CFMoto 450CL-C Cruiser on Its Way

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CFMoto’s 450CL-C didn’t steal the limelight at the Beijing Motor Show, but it was quietly displayed promising a future release. (CFMoto/)

At the Beijing Motor Show this year, CFMoto unveiled a whole bunch of new bikes from the tiny Papio XO Scrambler to an updated version of its big 1250TR-G tourer, but one model that appeared on the stand went without a mention at the time, the 450CL-C cruiser.

Although looking production-ready and accompanied by a customized version on the CFMoto display, no details were given about the 450CL-C at the time. While the company remains silent about the bike, now we’ve got some concrete information via its official type-approval application in China and every indication is that it will be a viable competitor in the entry-level cruiser class, targeting the likes of Honda’s Rebel 500 and Kawasaki’s new 451cc Eliminator twin.

On display, there was also a customized version of the bike. (CFMoto/)

CFMoto already has a range of “CL-X” models: the 700CL-X and 300CL-X, with neo-retro roadster styling, and the new CL-C branding will appear on cruiser-style models going forward. Given that CFMoto has a wide array of engines in its armory, there’s potential for CL-C models from 125cc to 800cc or more in the future. The initial 450CL-C that has now been type-approved features a 449cc parallel twin, and while it is based on the 272MQ engine of the 450SS and 450NK, the approval confirms that the alterations to the engine go deeper than its cosmetic fins that can be seen on the outside.

Where the 450SS and NK models put out 50 hp, the type-approval documents show the CL-C’s version is detuned for a maximum of 40 hp, a 20 percent drop that’s sure to be accompanied by a focus on low and midrange torque over peak power. The bike’s closest rivals are Kawasaki’s new 451cc Eliminator, which makes 45 hp at 9,000 rpm, and Honda’s 471cc Rebel, good for 46 hp at 8,500 rpm, so the CFMoto lags a fraction behind those machines. It splits the competition in terms of weight; the new documents show it comes in at 399 pounds, compared to 388 pounds for a similarly ABS-equipped version of the Eliminator, while the Rebel weighs 408 pounds. On the road, every indication is that the three bikes will be closely matched.

Another view of the prototype CFMoto 450CL-C. (CFMoto/)

The CFMoto’s 58.5-inch wheelbase, is just 0.2 inch shorter than the Rebel and 1.3 inches less than the Eliminator. Like the Honda, it uses 16-inch wheels at each end, wrapped in 130/90 rubber at the front and 150/80 at the rear. The Kawasaki has an 18-inch front, 16-inch-rear combination that gives a more traditional cruiser stance. The CFMoto’s upside-down fork is, on paper, an improvement over the right-way-up versions used by both of its Japanese rivals, and unlike its competition has a rear monoshock instead of traditional twin shocks.

Other specs that have been confirmed are the six-speed gearbox, so no surprise there, and the use of ABS-equipped brakes, with a J.Juan radial-mount four-piston caliper on the front grabbing a single 300mm rotor. The second version of the bike shown alongside the CL-C at the Beijing show featured dual front brakes with Brembo radial-mount calipers, plus 17-inch wheels, a single seat, and dropped bars along with a custom exhaust and different cowls around the radiator, but it hasn’t been type-approved as a mass-production model.

There’s a good chance that CFMoto will give the 450CL-C a full global unveiling later this year, perhaps at the EICMA show in November, and introduce it to showrooms as a 2024 model.

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