CFMoto 650NK sport bike

[bikerdoc]

Poor guy - must of sucked having a breakdown, and then everyone jumping on his new bike.
Well, it can happen to any new bike. Anyone who owned an AMF Harley can attest to that.
Still, I am impressed with the new CF650 - it does appear to be healthy competition for the JH600.

Too true, to have a new bike, and a Chinese one at that and with the associated price point, there will be many a Chinese that will point the finger figuratively and say "I told you so" A close mate of mine in NZ, going back 15+ years who rode in our riding group, bought a brand new 1200 sporty and I swear it broke down from the get go. Every ride he (and a few others) would carry an array of tools just in case. Admittedly those tools weren't always needed on every ride we did, but his was the only ride that I recall that ever needed significant & reoccurring attention on the side of the road or some other such place from time to time. Aside from a much older Ducati Dahma DS900.

That to me didn't mean that all HD's were unreliable, nor in my mind did it mean that all 1200 or even 883 sporty's were either. As is often said, there is often a lemon in amongst the oranges (sic) - author unknown.

There is a motorbike workshop not far from me, that has a collection of mainly mid-sized Japanese motorbikes in varying stages of dismantle with a few European motobikes just to add some flavour. Many of these are almost complete engine related rebuilds. There's even a nice near new 650GS with major ECU chip problems, that was bought by a guy that has just left the motorbike in the workshop, and his bike has been sitting in the corner of that workshop shop collecting a substantial layer of dust/dirt for months and months. Not sure why he hasn't just bought a new ECU chip - perhaps it's cost or availability related?

Reading a number of motorbike/scooter forums one can find various motorbikes with all kinds of problems, some of these are new models, or newly purchased, and some with reoccurring themes. Just sayin...

[dewsnap]

Hey guys. I realise my post was a bit vague and probably a bit unfounded. We were riding in heavy rain on a steep twisty mountain, the bike was spluttering and losing power for about half an hour until the engine stalled and wouldn't start again. It could have been a simple electrical problem. He had to roll back down the mountain in neutral to the nearest villiage, and we never saw him again. The bike was brand new, and from my own experience with the Regal Raptor from new, i also had many problems so i'd assume that most China bikes need an extended breaking in period. I told the group that i was interested in the bike and the owner of the cf650nk expressed his disliking of the bike. I don't know specifically why, but he had many problems and a lot of the riders were quick to put me off stating the engine was poor. Again, i don't really know on what basis. I do know Tony (the leader of the group) works at the Benelli shop on Pubei Lu and is a bit of a guru when it comes to China bikes, well respected amongst the Motor Fans crew. I'll speak to him again and try to get the owner of the cf650nk's details. I'll mention this forum and the thread and hopefully he'll chime in. My apologies for slating the bike, i'm just going on what i've seen and heard, i can't state that all cf650nk are junk just because this one guy had problems.

[euphonius]

Thanks for that honest and forthright update, Dewsnap.

Needless to say, I think the bottom line for all of us is to have CFMoto and Jialing and other contenders seriously raise their game in design, production quality and support. We as customers deserve no less.

cheers!

[bikerdoc]

Hi guys, I spoke at length yesterday with the Zhejiang based agent of CFMoto and I raised the point that there seems to be some problems highlighted by some about the new 650NK. The agent was very frank and forthright, stating that admittedly there had been a problem with the first production run (which were all sold out) with 10 bikes (from what I understand coming to buyers in Zhejiang) and possibly 20+ bikes for China as a whole (nb. there maybe something lost in the translation here, as I can't be sure that he meant 10 bikes for Zhejiang out of a total initial production run of 20+ units). That aside they were all sold, and the only issue that became apparent was to do with paint quality, and none to do with engine, transmission or electrical problems. The agent said, he has not heard of any of the buyers complaining about their 650NK.

CFMoto are already well into the second production run of the 650NK and already many of the units are sold. I'm hoping to be able to get to the CFMoto agent in Taizhou in the next 7 days or so, but a lot of other items pressing on my available time, so this might be delayed for the time being. I will see.

[wozza]

Why do they (the Chinese) have to copy machines from other countries all the time? It's been quite a few years now since they've become a bit more mainstream and all they seem to to do - is copy, copy and copy.

It's quite disgraceful really, why can't they move on, where's their own ingenuity?

[Lao Jia Hou]

Why do they (the Chinese) have to copy machines from other countries all the time? It's been quite a few years now since they've become a bit more mainstream and all they seem to to do - is copy, copy and copy.

It's quite disgraceful really, why can't they move on, where's their own ingenuity?

Hmmmm ... I guess the Chinese are copying the Japanese who have been copying the Americans (e.g., the long run of Harley-look-alikes that are coming out of Japan).

I hope bikerdoc picks this bike up and acts as the test-subject for us - I kinda like it. I had the benefit of Pf, TA, Euph, Franki, etc., testing the JH600 for me.

@Dewsnap - no problem, man ... you're just reporting what you experienced, which is great - helps all of us. I just feel for the poor sap ... I've been in his shoes (boots?) and it ain't fun.

[wozza]

Yes I agree with you over the Japs copying Harley, but most of their machines still have their own touches and you know straight away it's not a Harley. Now look at the this new 650 CFMoto you would have to look twice to see that it's not a kawasaki.......
Surely the Chinese can start making their own influence on machines. Did they really have to copy the styling of the Kawasaki? No, but as usual they did.
The Chinese are phenomenally clever people, so why copy all the time?

Look at Jonway's GTS500 twin scooter that was supposed to be released in 2009. It's still not released yet as it's proving technically difficult for them. All it is, is a sleeved down Honda 600 Silverwing.

[felix]

I have to chime in here and ask: why does everyone say it looks the same as a kawasaki er6? The geometry and engine or whatever may me a blatant copy, i don't know, but the styling is absolutely not copied. Look:


CF650: Angular, carved surfaces. Poised, aggressive styling.


Kawa ER6n: softer more fluid lines to make it look less intimidating, as it's pitched as an entry level bike.

Look at every detail on the bikes, healight, side cowls, tank, seat, tail, pillion pegs, anything; not a single one is the same on either bikes.
If anything, the CFmoto takes more styling cues from KTM, which also have a very angular design language.

The Chinese are phenomenally clever people, so why copy all the time?

You're just stereotyping to suit your argument. They're no more clever than 'us', you just have that image in your head.

[ZMC888]

The Chinese are phenomenally clever people, so why copy all the time?

The Chinese education system puts almost its entire emphasis on High School Exams that mostly rely on memorization and rote learning. Also there is a huge pressure in the job market where many people buy their way in to a good job and use family connections, rather than the most skilled candidate getting the job. This is why imaginative and innovative designers are few and far between in many Chinese companies.

[jamewatson]

Popped into a Beijing dealer and saw the new CF650 sitting there, in orange. Looked nice, if one is into sport bikes.

I only had my mobile phone for a crummy pic ...

Attachment 3199

Here are some better pics of last year's prototypes:

http://www.xjmotobar.com/thread-30452-1-1.html

http://www.atvsports.cn/bbs/forum.ph...hread&tid=4582

Apparently, it is 36K (plus tax, fees, etc) and it can be registered in Beijing. However, it was the girl who sells the accessories who was answering my questions, so I'm not sure if she had all her facts right.

Wow thats really awesome, in orange it looks great and too attractive also, its features are very nice and also comfortable to ride on these bike, it is really great bike.