Every now and again, a motorcycle comes along that completely surprises you, forcing you to reassess everything you assumed about a particular type of motorcycle, what that motorcycle should cost (or the cost/reward ratio, if you like) and, last but not least, encourage you to dismiss formerly strongly-held opinions about the quality of motorcycles from the country of origin.
If Chinese brands have previously suffered a poor reputation, in both automotive and motorcycle applications, then it is quickly becoming very clear that a complete consumer rethink is necessary. The rate of development has been quite staggering, accompanied by the Chinese industries looking outside their own borders to understand what the wider motoring and motorcycling world actually wants rather than expecting it to put up with inferior designs aimed at the home market.
In the automotive world, brands such as Jaecoo, Omoda, GWM, Jetour, etc. are making serious inroads into territory once the preserve of German and Japanese brands. The cars are well built, well-equipped, not unattractive visually inside and out and incredibly good value for money.
Now the South African motorcycling world has its own Chinese brand that needs to be taken very seriously for exactly the same reasons, and this is CFMOTO.
We covered the media launch of the brand last year and, even in the tight confines of the Formula K track in Boksburg, we came away seriously impressed by the extensive range of models. It was an all-too brief introduction that left us impatient to try them for an extended period. At last, that has happened and I am very happy to report that initial impressions were in no way wide of the mark.
The first model we have had access to is the pocket sports bike, the 450SR S. Right from the start, you need to stifle any inclination to scoff at the idea of a sports bike with such a small engine; the 450SR S is fast, classy, stylish, extremely refined, well-built and equipped, and in no way reflects the low-price tag. In fact, you wonder how something this inexpensive can be so good.
It may be small both in terms of the engine displacement and physical size, but it’s almost perfectly realised. There is nothing toy-like about it; this is a proper motorcycle, with plenty of big-bike touches. In addition, I could find no fault with the quality of both workmanship and materials used.
The heart of the machine is the 449cc parallel twin engine, featuring a 270-degree crank which gives it all the characteristics of a V-Twin and that means both smoothness and lovely linear punch. 46 horsepower is more than enough to match the competition in the form of the KTM RC390, Kawasaki Z400, Aprilia RS457 and Yamaha R3 and isn’t far behind the Honda CBR500R.
Twin interior balancer shafts keep things very smooth; it revs freely and willingly. The exhaust note is fantastic and aurally addictive, and the power delivery is completely usable. The throttle linkage could be better; there was a tendency for snatchiness, thanks to a little too much play at the twist grip, but maybe that could be adjusted out. Having said that, the fuelling was spot on, with no flat spots.
There isn’t much point in reaching for the red line, which is an impressive 12,000rpm, as the torque curve is so linear that the engine might be making lovely noises at those heights, but they aren’t accompanied by any more urge. Rather stir the gearbox and revel in the surprisingly gruff noises from the exhaust at lower revs; close your eyes and you could be listening to a small-displacement Ducati V-Twin.
The gearbox is slick and positive, the ratios match the engine output perfectly and you really don’t miss a quickshifter. A slipper clutch is fitted to smooth things out on downshifts.
If the performance naturally falls way short of a 1000cc sports bike, then that doesn’t mean that it isn’t completely entertaining and, in reality, more than adequate for modern riding conditions. 450cc is possibly the perfect size for a ‘baby’ sports bike; there’s enough performance to be very interesting, but in line with any low-powered bike, it teaches you to maintain high speed averages through better riding techniques.
The only thing you do miss is the instant, bullet-from-a-gun acceleration at highway speeds that 1000cc gives you but to my mind this is a good thing as it encourages the rider of the 450SR S to look ahead, think ahead and understand the strengths of the engine and ride accordingly; it makes riding the 450SR S a much more immersive experience; you really have to ride it to get the best out of it, rather than letting power do all the work for you.
The chassis is a chrome moly tubular affair, weighing in at a measly 11kg, a weight that includes the subframe (overall weight of the bike is given at 179kg, complete with 14 litres of fuel). There’s a very sexy single-sided swing-arm, the rear shock is preload adjustable, while front suspension is via 37mm USD forks, with compression adjustment. What this adds up to is a lovely, sweet-handling machine.
There’s excellent agility, precision and stability, combined with a very welcome suppleness that is a long way from being too soft, but helps keep things comfortable, a trait enhanced by the excellent seat. The riding position is typical sports bike, with weight on the wrists but it’s not excessive and the relationship of seat/foot pegs/handlebars is as good as any other sports bike I have ridden. Even the relatively diminutive size of the bike was no barrier to my six-foot-plus frame feeling comfortable.
Visually, there are very few, if any, criticisms you can sling at the 450SR S. The fairing is shapely and attractive, the single sided swing arm shows off the bright red alloy rear wheel to perfection, the underslung exhaust is subtle, the small winglets a humorous excess (CFMOTO claims that it generates 1kg of downforce at around 130kmh!), the LED headlight typically quirky but not unattractive and very effective. A neat touch is the integrated crash bobbins on the fairing sides.
The single Brembo disc brake at the front looks purposeful and proves to work very effectively. But, for me, the best view was from the seat, the view across the top triple clamp and handlebars to the 5-inch full-colour TFT dash being worthy of any Italian sports bike you care to mention. It oozes class and top-spec components and adds to the impression that you are riding something a lot more expensive. The 450SR S is also loaded with all the tech the latest generation of riders enjoy dabbling with, which is all accessible through the CFMOTO RIDE App, allowing riders to connect their mobile phone to the bike to unlock navigation, music and a neat security feature that allows you to track your bike.
Which brings us neatly to the price. R124,999 is not a lot of money for an awful lot of motorcycle. The price is not far off the likes of the Kawasaki, KTM or Yamaha, and it would be impossible to say which one is better, as that is purely subjective. What is important is how close the new kid on the block is to the established players in this category; even beating them in some respects. In terms of the cost/reward ratio, the CFMOTO 450SR S is excellent; there was never a time when I didn’t look forward to riding it, and it never disappointed.
There will be many reading this who will maintain that they really ‘need’ and can control over 200 horsepower in their sports bike. My contention is that a well-ridden CFMOTO 450SR S could match an A-to-B journey time set by any litre-superbike and be just as much fun along the way, while also possessing the ability to be an enjoyable everyday motorcycle. Excess isn’t always great, and the 450SR S is proof that less is often more.
For more information, contact your nearest CFMOTO dealer (of which there are 14 countrywide) or visit the website: www.cfmoto.co.za
