cc four-valve liquid-cooled single engine (slightly detuned in the NK model), 37mm inverted fork, six-speed transmission, and all-LED lighting. The single-cylinder engine is already sold in Europe (as is the 300SS, where it’s known as the 300SR), and puts out a claimed 28.7 hp and 18.7 pound-feet of torque in the US version (close enough to the reported 27.5 hp claim for the updated 300NK and 300SR models from Europe).

The 300cc of unashamedly sporty attitude is what the 300SS sport brings to the table, along with a splash of race-inspired graphics and a $4,299 price tag. (CFMoto/)

Both the 300SS and the 300NK also bring a dual-channel Continental ABS system, a slipper clutch, and two riding modes accessed via a TFT color display, but they part ways dramatically in the styling department. The 300SS wears race-inspired bodywork along with rear-biased footpegs, clip-ons, and flashier graphics, clearly going after the likes of Kawi’s now-gone Ninja 300 and the Honda’s CBR300R, even if it is at a price point; the 300SS will retail for just $4,299, undercutting both the Honda and Kawi by $600. Again, that’s not a bad calculation, especially when you factor in the 300SS’ standard upside-down fork, slipper clutch, and ABS, even though it does come in with a heavier curb weight.

The 300NK, while sharing the engine, chassis, and suspension with the 300SS, couldn’t look more different, with a sharper, roadster styling that looks heavily influenced by KTM’s design aesthetic (rumor has it that Kiska had a hand in it). As a consequence, it also carries less weight and has a more upright riding position than its 300SS cousin, with wider, taller bars, a taller seat, and lower, more forward pegs.

Papio

The 126cc Papio is CFMoto’s entry into the mini/fun bike category. (CFMoto/)

Finally, there’s CFMoto’s interpretation of Honda’s popular Grom, here dubbed the Papio. Not quite moto, and not quite mini, it feels like a mix between the Kawasaki Z125 Pro and the Honda Grom in the 125 class. It’s got that funky appeal going on, and the Papio is, according to CFMoto, “a minibike specially designed for youngsters who enjoy freedom and fun.” As you might’ve guessed, that means a low-output 126cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine, which is good for a whopping 9.3 hp at 8,500 rpm, according to CFMoto. It lacks the higher-end suspension of the Grom and Z125 Pro, and has a slightly longer wheelbase of 47.8 inches, but unlike the Honda or Kawasaki, the Papio offers a six-speed drivetrain. All three bikes roll on the same size 12-inch wheels with similar tire sizes and a nearly identical seat height (the Papio’s is 30.5 inches) with disc front brakes and EFI, but the Papio’s six-speed transmission and $2,999 price tag bests the other players, even if it seems somewhat down on power.

Will CFMoto see the same level of success here in the States that it’s enjoyed with these models in Asia and Europe? It’s hard to speculate how each of these bikes will fare in the wholly dissimilar US market, but we can say with some confidence that they’re certainly worth a closer look.

Upside-down fork, ABS, slipper clutch, and cohesive design on the 300SS (known as the 300SR elsewhere). (CFMoto/)