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  1. #1 Greetings from Beijing! 
    C-Moto Not-so-Noob
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    Dear All,

    Greetings from Will in Beijing! I was looking for reviews for the CF650s and came across this forum, feeling rather luck:P Here's a little bit about myself.

    My motorcycle history started when I was in uni, I did my CBT and fell in love with riding. Soon I bought my first bike: a Gilera SC125
    gilera_sc_125.jpg
    At the time I never thought I'd buy anything bigger, the rev-craving 2-stroke was plenty of fun to ride and I was under 21 so didn't really wanna bother with the full-license.

    In 3 months time I turned 21 and started to feel the urge to have more power and less smoke coming from my arse (SC125 had an underseat exhaust), I went to get my big-bike license and traded the little 2-stroker for an SUZUKI SV650S(which I sorely missed even today).
    fr_13_size880.jpg
    - Last days of my beloved SV.

    I did about 8000 miles on the SV during my last year and half in the UK, including countless trips to the Cheddar Gorge, Bath and Weston, a low-side at 60mph(stupid attempt to get my slider marked), a 2-week trip along the coastline of England and Scotland(after I put the bike back together in the shed with parts from eBay), and so on... Eventually I had to part with it when I came back to China in 2010.
    fr_21_size880.jpg
    - At John O'Groats with my mate.

    After I came back I wanted to get a bike here but the lack of Chinese D/E(bike) license and legal big bike stopped me from doing so. I relocated to Beijing last year and finally sorted out my D license(had to go to a driving school as they refuse to exchange my British bike license). Now I'm looking at buying a CF650NK or TR to restart my biking.

    I saw quite a few members have or had CF650s so I'd appreciate any wisdom you could share and look forward to making my own contribution to the forum. Anyone in Beijing please also give me a holler, I work near CBD and live on Chao Yang Road.

    As always, shiny side up, rubber side down!

    Cheers,

    Will
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  2. #2 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
    KING of MCM LOL prince666's Avatar
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    Hi and welcome Willcats
    Before you buy a CF have a look at the Honda and kawasaki dealers in Beijing and IF you can push the boat out with a bit more money then in the long run you will be better of, and have more fun.

    But if you hart is set on a CF and i have 3 now then a member on here called "BikerDoc" has a very nice TR for sale at a good price.
    "Arguing on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics, even if you win you're still retarded"
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  3. #3 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    Will,
    I've got a CFMOTO 650 NK, it's OK but there are other options. Remember it's really just a very mediocre quality 2006 Ninja 650 clone, it is improving, but I don't rate it compared to a Japanese bike, power and handling are similar, but quality, assembly and refinement are way down especially on the Chinese non-export version. What's your budget or 'must have' minimum size engine displacement or power?

    If you want quality and resale you could get a smaller Japanese/Chinese bike like a GW250 or CBF190 for about 20,000-25,000 range. Then you could get a Thai made imported 250 like a Z250 or Ninja 250/300 for 40,000 or a CBF500 for 70,000. There's a complete price list on the site somewhere those prices I quoted are probably a bit wrong, or ask at a dealer.

    If I were to buy again I'd get a CBF500. It will always have good resale, but if you decide to keep it for its whole lifespan of 10-15 years it will reliably do that too.

    Only consider the CFMOTO 650's or Benelli BJ600 if you feel you really need a 600cc middle weight power for a cheap price if you really cannot afford something Thai made equivalent. You'd think that buying a Chinese bike would have massive advantages for parts availability, and that is true for Sundiro Honda, Haojue Suzuki and Jianshe Yamaha, but Benelli parts are crazy expensive, and CFMOTO can be pretty customer ignorant depending on the dealer.

    Why wouldn't they transfer your UK license? Do you have Chinese ancestry?

    Best Wishes,
    Z
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  4. #4 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
    C-Moto Not-so-Noob
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    Quote Originally Posted by prince666 View Post
    Hi and welcome Willcats
    Before you buy a CF have a look at the Honda and kawasaki dealers in Beijing and IF you can push the boat out with a bit more money then in the long run you will be better of, and have more fun.

    But if you hart is set on a CF and i have 3 now then a member on here called "BikerDoc" has a very nice TR for sale at a good price.
    Hi Prince thanks for the info, I did look into Kawasaki ER-6F and Versys, can't really justify the extra spending(at least 2x the CF). Besides i love working on my bike so guess with CF it will create more opportunities(hopefully not).

    I saw the one Bikerdoc is advertising but unfortunately in order to have Beijing license I have to either buy a new one or a second hand that is already registered in Beijing. It seems I'd be going for the ABS version so wait to hear from me when i get my hands on one:).
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  5. #5 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
    Will,
    I've got a CFMOTO 650 NK, it's OK but there are other options. Remember it's really just a very mediocre quality 2006 Ninja 650 clone, it is improving, but I don't rate it compared to a Japanese bike, power and handling are similar, but quality, assembly and refinement are way down especially on the Chinese non-export version. What's your budget or 'must have' minimum size engine displacement or power?

    If you want quality and resale you could get a smaller Japanese/Chinese bike like a GW250 or CBF190 for about 20,000-25,000 range. Then you could get a Thai made imported 250 like a Z250 or Ninja 250/300 for 40,000 or a CBF500 for 70,000. There's a complete price list on the site somewhere those prices I quoted are probably a bit wrong, or ask at a dealer.

    If I were to buy again I'd get a CBF500. It will always have good resale, but if you decide to keep it for its whole lifespan of 10-15 years it will reliably do that too.

    Only consider the CFMOTO 650's or Benelli BJ600 if you feel you really need a 600cc middle weight power for a cheap price if you really cannot afford something Thai made equivalent. You'd think that buying a Chinese bike would have massive advantages for parts availability, and that is true for Sundiro Honda, Haojue Suzuki and Jianshe Yamaha, but Benelli parts are crazy expensive, and CFMOTO can be pretty customer ignorant depending on the dealer.

    Why wouldn't they transfer your UK license? Do you have Chinese ancestry?

    Best Wishes,
    Z
    Hey Z, I don't think i could live with anything smaller than 600 and unfortunately cost is a big factor for me, so it pretty much came down to 3 bikes to chose from: the CF650, BN600 and the LX650. I will be doing everyday city commuting on the bike so I ruled out the 4-cylinder BJ/BN600 pretty early. LX650 is the best equipped of all three: the 650 engine loncin built for BMW, fully adjustable USD fork and suspensions, main frame imported from Italy, etc. however there aren't that many of them around in Beijing, also I'm not sure about a 650cc single on a road bike. CF is the most sensible of the three and while I do not look forward to flawless operation, the dealer seems ok in Beijing.

    Parts-wise I'm Chinese so Taobao is easy enough for me, as for the license, they just refused to acknowledge the little motorcycle sign on my UK license and I guess it is probably just because I'm have a Chinese face and a Chinese passport, sigh......
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  6. #6 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by willcats View Post
    Hey Z, I don't think i could live with anything smaller than 600 and unfortunately cost is a big factor for me, so it pretty much came down to 3 bikes to chose from: the CF650, BN600 and the LX650. I will be doing everyday city commuting on the bike so I ruled out the 4-cylinder BJ/BN600 pretty early. LX650 is the best equipped of all three: the 650 engine loncin built for BMW, fully adjustable USD fork and suspensions, main frame imported from Italy, etc. however there aren't that many of them around in Beijing, also I'm not sure about a 650cc single on a road bike. CF is the most sensible of the three and while I do not look forward to flawless operation, the dealer seems ok in Beijing.

    Parts-wise I'm Chinese so Taobao is easy enough for me, as for the license, they just refused to acknowledge the little motorcycle sign on my UK license and I guess it is probably just because I'm have a Chinese face and a Chinese passport, sigh......
    LX, BN/BJ or CFMOTO? Then I'd plum for a CF or BJ. Not sure why you ruled out a 4 cylinder for commuting, loads of people commute on 4 cylinder 600s in the UK, loads of Bandits and Honda Hornet type things are regular commuter weapons in the UK.

    The BJ is very 'showy' with expensive parts, whereas the CF parts are pretty reasonable so I guess the CF is the better choice, but really I'd have to live with both for a few years to give you a definitive answer. The CF has served me well so far, but the lack of refinement is an irritation. I think it honestly has about a 30-50,000 kilometer reliable lifespan.

    The LX is thought of as a lemon, although the rumour mill in China is full of BS, so I'm not convinced it's definitively rubbish, many people are pissed off about the price for a single, just because it's got a (not very popular) BMW engine in it doesn't mean, many people think that Loncin suddenly shits golden turds, especially when they derive face from a BMW badge on the tank and not on the engine. Also it's not exported (BMW won't let them), so I doubt they've tried too hard.
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  7. #7 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
    LX, BN/BJ or CFMOTO? Then I'd plum for a CF or BJ. Not sure why you ruled out a 4 cylinder for commuting, loads of people commute on 4 cylinder 600s in the UK, loads of Bandits and Honda Hornet type things are regular commuter weapons in the UK.

    The BJ is very 'showy' with expensive parts, whereas the CF parts are pretty reasonable so I guess the CF is the better choice, but really I'd have to live with both for a few years to give you a definitive answer. The CF has served me well so far, but the lack of refinement is an irritation. I think it honestly has about a 30-50,000 kilometer reliable lifespan.

    The LX is thought of as a lemon, although the rumour mill in China is full of BS, so I'm not convinced it's definitively rubbish, many people are pissed off about the price for a single, just because it's got a (not very popular) BMW engine in it doesn't mean, many people think that Loncin suddenly shits golden turds, especially when they derive face from a BMW badge on the tank and not on the engine. Also it's not exported (BMW won't let them), so I doubt they've tried too hard.
    Well I don't have anything against 4-cylinders for commuting, just the 4-cylinder engine in BJ/BN, from what I heard(never rode it myself so it may not be true) it hasn't got much pull low down and it cuts off at 11k rpm, I'd rather have a twin which has a much wider power band.
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  8. #8 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by willcats View Post
    Well I don't have anything against 4-cylinders for commuting, just the 4-cylinder engine in BJ/BN, from what I heard(never rode it myself so it may not be true) it hasn't got much pull low down and it cuts off at 11k rpm, I'd rather have a twin which has a much wider power band.
    I'm sure compared with a Honda 4 cylinder 600cc engine it is a bit down on low-end torque, but I seriously doubt it would bother a good rider much after they had gotten used to it.
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  9. #9 Re: Greetings from Beijing! 
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    Got myself a 2015 CF650TR with ABS, photos to follow...
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