Small adventure bikes are becoming popular and the CFMOTO 450MT is smashing sales records for the brand. We head to the Snowy for three days riding to find out why... Photos: F Style Photo
I wake early to a cold June winter morning in Cairns, it’s 15ºC! The brain, as usual, is slowly clicking into gear, when a sudden realisation dawns, replacing the pain of leaving a warm bed at 4.30am… I get to ride the CFMOTO 450MT today! Read on for my CFMOTO 450MT test.
The 2024 CFMOTO 450MT Aussie launch began at importer Mojo Motorcycles head office.
My bags have been packed with a brand-new adventure riding kit supplied by Moto National Accessories for over a week, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, a new bike, new kit, new friends, new roads, YEWWWWW!
“Bosch fuel injection, KYB suspension, well tested engine, great styling and a heap of extras that every adventure rider is going to enjoy”…
The plane screams down the runway, climbing into a brilliant blue sky that has not a cloud in sight. Swapping the warm Cairns winter, its blue waters, reefs that fade into green lush hinterlands of the Far North, for a three-day ride in the icy cold highlands of Victoria where I will face -3ºC mornings, hasn’t fully sunk in yet…
I spent last night reading up on the CFMOTO 450MT, there is a lot more to this bike, like Bosch fuel injection, KYB suspension, well tested engine, great styling and a heap of extras that every adventure rider is going to enjoy. I am enthused to see just what the CFMOTO 450MT has to offer the adventure riding market, especially new riders.
“I feel the CFMOTO 450MT will offer the LAMS market a serious adventure option”…
I love the Australian LAMS motorcycle market, it’s the breeding ground for motorcycling. I feel the CFMOTO 450MT will offer the LAMS market a serious adventure option. Offering new riders an affordable freedom to access remote regions of Australia, which are free of the law and the traffic, will anchor motorcycles into their DNA forever.
Arriving at Mojo Motorcycles HQ, I meet up with CFMOTO Marketing Manager Matt Reilly, who comes with a wealth of motorcycle industry knowledge and a passion for everything on two wheels, especially adventure riding and off-road… A quick introduction to the launch, staff and the 450MT motorcycle by Matt was conducted, showcasing the level of excitement and passion for the CFMOTO products and how many models have the same engine as the MT, along with an incredible list of extras.
“Some of these include an adjustable windscreen that can be adjusted while riding, 7-clicks of adjustment”…
Some of these include an adjustable windscreen that can be adjusted while riding, 7-clicks of adjustment, easy to locate, backlit switches are a cool extra, standard GPS/mobile device mounting bar, 5-inch TFT full-colour instrumentation with two display options and phone/helmet intercom connectivity, tubeless spoke wheels, they look cool, span adjustable levers, USB outlet located on the display tower for easy charging of GPS or mobile devices.
LED lighting all around, a radiator protector, bashplate and bark busters with wind protectors, removable rubber inserts on the footpegs for off-road use, a folding gear lever and rear brake pedal, folding mirrors for off-road and things like the swingarm’s integrated chain holder holds the chain when the rear wheel is removed, preventing it from dragging on the ground and getting dirty!
An amazing number of extras that makes this bike stand out in the marketplace and combine all that with an engine that has been well tested and used extensively, KYB suspension with plenty of adjustment… and it all looks very impressive on paper.
The suspension offers 200mm of travel each end, absorbed everything I threw at it with ease and gave plenty of feedback. All the bikes were on standard settings. There is a linkage mounting position to lower the bike by 20mm for those that require it, as well as a low and high seat option. Switchable TC and rear-wheel ABS deactivation, which was incredibly easy to operate, means you do not have to be a tech geek to get it on and off, which will amaze riders in my age group!
“The CFMOTO RIDE App is super exciting and free of charge to use”…
The T-Box technology with the CFMOTO RIDE App is super exciting and free of charge to use, allowing you to track where, when and how your motorcycle is being ridden, location of the motorcycle for security purposes, sending you live notifications if it’s being tampered with, tracked if its stolen, and it reports everything from acceleration and deceleration to braking, engine rpm, lean and even accepts factory support updates. This is mind blowing stuff…
THE RIDE
My first day was hectic to say the least… A 4:30am start, a 5-hour flight, taxi ride, new riding gear, Melbourne traffic on a new bike, a new group of riders, no idea of direction, it was all an adventure in itself! However, the ergonomics, controls and balance of the bike, plus the great mirrors, all helped to make it smooth going for me on day one…
On the tarmac The CFMOTO felt comfortable from the first mount up. Let’s face it, motorcycle road racers are never tall enough, every adventure bike I get on feels like I need a step ladder, seat height is a thing on my own bike, however with the CFMOTO 450MT I found it incredibly easy to mount, get a foot on the ground and to balance on.
The balance is an important consideration with any adventure motorcycle, having ground clearance height, tall suspension travel and large diameter wheels makes the job of negotiating dirt and rough terrain a little easier, as quite often adventure bikes feel way to high and heavy and slugs in the turning department, especially on the road…
The CFMOTO 450MT has none of these negative traits. The motorcycle felt so light, I would have pegged the weight for far less than what is shown in the specifications, it’s so well balanced in the static position that you could be fooled into thinking it’s a trail bike.
“The motorcycle felt so light, I would have pegged the weight for far less than what is shown in the specifications”…
The only complaint I had was the fuelling, whenever I needed a trailing throttle to manage the bike it was a little too aggressive. I am sure this will get sorted and to be fair my bike only had 450km on it. Aside from that, the motor is super smooth with the 270-degree crank offering an exceptional nice feeling engine for an inline twin, while the exhaust note is awesome for a stock exhaust.
“The only complaint I had was the fuelling, whenever I needed a trailing throttle to manage the bike it was a little too aggressive”…
The engine is remarkably lively up through the gears, and in reverse the deceleration was incredibly useful. The gearbox is smooth, the clutch is very positive and light, the slipper clutch worked well offering plenty of feedback but just the right free run into turns.
We left the tar and hit the dirt for the first time. I rode the bike just as it was given to me and was starting to settle in with the feel of the bike. The motorcycle stops well in the dirt, front and rear and suspension feels good, I even got air in a couple of small bumps before we stopped for our first photos.
Finished with pic’s, I jumped in behind Aidan, our leader, for a little burn. I could hear a few bikes behind when we arrived at our first boggy section, it looked slippery and extremely cold, it was my first taste of a super slippery section. I am on a new bike with standard tyres, and my first thoughts are this could be interesting! With that thought I took to the edge of the section of mud, realising that was not such a great plan to have taken on!
I hesitantly headed back into the section I was trying to avoid; I had traction control on, on the gas, on the ‘pegs, with my eyes firmly fixed at a point up the road… It’s time for the first test of motorcycle and rider! The traction control made the job of staying on the gas simple, allowing the engine to turn over a gear up with without all the unnecessary carry-on that you may have expected, which was a positive outcome and a bonding moment between bike and I…
I kept the TC and ABS on for this session as I really wanted to see how it worked in a range of areas. There was a selection of fire trails that had a bit of rock movement on the surface, open dirt roads that where quite fast, and at the end of that section I was impressed with both the traction control and ABS.
We finish day one with a beautiful ride through the Black Spur, a lovely winding tar road, the CFMOTO 450MT is becoming super enjoyable. Remarkably the motor spins freely with only 500km on the clock, the chassis is impressive, and the bike is loving changes of direction both on the gas and under brakes.
“The harder I pushed the engine and chassis the more I was rewarded”…
The stability of the front of the bike on change of direction while under brakes is impressive. It doesn’t feel like it has a 21-inch front wheel, the turn-in under brakes is great, especially the trail section of turn and when you the release the front brake to trail the throttle, grip is awesome, the standard tyres doing a great job in all surfaces.
I really loved this section of road, and I really enjoyed the motorcycle. I was starting to understand it and feel it’s potential. I was extremely excited about tomorrow’s ride, and as I switched the bike off, I noticed what Matt had told us about with the backlit switch gear… That is super cool! It tells me that CFMOTO have great intuition…
“The CFMOTO 450MT does everything you need it to do including giving you confidence”…
We woke up on day two and it was freezing, literally! There was ice on the seat of the 450MT… We started our climb into the alpine section, the tar road warning signs of black ice are not helping my anxiety, I notice the road markings are yellow and while there was no snow there is plenty of white frosty environment. I needlessly get tense because the CFMOTO 450MT does everything you need it to do including giving you confidence…
I switched off the ABS and TC, I wanted to learn the grip of the bike. The first dirt road section is open and quick, this was a heap of fun, the harder I pushed the engine and chassis the more I was rewarded. As the trail narrowed, we found some more air and the bike felt incredibly light, I had a little grin going on by now!
The trail opened to the most amazing views… while descending a grassy hill I noticed two perfect jumps. I took these conservatively, side by side with another journo. We both lofted these beautiful little bikes into the air… Wow, that was super cool and fun, the bike is so well balanced…
“Wow, that was super cool and fun, the bike is so well balanced”…
We drop down a heavily rutted road, with a lot of gravel and large rocks covering the surface. It looks ugly, there is no optional line, so I let go of the brakes and I just let the bike do what it wanted, and the front suspension dealt with it all, the stability over that terrain was excellent.
We reached some water crossings and did the Hollywood shots and headed off for lunch, encountering a brilliant tar section of road we unwind and let ourselves indulge on. We then come across a tight section of dirt road that resembles a flat track, wow that was cool drifting in and out of slow and quick sections… I found also that slow riding on the ‘pegs negotiating tight sections and manoeuvring with both feet up was awesome. Stopping, staying stationary with feet up was easy and comfortable.
By lunchtime I am trying to think where this bike fits in the motorcycle market, as there is more to this bike than initially meets the eye. I recently rode my own adventure bike to the cape and back over four days, the CFMOTO would have been perfect and a better option.
“The CFMOTO 450MT will be an amazing adventure bike for new riders, as well as experienced riders”…
The Victorian Alpine country is incredibly beautiful and put on a beautiful show and so did the CFMOTO 450MT. We finished by rolling through the hills above Bonny Doon, where we take in a memorable adventure, in the most picturesque scenery you can find on two wheels…
The CFMOTO 450MT will be an amazing adventure bike for new riders, as well as experienced riders, who have a place in their garage for a small capacity adventure bike that won’t break the bank. The value of the extras that come with the bike, the price, and the three-year unlimited km warranty will give you confidence. At $9,490 ride away no more to pay, tell them Uncle Bern sent you, you won’t regret it! I seriously wish I had ridden this motorcycle to the Cape and back two weeks ago, it would have been the perfect bike for such a ride!
“At $9,490 ride away no more to pay, tell them Uncle Bern sent you, you won’t regret it!”
2024 CFMOTO 450MT Specifications
Price: $9,490 Ride Away
Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometre
Colours: Zephyr Blue, Tundra Grey
Claimed power: 32.5kW@8500rpm
Claimed torque: 44Nm@6250rpm
Dry weight: 175kg
Fuel capacity: 17.5L
Fuel Consumption Claimed: N/A
Fuel Consumption (measured): N/A
Engine: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, parallel twin, DOHC, 270° crankshaft, 449.9cc, 72 x 55.2mm bore x stroke, 11.5:1 compression, Bosch EFI. Gearbox: six-speed with CF-SC Slipper Clutch
Chassis: Chromium-molybdenum alloy steel frame
Rake: 26º Trail: 106mm
Suspension: 41mm USD KYB forks with adjustable rebound and compression damping, 200mm travel (f), Multi-link central single KYB rear shock, adjustable spring preload, rebound and compression damping, 200mm travel (r)
Brakes: J Juan four-piston radially mounted caliper, single 320mm floating disc, ABS (F) Single-piston caliper, 240mm disc (R), Bosch switchable ABS (rear).
Wheels & Tyres: 90/90 – 21, 140/70 – 18 CST
Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 1505mm
Seat Height: 820mm (optional 800mm)
Ground Clearance: N/A
Overall Length: 2210mm
Overall Width: 870mm
Overall Height: 1390mm
Instruments & Electronics: 5in TFT colour display, CFMOTO T-Box, CFMOTO RIDE App, BOSCH 9.1 ABS, LED lighting.
Editor’s Note: If you are reading this article on any website other than BikeReview.com.au, please report it to BikeReview via our contact page, as it has been stolen or re-published without authority.
Ratings | Bike Review | CFMOTO 450MT | Aussie Launch Test
Brilliant!
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