CFMOTO 650NK review at 10,000 km x2

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I've hit 11,000 doing long rides, and Soberpete is a few thousand behind doing mostly commuting so this review is basically a 20,000 kilometer review.

The Good News
When the bike runs well it really is a nice machine, Probably not much behind a 2006 Kawasaki ER6N, although somewhat more rattly and less refined.

Brakes 7/10
Properly bled from factory with braided lines. They are single sided calipers that work acceptably. By contrast with the average Chinabike no name brake they are excellent, but they are by no means great. Lever is a bit crap though with a fair bit of play.

Comfort 6/10
Seat is comfortable, and riding position is too, some vibrations and lack of refinement distract the rider though.

Engine 7/10
Plenty of power, you can get away from all car plus driver combos anytime except maybe supercars. Plenty of torque means nice acceleration and great engine braking. Cheaply made EFI system and busy cooling system is a cause for potential concern, especially long term.

Handling 9/10
Bike is very easy to ride especially at first, can seem hot 'n heavy in town but you soon get used to it. New tires help a bit, mostly with confidence.

Suspension 6/10
A bit underdamped, but its OK.

Tires 6/10
Cheng Shin's were OK, could slip a little under power, but actually aren't terrible except in the rain according to UK reports. Continental tires on new models will certainly help sales. We fitted Pirellis, they've been good.

Assembly 5/10
Many of the bolts weren't torqued up to spec, engine bolts, rotor bolts were OK and master cylinders rest not really. Fork bolts were very under torqued, I was easily capable to getting another half turn on the bolts. The semi permanent thread-locker seemed watered down and ineffective.

The Bad News

Problems

  • TPS (throttle position sensor) failure at 1000 kms: warranty successful
  • Rusty fuel tank (internally): warranty successful
  • Rear seat is a PITA to fit, usually takes 2-5 minutes of hitting and cursing, mains seat no problem
  • Cheap plastics that no longer fit, with broken connectors
  • Cheap iron bolts holding many parts on especially plastics
  • Many threaded frame screws
  • Bar, mirrors, pegs, non-load bearing bolts and plastics are garbage much worse than an a Sundiro or Jianshe 125cc quality
  • Cannot switch off blinking EFI 'service' light on my bike, goes away after 10 seconds though
  • Overzealous fan comes on when bike isn't that hot and even when bike started slightly warm
  • Heavily corroded headers, doubt will see out lifespan of the bike
  • Rear sub-frame very weak, I wouldn't try to put more than 5KG in a top-box or take a big pillion.
  • Many under-torqued and poorly thread-locked bolts
  • Chinese bike, so fast depreciation

Long term Fears and Concerns

How long will the bikes lifespan be? I keep mine indoors, change the oil early and use the best filters, and only do long 'freedom' trips, so bike couldn't be better looked after. Still I worry, will the Cooling system survive long term? The fan is always whirring away are the bearings in it Chinese? Will the EFI light throw up some random code? Am I going to be faced with bills? Will parts be available long term?

Conclusion

This bike is fairly OK and provides you with a characterful middle weight bike for a very reasonable amount of money. However, if you could buy a Honda CB500, Kawasaki ER6N, Suzuki SV650 or other 'budget' middle-weight for 50,000RMB (with no or low trade tariffs) or approximate price in another country, the 35,000-40,000 asking price for this bike really doesn't stack up short term or long term with all the potential problems. Modern Japanese bikes are much better made, although CFMOTO are doing well and IMHO are a cut above most China bikes, still the penny-pinching has hurt this bike. Here's an example: I've got Kawasaki copy mirrors which after year are swinging around in the breeze and are useless. For 20 RMB you can buy Sundiro Honda or Yamaha Jianshe mirrors from their 125cc models that can make it to three years, so why if I've spent 35,000 should I have run of the mill Chinabike 125cc mirrors, could they not splash out an extra 5 RMB?

To sum up: It ain't bad, but save for longer and buy a Honda.