New CF-Moto CF250T V5 with CVT-Auto Transmission

I just brought a new CFMoto CF250T V5 home last week. I tried not to like it. I was ready to buy another Chinese bike, a Regal Raptor DD250G-2. When I went to the motorcycle market in Jiangmen a few months ago I saw the CFMoto V3 and V5. I was not interested. When I returned about a month ago to put a deposit on a Regal Raptor my traveling buddy kept telling me to look at the CFMoto bikes when we were in the shop. The salesmen readied the V5 for a test drive. Not one to turn down a test drive, I took it for a spin with a boy from the shop shadowing me on another bike. I tried the RR again too and left the shop a little confused. I tried not to entertain the thought of a cruiser. I tried to fight the idea of a CVT transmission. However, this is not an adventure bike for me. It is my commuter and run around town rig. Looking at the traffic in Humen, where I live, the auto transmission just made sense. And since I have been riding every day in my local traffic since I bought it, I am more convinced this is a viable option for China driving. I like conventional motorcycles with clutches and shifting but in this mayhem I like the twist and go bike.

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The engine is clone of Honda's Helix water cooled 244cc scooter engine which has been, for Honda, very rugged and reliable. This means the engine is directly under the seat on the swing arm as with a scooter. However, CFMoto lengthened the unit so that a 150/80-15 tire could be used.

The transmission is perhaps the most unusual part of this motorcycle, and yes, I am calling it a motorcycle and not a scooter. It shares the CVT transmission with scooters but not much else. CVT's are also used in cars and light trucks but also in heavy farm tractors. After reading and getting my mind around the principles of continuously variable transmissions, they are the utterly simple and have proven to be durable. There are thousands and thousands of these engines with CTV's all over the world in scooters and go karts. Aftermarket performance accessories are easily obtainable like clutches, variators, and weights/sliders.(Most are made in China!) You can tune the transmission somewhat for better acceleration or top end speed. Oh, and top speed on mine so far, hauling my big butt down the road is an indicated 125kph or 77+mph. Allowing for a 10% optimistic speedometer that's about 70mph.

Its not the high speed I like from this bike, but it is the stop and go, in and out, dodge and weave ability in Chinese traffic I like. On a busy street I am lucky to run 20kph.

OK so here is my one week likes and dislikes list: (subject to change)

LIKES:
17 liter (4.5 gal.) tank.
Acceptable build quality
front and rear disc brakes
tires seem decent
starts first time, every time
reasonable acceleration for my driving needs
CVT transmission for city driving
center stand
low speed stability is very good
having Chinese motorcyclist talk to you at traffic lights about the bike


DISLIKES:
taking all the plastic off to get to the engine
foot boards (will try fitting regular foot pegs soon)
MP3/radio (actually never used them but have no need for them)
getting used to the rear brake being on the left handlebar and no foot brake pedal (first few times I found out the brake is NOT the clutch on this bike and you can stomp with your right foot but, surprise, no brake there!)
having Chinese motorcyclist ask you at traffic lights how much it cost

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Truly a bizarre little, uh, scootercycle. Will be interested to hear more about your experience with it.

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Originally Posted by robert

DISLIKES:
having Chinese motorcyclist ask you at traffic lights how much it cost

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I get this question a lot too, especially since the Jialing JH600 remains quite rare in China. Usually, someone will figure out the pinyin on the side and realize that despite my being an obviously non-Chinese rider it's not a "ha lei" (Harley). but rarely does someone ask, "what's that?" The question almost always is, "How much?" It took me several months to figure out a good comeback. Initially, I was rude and dismissive, saying, "Is that really the only question you can think of asking? How about, 'What is it?' or 'How fast can it go?' or 'How's torque in the power band?'" But this only made me feel shame and anger at myself. China is what it is. Expats like me, though I've lived here more than 20 years, need to resist the temptation to preach to our hosts.

And finally I found the right rejoinder -- one that generally stops the topic cold, in a surprising way, and breaks the ice for other questions:

"诶？你是不是想买？" --- "What? You'd like to buy it?"

If the questioner is on foot, this question usually causes him to physically recoil, while everyone else laughs out loud.

Try it and see what response you get!

cheers

I was in the CFMoto dealer a few days ago and saw both the V5 and the Jetmax outfitted as police bikes. I should have taken pictures, sorry. I will next time I visit if they are still there.

I wonder if the Beijing police are considering them?

They looked kinda cool, actually.

Robert, gotta say I've got the same concerns as you. I'm not sure if I would rather have my RR DD250G-2 or yours. I'd rather have a YBR250 over both of them but just the $$$.

ZMC888,
We exchanged some PM about the RR and I read your thread on it. I was about to pull the trigger on one but was sidetracked by the CFMoto.

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

Robert, gotta say I've got the same concerns as you. I'm not sure if I would rather have my RR DD250G-2 or yours. I'd rather have a YBR250 over both of them but just the $$$.

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Here is the posted price on the YBR250 in Jiangmen. I bought the CFMoto for right at half the price of the Yamaha with registration, tax, and insurance included. I know the YBR is probably a better bike but I doubt it is twice the bike. Yeah, I like it too but for a 250 it is too rich for the depth of my pockets.
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Howdy Robert,

Looks like you finally found the bike you were looking for :thumbsup:. Nice machine, and probably perfect for the roads around Humen :riding:. Hope to get a chance to see you when we return from America in a couple weeks.

Cheers!
ChinaV

What a wonderful response! I've answered them truthfully before and they usually just had looks of disdain.

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Originally Posted by euphonius

Truly a bizarre little, uh, scootercycle. Will be interested to What
"诶？你是不是想买？" --- "What? You'd like to buy it?"

If the questioner is on foot, this question usually causes him to physically recoil, while everyone else laughs out loud.

Try it and see what response you get!

cheers

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