CFMoto 450MT: A Small-Bore ADV Unicorn, At What Price?

[advrider]

Just when we see Royal Enfield bringing out a new Himalayan 452, even as we see a faint glimmer of hope for a Kawasaki Versys-X 500, we see another alternative rising from China. The CF 450MT debuted at EICMA today, and even though details are limited, the promo certainly implies we’ve got a competent bike coming our way soon. While an advert is no guarantee of the end product, the footage does seem to show the bike holding up to a brisk pace in the dirt.

What the YouTube clip doesn’t tell us is—just about everything else. There are no real hard facts here. How much does the bike weigh? Alas, it’s left unstated. What electronic features come standard? Again, it’s unstated. What’s the horsepower and torque rating? Left unsaid.

Actually, we can make a pretty good guess at those last two numbers. This appears to be the same liquid-cooled parallel twin that powers the 450SS, making about 50 hp at 9500 rpm and 28.8 lb-ft of torque at 7600 rpm. That engine comes with a slip/assist clutch and Bosch EFI as standard.

If you read William Roberson’s review of the 450SS, you’ll note that he ends by saying it has quality componentry, and many features that were optional on Japanese bikes only a short time ago are now standard on this made-in-China bike. If CFMoto follows this pattern with the MT model, you’ll see Brembo brakes, Bluetooth-compatible display and well-tuned fueling. Roberson did note some things that needed sorting on that bike, but it was small stuff, mostly related to the user interface. Such problems are very quickly fixed, and we’d expect the MT won’t have the same issues, minor as they may be.

We’ll keep a watch on this one, and let you know if it’s confirmed for North America this year. At this point, it seems like it’s only confirmed for overseas buyers.

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