slow going , a decent , easily adjustable screen for weather protection and a slipper clutch . A feature I really like are the folding mirrors – always a great thing on an Adventure bike if going bush , and not something I ’ ve seen as standard on a bike other than this one . The link between the throttle twistgrip and the fuel injection is by good old fashioned cable , so there ’ s no cruise-control option available . Unless CFMOTO redesigns the bike for ride-by-wire , it ’ ll be a wish for many riders , but doing that would drive the price up considerably , which is something most potential purchasers will likely be against .
+ Modern ; stylish ; twin cylinder engine ; large for a 450
– Top heavy when fuelled ; large for a 450
THE SKINNY My only real complaint about the 450MT is it feels top heavy especially when full of fuel ( the Yamaha T7 suffers from this too ). As mentioned before , it weighs 175kg dry , which may be reasonable by class standards , but it ’ s not light by trail bike standards . Add 17 litres of fuel and at least two litres of oil and it ’ s around 200kg wet and the fuel is carried high . So , what we have is a modestly powerful , tall and top-heavy bike . This equates to hard work on genuine off-road terrain . In tough conditions it is no easier to ride than a much bigger capacity machine and without the bonus of extra power when wanted . But the bigger machine is probably at least twice the price and 10-30kg heavier . This is the real conundrum that only the purchaser can resolve . The price point though is a huge plus for the MT . For the money you get Bluetooth connectivity , USB charging , folding mirrors , an adjustable screen , adjustable suspension and tubeless rims . It really is a very well spec ’ d package - no matter the price point . To get the same with another manufacturer is going to be $ 20k plus . It ’ s serious value for money . If you do not intend to ride seriously off-road ( like most gravel adventure riders ), you will be blessed with an awesome , purpose built , small capacity Adventure machine , well capable of touring NZ on and off road . And if you do want to go beyond light gravel , a set of knobbly tyres will see you going further than you ever expected .
KIWI RIDER 51