that produces 32.5kW of power at 8500 rpm and 44Nm of torque at 6250rpm . There are dual balance shafts and the firing order is 270 degrees . On road and gravel the power delivery really is impressive . It is willing and brisk and cruising at the legal limit is effortless . It revs freely and is very electric in response , more so than the best single of the same capacity , but somehow less punchy . A few observations while riding soft sand and gravel with Metzeler ’ s full knobblies is that the engine is torquey and quite reluctant to stall . Weirdly though , at low revs it feels likely to stall , but it doesn ’ t . It hangs on extremely well , against expectations . And , despite the free revving perky feel of the engine , the 450 is not the type of bike that you can drop a gear on and drift around a gravel turn with the power . Instead , it happily drives around the turn nicely with little traction loss . Wheelies , if that ’ s your thing , are possible , but not easy like they are on a 450 dirt bike . I think that is a fair distinction to make ... the 450MT is a full-on , full-size Adventure bike - which is a big difference . As an example , it would be no match for the humble DR-Z400 in real off-road conditions . But the CFMOTO wins hands down on a back roads cruise the length of the country . So , don ’ t be expecting too much from the small twin in the dirt riding department , particularly given the 175kg dry weight , the smooth power delivery and if you regularly use more powerful machines . Interestingly , revving the small twin-cylinder engine is somewhat counter-productive on sandy climbs , it just spins the back wheel . But , with a constant throttle , it climbs well if the hill isn ’ t too steep , making great use of the wide , smooth power spread . I think the very short engine stroke contributes to the lack of traction on sand at revs because the engine ’ s power pulses are so close together it doesn ’ t much time between power strokes to bite in and get traction . I didn ’ t have the opportunity to ride the 450MT in mud , which would no doubt show other subtleties in the small twin ’ s power delivery / traction equation . All-in-all though , this is an excellent power plant that ’ s well suited to general Adventure riding . Its smoothness at all revs being the standout feature .
46 KIWI RIDER