Motorcycle specifications CFMOTO 800 MT Sport 2023 The foam of a future wave

CF Moto is slowly gaining momentum with an increasingly interesting range, now capable of tickling the fancy of leading manufacturers. With its 800 MT trail bike, it offers an alternative in the mid-size clan, with quite a few arguments.

Starting with a design, a real one, not yet another copy like China specializes in. Without being beautiful, naughty, placid, fun or anything else, the look of this machine boasts its own identity. It's impossible to say "it reminds me of a xxxx!". The whole is balanced, sprinkles curiosity, and doesn't lie about its destination. The 800 MT Sport is the kind of trail bike the market loves.

But even though its gigantic country of origin is developing ever larger engines, CF Moto didn't want to give it an in-house block, opting instead to team up with a manufacturer already well placed in the field: KTM. As a result, the 800 MT benefits from an already well-known and rewarding powertrain. The core was developed in Austria, and has made a name for itself in the bodies of the 790 Duke and Adventure.

It's an engine that smells of vitamins right from the start. Its manufacture has been repatriated to Hangzhou (200 km from Shanghai), where its existence will be prolonged and expanded. Its main characteristics are identical to those of the original twin: 799 cm3, 8 valves, 2 ACT, super-square dimensions, 285° timing and double balancer. Injection has now been entrusted to Bosch, and CF Moto has had to take care of its own mapping. As a result, the mill produces just as much horsepower as the original exercise, but its 95 hp come in at 9,000 rpm, 1,000 more than in Mattighofen. Maximum torque, at 7.9 mkg at 7,500 rpm, is very reasonable for the engine's displacement. Here too, however, efficiency is lower: the Adventure models claimed 9 mkg at 6,600 rpm. Under Euro 4, it's important to point out, the MT's mill has to cope with E5.

It's not enough to build. You also have to know how to set parameters. And if the injection work wasn't perfect on the first vintage, the manufacturer quickly corrected it - given the speed with which the Chinese learn and adapt, performance will improve significantly and irreversibly. For its first chapter, the 800 MT already has what it takes to offer good performance and real participation, not just a token performance. The engine takes on several roles: the joviality of propulsion, the reinforcement of the frame structure, the docility of downshifts with an anti-dribble clutch, the composition of gears with a 6-speed gearbox and several faces with the two riding modes, Sport or Rain. These only act on the Ribe-by-wire, not on traction control... because there isn't any.

this may come as a surprise, given that this kind of steering assistance is being installed just about everywhere. Nevertheless, the 800 MT Sport boasts top-notch equipment that won't make you regret its absence. For a price close to that of a Yamaha MT-09 or an Aprilia Tuono 660, here's a trail bike equipped with crash-bars, cruise control, a large 7-inch color TFT screen, fully adjustable suspension - the only thing missing is compression damping, aBS cornering, USB and 12V sockets, automatic turn signals, 70 mm manually adjustable windscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, package holder, fog lights, luggage racks; and a little off-road refinement : removable rubber in the footrests. Compared to a BMW 750 GS, the CF Moto can no longer play on the price differential, but the equipment and power still favor the Chinese.

The Touring version, distinguished mainly by its spoked rims and color scheme, goes even further with heated grips and saddles, center stand, shifter, tire pressure control, motor shoe, steering damper and hand guards. For an extra 1,000 euros.

We've seen that the 800 MT does almost as well in terms of engine data as its cousin the 790 Adventure. What penalizes it more significantly is its weight. At 225 kg, the difference between the two is over thirty kilos.
Yet the swingarm is made of aluminum... The steel trellis frame is not very imposing... But it's strong, thanks to the load-bearing twin, and surrounded by peripherals with more or less well-known names. Kayaba for suspension and J.Juan for brakes. The Spanish brand supplies radially mounted 4-piston calipers around 320 mm discs. Maxxiss MaxxVenture tires are fitted at the end of the 19" and 17" rims, and their thinness augurs well for agility.

With this level of equipment at such a low price, the uninitiated might think that the design and structure of this motorcycle are on the cheap. Not at all! CF Moto has taken full advantage of its alliance with KTM, its choice of equipment supplier and its technical motivation to design a convincing trail bike. There are a few minor imperfections, but these will be of little consequence to the majority of users. The Chinese force is quietly but surely gathering momentum, and the 800 MT intends to capitalize on it.

M.B. - Manufacturer's photos