Thread: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK
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#1 My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-22-2012, 04:57 AM
Here is my review after driving the 650NK for about 400km. I had quite a lot of rides in the past, and the latest was a CB400 vtec1 with Jiangsu plate that I drove for about 2 years in Shanghai.
I applied for the 沪A license plate (inner ring downtown Shanghai) as I didn’t want to play cat n mouse with cops no more: been there, done that.
IMG-20120922-00010.jpgIMG-20120922-00011.jpgIMG-20120922-00012.jpgIMG-20120922-00016.jpg
So I will try to give my most honest impression on each important characteristic of this machine:
Design:
Personally I’m a fan of the design of the 650NK (thank you M. Kawasaki): it’s an aggressive naked bike with a contrast of colors on the structure and rear suspension. A bit too much plastic to my taste though, plus I’m not a big of the fake carbon protections: I’ll paint them black in the near future.
I changed the exhaust system too as the sound and the design didn’t convince me (changed with IXIL OVS Silencer black mat). The brand’s stickers that are all over the bike are removable and have been removed.
Performance:
Overall it’s a good to go, the acceleration are powerful, don’t have to go up in revs to enjoy that feline, of course it’s followed by a good roar from the exhaust pipe (a bit like the “Buell music” for the adepts). This bike is perfect for streets, if you go upper than 100 you won’t be surprised by the acceleration anymore but below that: it’s big fun! The power pulls around 3000rpm +, no need to go berserk on each gear to feel the fun: between 3000 to 5000rpm you’ll get a satisfying and steady acceleration which will provide a feeling of safety.
Comfort:
Drove it for long rides already and didn't have a sore ass nor squashed balls, I’d said it’s quite comfortable for the driver. On the contrary, the passenger seat is just for emergency only; don’t expect your girl to go for long ride with you unless she’s enjoying the upped ass, lower back position (or go find yourself a contortionist). The hand grips in the back are not well designed, consequently, the passenger can’t really stick to the seat, he/she will balance back at each medium/strong acceleration unless he/she is holding u: one thumbs down to CFMOTO.
The bike is really easy to control and turn, it’ll react exactly the way you want it: very smooth feeling: a nice balance in deep turns and quite maneuverable in short turns.
Brakes:
One of the strong point of this NK (from my point of view), no ABS of course (too cheap for that) but with a good balance of the front and rear brakes you’ll obtain a very efficient braking system. One note: when I received the moto I thought the rear brake was shit, almost useless, came back to the shop, the mechanic corrected it and put it on the highest position and then I would no longer complain: Not mentioning that the double disc brake in the front is fantastic: progressive and strong.
Suspension:
Hmmmm, for me it’s honestly quite a disappointment, you won’t have any problem with holes, sewer’s cover and bumps on the road below 70-80km/h but once you drive upper than that on casual Chinese streets: the bike literally jump with the bumps: there is no absorption from the front suspension that’s why I’m planning to change it (told the store’s boss, Jeff, about it, he told me that for the moment it’s not possible, won’t forget it though…will keep that in mind).
Transmission:
The clutch and clutch pedal are smooth, neutral is easy to find, reaction to fast passing gear is quite enjoyable: it’ll do the job in normal or race situation. When asked, the transmission clicks exactly into gears and I never missed a shift in 400km: good job!
The lights:
the LED system is very cool and give a good look to the front of the bike: one remark though, when driving at more than 100km/h headlight start to lack efficiency, as a matter of fact the “position light” turns itself off when you use the “headlight”: my opinion is that keeping both “on” in headlight position would give a perfect luminosity to roads at high speed. With a good electrician that might be corrected? Will keep u posted.
Another remark: on the 12 small red LED clustered in the rear brake light: 3 are already broken (bought the bike 1 month ago): it’s a detail but still…it’s disappointing.
The tires:
CST from Taiwan, new version: CST Radial ZR-17 (they changed them as they got too many bad reviews from shops, owners and testers) and I’ll admit I’m quite satisfied with it: it takes about 10 min to heat them and then I got a good grip on the road. I went through a big rain 2 weeks ago: and it did the trick. Of course white lines and crosswalk lines need to be avoided (raining or not), but this apply to China only (as those safety lines have no grip ability here: it’s like driving on a skating ring when it’s raining…Chinese nonsense…)
Consumption:
Ah, found no information about this point so I’ll tell u: it’s a gluttonous ride, I’d say 11-12L/100km with 17L fuel capacity and I’m not an aggressive driver: you’ll drive about 150km with a full tank. You got 4L to find a gas station when you’re in the red (drove 25km in the red already before finding one). The manual say she’s drinking 93 octane gasoline, but I’d been advised by CFMOTO to give her the 97 one.
The speedometer:
Heard a lot of cons about it, I admit it, the digits are quite small but to the point that you mix 50km/h with 80km/h??? Unless you drank 5 Pints yeah, it might be. It should be more inclined that’s a fact, 20° higher would do the trick. I heard that in 3 month a new speedometer will be released for the NK (cfmoto is listening to reviewers and critics, I’ll give them that). Might buy, will see.
Protection:
I added an alarm, a gps tracker, 1 imported disc lock, 1big imported U of 18mm plus 1 Kryptoflex cable: total of more than 2500RMB, I won’t go cheap on locks as I know by experience that Chinese are swift with tools…
That’s it guys, will keep you posted if I have any more critics toward my bike: overall I’m quite satisfied but the front suspension is a problem that I have to fix.
One last note, as I heard some guys telling me that they wanted to buy the 650NK as their first bike: forget about it, it’s no toy: it’s a powerful/aggressive bike in terms of acceleration, not the usual 600 we use to find on the market few years back.
Don’t make the mistake to buy an overpowered bike just cuz you fancy the design, first ride should be all about gaining skills/confidence/experience. Go with a 250/400 with a low centre of gravity like the Suzuki GW250 (for the one leaving in China) for about 1-2 years (acceleration is OK and handling is so intuitive) it’ll give you the right know-how without risking your life (it applies in Europe/States, so imagine in China…). Not mentioning the fact that repairs will be cheap.
Cheers,
Z.Last edited by Topmanda; 09-24-2012 at 10:18 AM.
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#2 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-22-2012, 05:50 AM
Cool review! Thanks, keep the information coming.
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#3 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-22-2012, 11:51 AM
Once one LED bulb goes they all will eventually fail, that’s because the bank of bulbs are rated to a specific resistance, so one going causes the remaining to burn out at an accelerated rate. They have to replace the whole set, it either had a bad bulb that started it or a bad resister.
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#4 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
- Location
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09-22-2012, 02:34 PM"the 12 small red LED I have on the rear" Can you post a picture of this? Are they clustered in the rear brake light? That should be something the dealer would replace for you easily.
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#5 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-23-2012, 02:49 PM
Thanks for the review topmanda, looking fairly good so far! Will keep an eye on this thread to see how you get on with it long term.
Regarding fuel consumption, you sure you got the figures right? 11-12L per 100km seems extremely high, especially since the kawa er6-n that it's based on gets about half that figure.
http://www.motostat.eu/vehicle-stats/36531
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#6 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-24-2012, 12:40 AM
Nuhaus: yes they're clustered in the rear light, it's easily changeable plus I have a 3 years guarantee from the store which cover about everything but the tires and the fairing.
Felix: With a full tank of 17L I drove about 150km, which makes about 11L/100km. I'll try with a full tank of 97 (I use to put 93) and come back to you. Is there any relationships with the breaking in period, that I don't know?!Last edited by Topmanda; 09-24-2012 at 04:08 AM.
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#7 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK
- Join Date
- Aug 2012
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- United States
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09-24-2012, 12:54 AMVery good review.
I am looking forward to when the NK, TR and hopefully the adventure model are available in the US.
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#8 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-24-2012, 05:02 AM
Great review, something ain't right with that fuel consumption . Is it 3 years unlimited mileage warranty? Would be interested to hear how you feel after a 400 kilometre day in the saddle.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
ChinaV
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#9 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-24-2012, 08:14 AM
on the odd occasion when my fuel consumption figures look like that
it turns out somebody stole some of my gas
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#10 Re: My Review of the CFMOTO 650NK09-24-2012, 10:09 AM
Yeah I confirm you that It's a 3 years unlimited mileage warranty. As my biggest issue with this bike was the longevity (it's a chinese bike after all) but with such a warranty I thought wtf.
Regarding the consumption it is odd I admit it: I'm wondering if there's any relationship with the breaking in period. In any case, I'll double check this fact quickly and come back to you guys.
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