I have the chance to pick one if these up, 2015 new, for under $5000 Canadian however I have no exposure to the brand. Any info will be appreciated.

I think this is the first time I have seen a bike posted that no one on here has a comment about. I am not sure if this is good or bad. I might just have to buy one of these so that for once I wont be the least knowledgeable.


Riq

Yup, you might need to be our Tester - and then Expert!

Price is good and they're not unknown around the world, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. The Chinese growth reminds me so much of when the Japanese bikes first arrived here. They were really bad - at first... but it didn't take them long as we all know.

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
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I just looked it up and it is a pretty well kitted out bike for the price. Hard luggage, parallel twin etc. The only thing about Chinese bikes is what you can get used in a Japanese bike for the same money. here in Latin America where I am now, they cost 1/4 to 1/3 the price of similar Japanese bikes so sell well.

I would go for it just to have something different. Good bike if you decide to do a trip south of the US border.

I am going to take the 2 hour drive to have a look at this one and if it feels like a fit I think I will take a chance.

Riq

My local Guzzi dealer happens to also be an importer of the CF Moto 650s.
The one I rode was a naked NK, rather than the touring TK version, but my verdict is as follows:

If you think Jappa's are expensive, and still grimmace at Korea's Hyosung prices then maybe Chinese CF Moto is for you. But you get what you pay for.

Whilst my Guzzi is in for a service, Marko's given me a CF Moto 650 NK for the weekend as a loaner.
The bike has its niggles - cheap foam packing between the clocks and cowl, I can't read the speedo in direct sunlight and I'm too tall (just 6') to read the very top of the readout (I don't know if I'm doing 101km/h or 707km/h). The handlebars are weirdly narrow, mirrors are a bit cheap, plastic surround looks like the plastic from recycled VHS tapes, the bike has gaudy faux carbon fibre pattern plastic bodywork...and it must have warped/cracked discs or something (only 1500kms on the clock) as it judders horrendously with the front stoppers (an issue with this particular bike, I'm sure yours won't do this). The paint doesn't have that deep lustre to it that you would find on something like a Victory. The fuel cap paint has already started to peel off & rust - whereas on most quality bikes I believe they are billet ally.

But, then again you've got to take it in context.

It's a cheap first big bike. The engine is pretty willing and flexible, no surprises. The gearbox still needs running in - neutral down into first resonated with a solid sounding "thock" that my Guzzi would be proud of. The suspension is actually half decent - good enough to show up the cheap & rubbish tyres it comes fitted with as standard if you push them - but most people would be using this as a commuter bike so maybe they would be fine for most folk. I couldn't test the brakes due to that judder. The exhaust note under load at 5k rpm is OK from what looks like a cheap crappy exhaust - I imagine if that bothers you most people would look at swapping the exhaust anyway - the downpipes on this bike already turning rusty reddy-brown.

So there's good points. If you want a mediocre sizeable bike to do some summer commuting duty I'm sure it's more than upto the task. But you mostly get what you pay for, which isn't surprising. I haven't checked out the adjust-ability of the suspension and I'm not sure if it has ABS or not. But what do you expect? This bike would have a warranty and retails new at a similar price new to what I paid for my 14 year old goosey.

But I'd still rather have the Goosey.
Which brings me to my point - yes it's cheap new, but why not buy a 3 year old Kawasaki ER6 for the same money? In the future I'm sure a 10 year old ER6 will survive 60k kms without major hiccups. The CF Moto is still bit of an unknown. And the devil is in the detail - fairings that don't buzz and vibrate, mirrors that are useful, progressive feel at the brake lever, some suspension adjustability, bits that should be ally aren't steel, better dealer back up, better warranty, better spares availability, better quality FI system, nicer paint & powdercoated bits, nicer welds around the swingarm pivot, decent clocks/digital readouts...and the Kawasaki is a PROVEN bike. I would say steer clear of the CFMoto and buy a low mileage Kawasaki ER-F or Versys that's a couple of years old with service history.

buy a second hand KLR, my mate is actually selling one right now in Alaska canada area, fully loaded for travel anywhere for $3900

Thanks for the feed back. I have now taken the bike for a weekend and have decided not to purchase it. It simply isn't a fit for my frame. I really enjoyed how the bike behaved itself for a low dollar entry point bike but the ergonomics, to me, are of primary importance. This wasn't so when I started riding 45 years ago however I am now old, arthritic and my wife tells me grumpy so I go for the comfort factor.

Back to the bike. The power was good, the fit and finish was not bad for the price point however all of the parts just appeared to be lightweight copies of more expensive models. If this will affect the life of the bike I can only guess.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Riq