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ADV NewsCFMoto Unveils KTM-Powered 800MT Adventure Bike

CFMoto Unveils KTM-Powered 800MT Adventure Bike

Chinese motorcycle manufacturer pulls the covers on high-spec ADV Bike.

Published on 04.27.2021

No one needs to remind us how strongly adventure bikes are trending these days. Just open your computer and bam! there’s another new model to consider. The latest player on the bustling field is CFMoto’s 800MT, officially unveiled last week at the Auto Shanghai show.

It doesn’t look like the smaller, more mainstream bikes we’re used to seeing come out of China, does it? That’s thanks in major part to KTM and its now 11-year-old “strategic cooperation agreement” with CFMoto, a so-far successful and ever-expanding give/take for both parties. At the core of the partnership the Austrian giant trades its sophisticated technologies and high quality standards for an inside track into CFMoto’s deep and widespread manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, which helps keep consumer pricing in check. 

CFMoto 800MT adventure bike unveiled
Cornering ABS will be a first for a Chinese model, says CFMoto. Other high-spec features include traction control, keyless start, built-in GPS, ride modes and more.

But the 800MT doesn’t look anything like a KTM adventure bike either, that is, unless you hone in on the 799cc LC8c parallel twin adopted from the 790 Adventure, which, as you know, has been upgraded in 2021 to 889cc for the Western market, leaving the LC8c version to stand alone in this, and likely other new models from CFMoto.


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The 800MT is notably the first dedicated model to come out of the joint venture of these two manufacturing giants. It’s a handsome machine, with aggressive looks more inline with Honda’s Africa Twin than KTM’s more usual vibe, especially the pinched fairing, headlamp and screen grouping. The split and dropped fuel cell was nixed by a more traditional touring-style top mounted tank, for example. 

CFMoto 800MT adventure bike unveiled
A 7-inch TFT screen gives access to ride modes, GPS navigation, Bluetooth connectivity to pair a smartphone and a host of other features.

The details we know so far are that the 800MT will be one of the highest performing motorcycles to ever wear badging from a Chinese builder, with the LC8c delivering a claimed 94 hp and 57 ft-lbs of torque. It will come with Bosch’s cornering ABS, as well as traction control and luxurious amenities like keyless start, built-in GPS, heated grips and seat and KTM’s rich suite of electronics, all accessed on a bright 7-inch TFT display. 

What is all CFMoto’s choosing is implementation of Japanese KYB suspension over KTM-owned WP, and brakes from Spain’s J Juan, likely a move to keep the price low. While the 800MT uses a steel tube frame we’re used to seeing on the KTMs, it does have a unique aluminum swing arm system.

CFMoto 800MT adventure bike unveiled
Seat height is reported at 825mm (32.5 inches). The bike also comes with heated grips and seat.

According to Cycle World, the 800MT will weigh 509 pounds without luggage or 547 pounds with the aluminum side cases, top box and mounting system. Wheels are 19-inch front/17-inch rear cast as stock, with spoked rims as an upgrade, while other add-ons would be the skid plate and crash bars we see in the photos, though it’s likely CFMoto will offer a special edition outfitted for the dirtier side of adventure riding.  

With production slated for “Q2 of 2021” there should be 800MTs rolling off the line any minute. Pricing is rumored to be on the low side of ADV bikes in this category: Somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 yuan, which comes out to something around $7,700–$10,700 usd.

CFMoto 800MT adventure bike unveiled
LED headlights and driving lights are standard.

Of course this particular adventure bike will be introduced in the Asian markets before we see it in other parts of the world. No doubt CFMoto hopes the borrowed KTM performance and technology will add cache to the model, raising the bar for further in-country manufacturing. But with more Chinese imports making the scene in the U.S. each year, it’s not so far-fetched to think we’ll see the 800MT and other bikes like it on — and off — roads here in the U.S. sometime in the near future.

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.

Author: Jamie Elvidge
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Joe John
Joe John
April 27, 2021 10:49 am

Looks interesting. I think the biggest hurdle these Chinese bikes face is dealer support. You can’t find a local shop that will touch a BMW let alone a bike from China. If it takes a $#!% on you you are basically out of luck.

Robert
Robert
May 9, 2021 5:00 am
Reply to  Joe John

CFMoto already has a atv dealer network across the US and many of the dealers also sell Japanese motorcycles and quads alongside them.

trackback
CFMoto Unveils KTM-Powered 800MT Adventure Bike - ADVENTURE & OVERLAND MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL
April 27, 2021 10:58 am

[…] post CFMoto Unveils KTM-Powered 800MT Adventure Bike appeared first on ADV […]

Barktooth
Barktooth
April 28, 2021 6:43 am

Another Communist Chinese PR scoop as they use a KTM engine in their sweatshop product
Everyone loves a bargain but overlooks the atrocities of the Chinese Communist Party, including the oppression of their own citizens and the ongoing genocide against the Uygur population…

normanzb2
normanzb2
May 2, 2021 6:57 pm
Reply to  Barktooth

1. not every chinese is communist
2. cfmoto is privately owned company
3. you make it sounds like you actually care the oppressed chinese citizens but deep down you really don’t care, cuz jeopardizing products produced by average chinese will not make their life any better.

Robert
Robert
May 9, 2021 4:52 am
Reply to  normanzb2

By law all Chinese citizens are communists whether they want to be or not. No Chinese based company is truly privately owned. My computer was made in Vietnam, my Africa Twin was made in Japan and my Nissan was made in Tennessee.

normanzb2
normanzb2
May 17, 2021 6:19 pm
Reply to  Robert

This sounds like trolling so I am gonna post some data .

There is no such law. By December 2019, there are 91,914k registered communists in China, that’s a lot, but the total population of Chinese citizen is almost 1.4 billion. If you didn’t fall asleep in the mathamatic class. Averagely, you see 6 or 7 communists in 100 people in China.

10D CHESS
10D CHESS
May 23, 2021 11:05 am
Reply to  normanzb2

Sounds like virtue signaling.

CCP is in power in China with only 6.6% support.. gimme a break.

J D Cooper
J D Cooper
April 28, 2021 7:49 pm

Chinese build quality and KTM reliability. What could go wrong…..

d-dub
d-dub
May 6, 2021 9:53 am
Reply to  J D Cooper

hahaha well put

Beefed
Beefed
April 30, 2021 2:43 pm

Great, who wouldn’t want an unreliable motorcycle built by slave hands with no aftermarket or dealer support? All for around the price of a Yamaha T7, Husky 701, or V-Strom! I feel bad for whoever buys this.

normanzb2
normanzb2
May 2, 2021 7:02 pm
Reply to  Beefed

why did you say “slave hands”? have you been there? witness by yourself or is it simply another brain washed hearsay? I know friends who actually worked for cfmoto before, not a bad place to work for, but hater gonna hate.

Robert
Robert
May 9, 2021 5:03 am

I fully expect the Chinese to eventually muscle all of their European partners right out of their native markets. My advice is to move production to Vietnam where the environment is a lot more honest.

J D Cooper
J D Cooper
May 9, 2021 7:22 am
Reply to  Robert

I think you’re absolutely correct. And…when Vietnamese labor becomes too expensive, they’ll shift production to Zaire or Uganda. The Chinese have 5x the number of STEM students as we: and will outspend us on R&D soon. It’s not simply a matter of technology transfer. Soon they’ll hammer us on intellectual innovation alone. Obviously this issue is far bigger than just motos.

normanzb2
normanzb2
May 17, 2021 6:30 pm

Why did you make it sound like the capitalism world is one big giant charity organization?

normanzb2
normanzb2
May 17, 2021 6:32 pm

this comment was about to reply @robert, for some reason the system thought my comment worth a dedicated thread.

geepee
geepee
July 1, 2021 9:52 am

Again, it is manufactured in China so if you compromising the quality aspect ….. then go for it. I am not for copied version.
I don’t understand why European companies pledging their technology to china? Don’t they have any other countries in the world to have a efficient manufacturing facility and engineers?

trackback
CFMoto 800 Adventura: A New KTM-Powered ADV Bike Coming To US - Live News America
August 8, 2022 10:31 am

[…] in 2021 we reported that Chinese manufacturing giant CFMoto was on the verge of releasing an 800cc bike with adventure bike aesthetics and KTM parts, including the Austrian maker’s 799cc liquid-cooled […]

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