Steve's CFMoto 650 NK（春风 650 NK）

**Steve_Halt** · 02-15-2014, 04:52 AM

ZMC888, it's really strange how people's experience with the same bike is so drastically different - my bike's 2 years old this year, no problems really. And then there's your bike with all the stuff you mentioned. Probably that comes down to the pre-sales, you know, shop assembly and making sure the bike is put together well. I don't know. I heard they updated the bike for 2014. new brakes, new paint, new speedo. Nothing major. I'd be really interested in knowing how that bike is in terms of reliability and if it's different from the first generation NK.

fletch 7276, how do you like the sound of your exhaust? I've been looking at different options for exhaust upgrades, but haven't really gotten down to anything. Was that easy or hard to install?

**Tonka** · 02-15-2014, 05:11 AM

Had to take mine to the local dealer the other day, overheating. They can't find the cause and are waiting to speak to the technician at the main importers to see if they know of it happening, otherwise it'll be a replacement.

**fletch7276** · 02-15-2014, 07:00 AM

Steve, the pipe gave the bike a deeper sound, much meaner. I think the bigger factor in sound is removal of the stock box that serves as the mid-pipe. the aftermarket setup replaces that section with just an unrestricted pipe. that is what reduces the low-end torque though. I prefer a bike that revs higher, so the tradeoff for higher RPM and powerband was no issue.
as for installation, it was super easy. as long as you have some metric sockets, its pretty straightforward.

It is amazing how feedback can vary for a bike. its typical for a new company working through the bugs of production though. I think the mindset of CF is different than others, they definitely want to compete internationally, and you can see it in the spec decisions they made with the initial bike. i'm very happy with my decision on buying it.

**Tonka** · 02-15-2014, 12:12 PM

I love my NK, it's a great starter package, it looks great and I always get comments from people when I park up. It's predictable when riding and wouldn't need much upgrading to make it a real contender with the big boys.

**998S** · 02-16-2014, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by Tonka

Had to take mine to the local dealer the other day, overheating. They can't find the cause and are waiting to speak to the technician at the main importers to see if they know of it happening, otherwise it'll be a replacement.

Have them check the waterpump, and especially the impellor.
Might have been made from plastic, and failed, stopping the coolant from being pumped around.
Most of the time easy to check.

**ZMC888** · 02-17-2014, 04:23 AM

Originally Posted by Steve_Halt

ZMC888, it's really strange how people's experience with the same bike is so drastically different - my bike's 2 years old this year, no problems really. And then there's your bike with all the stuff you mentioned. Probably that comes down to the pre-sales, you know, shop assembly and making sure the bike is put together well. I don't know. I heard they updated the bike for 2014. new brakes, new paint, new speedo. Nothing major. I'd be really interested in knowing how that bike is in terms of reliability and if it's different from the first generation NK.

Pre-sales? I think not, we had the bikes ordered and delivered. A fuel tank that rusts on the inside before it's even three months old isn't shop assembly. Shop assembly is simply removing the bike from the box and putting on a front wheel and battery in the bike.

The reliability or unreliability of one bike doesn't really show a great deal, some things are down to luck. My opinion is that due to the parts suppliers and cost infrastructure in China means that Chinese bikes of any size are prone to having low grade parts. Whether this is CFMOTO trying to save money or their suppliers trying to save money or being lazy (more likely) things can and will fail at a much higher rate than a Japanese bike, but if you are lucky it's as though you have bought a good Japanese bike or unlucky you can feel you've bought a complete lemon. Some of the failed parts work fine if replaced and the bike can go on to have a longish reliable lifespan.

I still like my bike and I'm going to enjoy the spring and summer riding it, fingers crossed.

**Steve_Halt** · 03-14-2014, 12:57 AM

fletch7276, thanks for the feedback!

ZMC888, right. Well hopefully they will figure all those things out, or else it'll be another failed attempt at international competition.

**Steve_Halt** · 03-14-2014, 01:25 AM

Well, took my bike to the dealer for the service on Monday, picked it up yesterday. What I needed done was:
1. Oil & oil filter change.
2. Air filter change.
3. Spark plugs change.
4. The right shock was leaking, so I wanted the rubber seal replaced.
5. The ignition had a major problem - after the bike is started, when the key is shifted, touched, moved a bit further to the right, all the electrics would cut off. Very dangerous on the road.
6. The red warning light would come on and off erratically. I tried to read the error code, but it didn't seem to correspond to any of the error codes in the CF Moto's error code table.
7. I wanted my fuel sensor assembly changed because the fuel readings were far from correct, i.e. it would read the full tank and then it would drop to zero with a blinking fuel light and then it would be somewhere in the middle.

I had all the replacement parts from the official CF Moto taobao (TMall) page: http://cfmoto.tmall.com/?spm=a220o.1000855.w2.1.jSoYij

Result:
They changed the oil and filters alright and must've changed the spark plugs as well.
But when I started the bike today in the morning, it spluttered and coughed for about 5 min or so. After being warmed up it worked OK though. I'll see what it'll be further on. My guess - they haven't connected the spark plug caps tightly.
The red warning light is still on, and now it blinks and shines in an even more chaotic fashion. I think I'll need to take the bike back on Monday to have that sorted out.
The fuel gauge seems to be OK, at least it doesn't jump that much if at all.
The shocks thing was hilarious - instead of changing the seal, the mechanic changed the whole fork leg assembly. Problem - my original forks were silver, but the replacement he got was gunmetal grey. Solution - change both forks. And, yes, since the bike is not on the warranty any more, I got charged for it, and it was 1500 yuan. Well, it's the price of one fork leg, but it's not the price of a seal + work, which would've amounted to 100 yuan tops.

Anyway, what bothers me now is that the bike is starting to have all those minor annoying problems that eat my time and shouldn't be there. I invested heavily in the bike - it's legal, it's plated, it has insurance and all that. The question is if I should think about the replacement before anything more annoying happens, or if I should just go on with the bike.

Attached are the pics of what's going on with it at the moment.

Red warning light:
light.jpg

New shocks:
shocks.jpg

**ZMC888** · 03-14-2014, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Steve_Halt

Anyway, what bothers me now is that the bike is starting to have all those minor annoying problems that eat my time and shouldn't be there. I invested heavily in the bike - it's legal, it's plated, it has insurance and all that. The question is if I should think about the replacement before anything more annoying happens, or if I should just go on with the bike.

Steve, you've been very lucky for 2 years, now some of that luck is catching up with you maybe.

What the hell are you thinking paying for a fork leg when a seal's gone? The fork seal is nothing to worry about that fix is a real concern.

With the plugs and ECU however are more of a problem. Get those sparks refitted and try all new ECU electrical connectors. It's these cheap things, cheap electrics, bolts, plastics etc that really let the bike down, but the fundamentals like the engine and fueling seem fine. Some consumables like tires and plugs are inexpensive, but that's understandable for a budget bike, Like the lead engineer was a solid, but let down by some bean counters in the office. As far as I'm aware the actual ECU and injectors are fine Dekra group components, Ducati ECU and Magnetti Marelli injectors so it must be the wires or connectors.

I'll be honest. I really think you need to switch your mechanic. Find a skilled 'one man band' big bike specialist. I know a few, ideally with better tools than you, and maybe some parts and even an ECU reader or torque wrench. Buy your spares online at places like this http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/C.F.MOTO/650_NK/12/ Or failing that Tmall then pay a good mechanic to fit them or do it yourself, and if someone else is working on your bike they need to be micro-managed, especially these dealership mechanics.

If I was richer I'd take the hit and buy a Thai import Honda CB500 or Kawasaki ER6, or the new MT07, more reliable, but no cheap parts in a few days from Tmall. I don't have enough to take the deprecation, so I'm stuck with mine for the next five years. I still have the belief it is fundamentally a sound bike, but time will tell. I'm on 5500 kms btw.

**CFMOTO Brad** · 03-14-2014, 01:26 PM

Hey Steve, have been following this post for some time and I'm sorry to hear your having troubles, The NK seems to me (being the son of a bike mechanic) to be just like the early Jap bikes. If you don't know bikes don't get 1 of these cause their gonna cost you lots of money, though just take the time to get to know your bike and it will cost nothing old Harley owners all over the world will tell you that after a few whiskies to ease their pride. I've had mine for just over a year now clocking 10k, and I've ridden all my life. Honestly this will be 1 of the legend bikes the young lads of today will talk about. And if you sell yours in 10 years you'll want it back. I've tried all the competition and nothing in the range compares to this bike in raw excitement and thrills. It's dangerous and powerfull and makes you ride it, this aint no Bently. My point is, when your Grand kids are riding you can tell them about the mighty China bike the NK650 with all your stories( my first was a RZ350 ) and you can inspire a whole new generation of kids to get dirty in the shed and love their bikes just like you and me. Rubber side down Brother