road riders. I preferred to ride in manual mode and not use the quick-shifter because I found it smoother that way. All in all though, the motor is very good. Much of my test ride was conducted on gravel and easy off road with the balance tarmac. On road, the 800 is quick and relaxed, a decent mile eater when touring. It is comfortable and the suspension compliant. The screen is height adjustable and okay although I’ d rather it larger to offer better weather protection. On gravel, the MT-X is very capable with excellent manners, the suspension plush and controlled and the steering accurate, striking a nice balance between agility and stability given the roadie tyres. Light offroad work is taken in its stride.
A small, sharp-edged drain can be floated across easily and, even when going a little slow and the rear slamming the opposite edge, it absorbed the impact well with no harshness or bottoming. In general, the suspension action is plush, offering a very nice ride and, while I never pushed it MX style, it was generally reluctant to bottom out. With 230mm travel at each end and 240mm of ground clearance with decent action, the suspension package matches the design brief well and most riders’ capabilities. The brakes are by J. Juan and work well. They may not have a sexy name like Brembo, but they do the job faultlessly and offer plenty of feel off-road. Large twin 320 mm discs grace the front end and a fairly common-sized single 260mm disc is fitted at the rear. The only slight issue I have with the whole braking package is the inability to turn the rear ABS off in power mode. As usual front ABS stays on. Honestly, all brands seem to stuff up the TC or ABS when it comes to off-road riding an adventure bike. To me it is very simple … make it one button, one press, anytime, any mode and both TC and ABS turns completely off. I don’ t care if there’ s a warning on the dash lights to appease the fun police, just make it so. And if you want them on, press the button again – how hard is that?! I’ ve now tested three CFMOTO machines and been well impressed with all of them. Yes, they are well priced, but they deliver as well or better than some significantly more expensive
machines. The important distinction to make is while the 800MT-X is at a great price point, it is not a‘ cheap bike’ but a highly competent midsized adventure machine. I see the opposition having to up their game on price, spec and perhaps quality to stay competitive going forward. JOCK MCLAUCHLAN
KIWI RIDER 43