CFMoto 800NK Details

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The CFMoto 800NK shares a version of KTM’s 790 Duke engine, which is made for the Austrian company by CFMoto. (CFMoto/)

Back in October, we brought you the design drawings that proved CFMoto’s KTM-powered NK-C22 concept bike was turning into a showroom model bearing the 800NK name. Now the first photos have emerged along with rudimentary specifications thanks to the bike’s Chinese type-approval documents. They show that not one but two versions of the 800NK are to be made, and on paper they look like a tempting alternative to Japanese newcomers like the Honda CB750 Hornet and Suzuki GSX-8S as well as European models including KTM’s revived 790 Duke that shares the CFMoto’s engine.

The styling provides few surprises, mirroring the appearance of the NK-C22 concept bike with only a couple of key changes. The main alteration is the adoption of a conventional, double-sided swingarm instead of the concept’s single-sider, and while it’s out of sight in these images, the earlier design registrations showed that the production model has a single, high-level exhaust on the right-hand side, replacing the dual SC-Project silencers of the concept. Other alterations are more subtle, with the concept’s carbon fiber parts replaced with plastic and elements like the bellypan and front brake ducts removed.

Like other recent CFMotos, the design itself is a success. It’s likely to have come from Kiska Studios, also responsible for many KTMs in recent years, and features a striking, V-shaped headlight with frosted white LED running lights either side of the main unit, and tank-side panels that wrap forward to align with the sides of the nose. At the back, the passenger seat is shaped to look like a separate element, giving the 800NK a fashionably short-tailed appearance but still keeping a relatively large area for the pillion—albeit with nothing in the way of grab handles. The rear turn signals and licence plate are on a separate, swingarm-mounted section, while the taillight itself is under the rear seat.

When it comes to numbers, both iterations of the 800NK share all the same key figures including a claimed 99 hp output from the 799cc KTM LC8c parallel-twin engine and a wet weight of 410 pounds. They also have identical suspension parts, with an upside-down fork and an alloy swingarm, and the same J.Juan radial-mount four-piston front brake calipers and dual discs. In fact, the only visible difference between the two machines, apart from their paint schemes, is the instruments. The black version seen here, internally known as the CF700-7A, has a much larger TFT dashboard than the blue and silver version. That is likely to indicate more in-depth electronic differences between the models—for instance, the higher-spec machine could feature cornering traction control and IMU-assisted cornering ABS.

This version of the 800NK appears very similar, but we believe has higher-spec electronics and a much larger display on the dash. (CFMoto/)

Both bikes have the same 57.7-inch wheelbase, which is identical to that of Suzuki’s new GSX-8S, and the CFMoto’s 99 hp output puts it ahead of both the GSX-8S and Honda’s Hornet 750; the Suzuki manages 82 hp, and the Honda 90 hp, while being only 4 hp shy of the latest version of the KTM 790 Duke, which also uses a CFMoto-made version of the Austrian firm’s compact parallel-twin engine.

Pricing for the 800NK is unknown at this stage, but it’s likely to be more affordable than most of its European and Japanese rivals, despite Honda’s incredibly competitive European pricing strategy for the CB750 Hornet (which has yet to be confirmed for the US market), which may be hard to beat.

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