CFMOTO arranged a trip to China for their dealers to discover where the machines they are selling originate from. It was an informative trip, with tours through the production facilities to witness the inner workings of this rapidly growing manufacturer. And I penned down everything about the factory visit too.
Part of the trip involved an hour or so out the back of the head office, where a testing facility complete with an off-road course allowed the design team to put products through their paces.
But for our visit, CFMOTO had arranged for a demo of some of the new models, ranging from small electric bikes to a couple of their new road bikes and a swathe of side x side off-road machines. With my eyes firmly set on the road bikes, I first managed a few laps on the funky new 500SR before turning my attention to the 675SR-R three-cylinder sports bike.
Now, let me just clarify – this is not a road test. We were in a limited area with which we could test the bikes, and I only got approximately a 5-minute spin on each machine. But it gave me a good first impression of just how exciting these new products are, and we can’t wait until they reach our shores or arrange for a launch.
The CFMoto 675SR-R
The 675SR-R greeted with the throatier tone of its triple. With the 675cc three-cylinder format proving so successful for other manufacturers, the combination of a meaty low-to-mid-range with a high-revving top-end makes it ideal as a mid-capacity sporty.
Design
The styling is sharp on the CFMOTO, with the sit-in riding position and full-colour TFT dash certainly going to be popular with younger riders. The quickshifter made upshifts seamless, while the handling was certainly on the sporty side thanks to the clip-on handlebars, high peg position and firm KYB suspension front (fully-adjustable) and rear (preload/rebound).
Ride
With only 5 minutes or so on the bike and within the tight confines of the test track, it was impossible to get a full appreciation of the new model. But what I did appreciate during the short stint on the new model is that it’s certainly not a radical racer, with a reasonably relaxed riding position for a bike with sporty looks. The bars weren’t too low and the position of the footpegs didn’t make me feel like I was in an uncomfortable racer’s tuck.
The triple-cylinder motor not only sounded great but offered loads of bottom-end punch before transitioning into a blistering top-end. The quickshifter made grabbing another cog a clutchless affair, while the sound of the triple was addictive from the underslung exhaust, with a little pop as the next ratio slotted in. With specs showing 95hp @ 11,000rpm, it puts the new 675SR-R right in the mix with Triumph’s recently released Daytona 675. And with a slipper clutch, adjustable traction control and large four-piston calipers gripping 300mm rotors, if the price is right when the model makes it to NZ, it’s likely to be another hit for the CFMoto. And we also expect that this powerplant will get used in other variants…
The CFMoto 500SR
The funky 500SR features a sporty, retro design and is powered by a 500cc inline four-cylinder that is bucking the current trend. At a time when every manufacturer seems to be producing parallel twins, having a bike that features a screaming four-pot instantly put a grin on my face, which only got bigger when I was able to wind it out on the CFMOTO test facility.
Reminiscent of the 400cc sports bikes of the eighties and nineties, the little 500 was a heap of fun on my all-too-short test ride. However, it was enough to learn that this is going to be a fun bike for those looking to relive a bit of the excitement of their youth or youngsters coming into motorcycling who want something different. Unlike the 675 triple above where there was heaps of power down the bottom of the rev range, the 500SR needed more numbers on the digital rev counter before the four-cylinder started producing the goods, and this is a bike where the rider will need to enjoy keeping the motor on the boil to get the most of the power.
The twin stubby exhausts give the 500SR a unique – and I reckon really cool – look, while the two big air ducts are where you’d expect to see the headlight, feed air down to the airbox, while an LED light set-up underneath gives the bike a unique profile from the front. And the sit-in riding position should be great for aiding confidence, as it was easy to get my feet flat on the floor.
The dash was typical of CFMOTO’s other bigger capacity road offerings, with a nice TFT screen supplying plenty of info, with various options available. The 500SR is certainly a sporty offering and would be a great step up for riders going from CFMoto’s smaller capacity offerings. With a claimed 81hp maximum output, which is helped by the ram-air system (like we used to see on the small 400cc screamers back in the day), the 500SR is a sporty bike that is involving to ride.
Yet, it won’t see you hitting ballistic speeds when you hold onto the throttle like you would on a sportsbike with double the capacity. And riding a small bike fast is much more fun than riding a big bike slow in my opinion…
BRM Verdict
With the afternoon on the test facility enough to give a quick taste of two exciting new models heading our way from CFMOTO, there’s no denying that the Chinese manufacturer is making a serious play for a portion of the bigger capacity road bike segment. Both bikes appeared to be well made and handled the twists and turns of the test track efficiently, although only a longer test on typical roads will be able to ascertain the full performance of these machines.
Still, with CFMOTO models usually well-priced, it’s going to be an exciting time when they finally arrive!
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