Steve's CFMoto 650 NK（春风 650 NK）

[bikerdoc]

bikerdoc, don't like the headlights on TR and am not into touring bikes - I need it for city rides, slapping a couple bags on is enough for me. Besides, if I really needed protection from elements I'd've gone for a maxi scoot. Wouldn't want a BJ 600 given that it kicks in above 8000rpm and where I ride I need power way below that. Won't be revving a bike lots, I'm a city rider after all. Pity they didn't go with a cruiser - that would've been welcome given that there's no competition at the moment. And I bet CFMoto could've crafted something more beautiful & ergonomic than Regal Raptor and QianJiang did.

The main issue I have with naked bikes in China (regardless which manufacturer) is that without the screen or fairing I've found that I end up really grubby after a good days riding. Mind though that my good days riding tends to start at sun-up and end almost at midnight give or take an hour or two. My riding mates tend to want to get sorted for accommodation before dark, but not me. I realise that just on dark and an hour or two thereafter the roads can and do get a little lethal but roll on an additional hour or more and the riff-raff of road users (cyclists, eBikes and pedestrians) all tend to head indoors, and even the numbers of cars decrease exponentially the later it gets. My Dragstar I just had to put a screen on, to afford myself some kind of protection from the dirt and debris that us motorcycling fraternity can be exposed to. I still end up with a dirty face well at least the exposed parts, as I tend to wear a mask with a special filter, so I don't breath that crap into my lungs. Perhaps if I was in OZ or NZ I'd feel comfortable with naked bike, but not here. Besides I want some utilitarian type amenities on my rides, that provide function. I like being able to do a supermarket shop and am amazed myself at what I can stack away especially on my Jetmax. I'm sure CFMoto could have done a pretty okay job on building a cruiser, and who knows given time, that might still happen. JUst have to watch this space I guess.

[bikerdoc]

bikerdoc, you say you rode CFMoto 650 pre-production. Any idea why they designed exhaust in such a funny way? I mean, it looks OK and it does the job. The sound is nice in fact. I mean, what's with all that bling-bling? Did it really have to be so shiny and have those welds on it? Why didn't they go with something lower profile, like, say, matte black or something similar?

I know I know, the exhaust and collector box etc is somewhat hideous, but I think it was so the bike could meet the Euro3+ emission standards. I know that CFMoto were in discussions with an international after market motorcycle exhaust and muffler manufacturer who have a Chinese operation for manufacturing the range for overseas markets. The brief was for a nicer and slicker design, but I also know some inside information about that company which I won't name, whereby a number of the foreign staff had a "guts full" of the foreign owner and essentially walked out or otherwise left the company. That was around the time when the 650NK was a prototype. One of the key people who'd been with that company in all types of roles over the last 20 plus years left too. As far as I know the ex-employee was taking the owner of the company to court over employment matters. It's likely that this all impacted on the what the company could do or offer CFMoto. As far as I know the current 650NK exhaust and mufflers are no different than the protoype which is not from the company I refer to but cannot name for commercial reasons and to protect my source.

[felix]

Congrats Steve, i hope she brings you less pain than that Asiawing, though that's a fairly safe bet!

Since the exhaust was mentioned, i much prefer that design to the benelli's under-seat setup because it means you can toss bags over the back without them burning.

Best wishes from a jealous man.

[Zorge]

C'mon guys, be quick - ask Steven what you want to know you about NK, because he will sell it until the end of autumn.

bikerdoc, you say you rode CFMoto 650 pre-production. Any idea why they designed exhaust in such a funny way? I mean, it looks OK and it does the job. The sound is nice in fact. I mean, what's with all that bling-bling? Did it really have to be so shiny and have those welds on it? Why didn't they go with something lower profile, like, say, matte black or something similar?

The question was for Bikerdoc, but I have one suggestion regarding the muffler. If you do not like his bling-bling look, find someone who could sandblast the muffler with glass beads. That way you'll get a beautiful muted satin finish.

And one more, as Stierlitz says, "information to think about" - reflective rim tape.



Not only looks good, but increases passive safety too.

[Steve_Halt]

bikerdoc, ok, I see. I just wonder why they designed the muffler that way in the first place. BTW, will the stock Kawasaki ER6n '06 muffler fit there, I wonder?

felix, that actually was one of the reasons I went for CFMoto rather than Benelli. I need those bags on my bike no matter how ugly they are. If you want that bike I suggest you wait until Chinese New Year. First, it'll show up any problems that might occur with my bike; second, they usually have discounts around that time, so you may very well not have to pay as much as I did.

Zorge, sandblast it with glass beads...that IS interesting. I'll ask around if anyone could do that but I don't really know where to start at? A car repair shop? A paintshop? I don't think I'll sell it THAT too soon, it's been quite an investment and I don't see any other viable option on the market as yet. But should a CFMoto cruiser with the same/similar engine appear one day, I'll seriously consider that as a replacement :)
I'll check the rim tape on taobao.com and will stick it onto the bike only after I have it plated, I think.

[Zorge]

Regarding sandblasting: I know that glass beads are great for polished aluminum, but do not know if they are just as good for the chrome-plated metal too. Maybe it's better to use baking soda or starch or even wet sandpaper P600 or P800. I do not know. Try to find out how to get what you want.

Another thing about the exhaust... You mentioned that NK's engine has a chopper sound. Forget about the ER-6 exhaust and straight away go to the real thing - buy slip-on Supertrapp with the discs. Let people know that you're going through.

About the rim tapes: as I understand it, there are two types of tapes - one is in a roll, as a standard adhesive tape, with a special tool for precise application on the wheel, and other tapes are designed as 3-4 arches for one side of the rim.

The first type tapes are easy to apply, but wrinkles could appear, so during the application process, regular hair dryer might be handy, to soften the tape if necessary. Other, the arches, will not wrinkle, but they require skilled hands to stick tape neatly and accurately.

These tapes can make yourself if you have a sheet of reflective foil, know to work in Corel or some similar program, and have access to contour cutter. While you're there, you can think up custom fit reflective foil stickers for other positions on your bike. Your bike will probably look at night like something that came out of Tron movie, but nobody will be able to tell you 對不起朋友，我沒有看到你

[Steve_Halt]

Zorge, I think I'll sandblast/change the exhaust after I get the bike plated. The cops here won't be happy about the mods. I've never heard of Supertrapp until you wrote about them. Checked them online, and, yes, they're available in China (limited models only), so that might be an option.
Actually, I think the injector will have to be re-mapped after the exhaust swap and I'm not quite sure the local dealer will be able to do it. All the bikes I had before were carburetted ones (except for Yamaha FZ6n, which I never worked on), and I don't know much the EFI system myself.
Those rim tapes, we have the arch ones over here and that's a popular mod, so I think that'll be thing #1 to do once I have the plates.
Why not make it Tron-ish for a change :)

[Zorge]

Too bad you're far away. If you were closer, I would easily find here something nice for your "golubec": http://www.race-exhaust.com//compone...page/Itemid,1/ and http://www.dragonada.com/index.srb.html .

[Steve_Halt]

I liked that "Hexagonal" slip-on on the first link website. Looks sharp. Sure I can get something similar over here in PRC.

[Zorge]

Yes, Robert's mufflers - really good stuff.