CFMoto 300GT-E Coming

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CFMoto’s 300GT-E is a civilian version of its electric police bike. (CFMoto/)

It’s one of the oddities of the Chinese motorcycle industry that many of the newest, fastest, most innovative bikes in that country start life as police bikes long before showroom versions appear. It looks like CFMoto’s most ambitious electric model yet is taking the same path, with the first non-police variant of the 300GT-E showing up in a new batch of type approvals more than a year after the police version was revealed.

The 300GT-E was first officially revealed in 2020 as CFMoto’s contender for a potentially lucrative tender for a zero-emissions police motorcycle. Given the sheer size of China’s police and security forces, contracts to supply them with bikes have the potential to amortize a new model’s R&D and tooling expenses before a single consumer version is sold. CFMoto has long been a favored supplier. The existing 650TR, based on the same platform as the 650NK we’re looking at here, is China’s mainstay police bike, and the KTM-engined 1250TR-G is following in its footsteps, so it’s understandable that the company is also looking to fill the demand for an electric interceptor.

The plus side for consumers is that once the Chinese police demand is satisfied, the same machines get customer-oriented spinoff models, and that’s what this machine appears to be.

Code-named CF10500D-B, the new model is near-identical to the original police version, which was listed under the code CF10500DJ-A, but stripped of the law enforcement kit. A dual seat with a passenger backrest replaces the single seat and radio-filled top box of the original version. The flashing lights mounted on the side crashbars are gone, as is the revolving light that was previously set on a telescoping mount at the rear. However, elements of the police version haven’t been completely erased. The silver-gray lower front fairing plastics, for instance, are still molded to fit around the police sirens of the original, but the horns themselves have been swapped for auxiliary light pods.

Between the headlights and below the full-width LED strip across the front of the bike, there’s still a small video camera. Used for evidence-gathering on police bikes, such cameras are becoming increasingly common on new Chinese civilian bikes, essentially operating as built-in dashcams.

In terms of specs, there are few changes from the police to the civilian version. The same motor and battery pack sourced from Blue Stone New Power appear in both bikes, with a rated output of 10.5kW (14 hp) in continuous use but the ability to put out 16.8kW (22.5 hp) for short bursts. As revealed in patents earlier this year, the bike’s structure follows the same modular idea that’s being pursued by several electric motorcycle companies including LiveWire, Can-Am, and Damon, with a structural alloy battery case and subframes bolted to each end rather than a conventional frame.

Stripped of its police top case, lights, and sirens, but with a passenger seat instead, the civilian version of the 300GT-E’s approval paperwork shows it’s 6.6 pounds lighter than the law-enforcement model, coming in at 489 pounds ready-to-ride. The original version was expected to achieve a range of 93 miles between charges, and there’s no reason to expect much difference from the showroom model, which also shares the same 75-mph top speed as the police bike and identical dimensions, with a 56.3-inch wheelbase and 84-inch length.

The big questions remaining over the 300GT-E will revolve around its price and how widely available it becomes. While the touring-style model seen here is probably unsuited to the US market, CFMoto has built a business model around modular motorcycles, offering multiple styles around shared engines and frames, and the 300GT-E is clearly designed to take the same approach. A slimmer, lighter streetbike with the same battery could be a tempting new addition to the growing array of electric offerings on the market, and with China’s police force helpfully subsidizing development costs, there’s a good chance the CFMoto could be cheaper than rivals that don’t have that advantage.

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