There aren ’ t many bikes which create a huge amount of pre-launch excitement , that light up the Internet , but Chinese brand CFMOTO ’ s 450MT adventure bike is one of them . Since the 450MT was announced , forums and Facebook pages have been thrumming with anticipation thanks to promises of a fullsized , 450 parallel-twin adventure bike with a low weight , full electronic package and 21-inch front wheel - all at a price that can ’ t be ignored , just $ 9990 plus on road costs . Ok , so ... the adventure segment is a fickle beast , which only serves to highlight the old adage that one man ’ s meat is another man ’ s poison . To some riders a 140hp , heavyweight 250kg twin or triple is their perfect machine . To another it ’ s a road-registered , skinny , 120kg 500cc singlecylinder enduro - with a slew of bikes available in between those extremes . CFMOTO ’ s 450MT is something of a middle-ground , with a relatively low 200kg-ish weight and the benefit of a smooth-running parallel twin motor . We ’ ve seen huge advances in the quality of bikes coming out of China , so we were keen to ride the new bike at its launch just North of
Auckland , taking a mix of twisty tar seal and gravel roads , the kind of thing which should be the bread and butter for this bike .
THE TECH Unlike anything else at this price point , the 450MT is fully loaded with electronics . It sports traction control , road and dirt ABS modes , charging ports ( both USB-A and USB-C , supporting 18W fast charging ), as well as an app that has some really interesting functionality . Using the app , the 450MT can be registered / bound to a phone with the bike ’ s VIN using BLE - low power Bluetooth . It has features including vibration alert , geofencing and tracking ( which work through an Android phone-based mesh network ). This means you can get an alert if your bike is moved , leaves a certain area and you can also track your bike ( including speed ) if it ’ s stolen ( or your mate who has borrowed it ‘ just to pop to the shops ’). It ’ s all inbuilt and great for theft security .
CHASSIS With a claimed dry weight of 175kg , depending on how CFMOTO has measured it , the 450MT
42 KIWI RIDER