Road test of CFMOTO800 NK Advanced 2023 Solo is good, A2 is good too!

Our tester's opinion on the 800 NK Advanced from 2023

With all the news, discussions and opinions on CFMoto, I wanted to see for myself what was really going on. So I made an appointment with Rennes Motos to test ride an 800 NK Advanced. The bike was released in 2023 with a very interesting specification sheet, but since then it has had minor improvements such as traction control, and front and rear suspension rebound and preload settings.

This medium-displacement roadster isn't here to take on the big bodybuilders. It's here to attract young licence holders, or those who want a fun toy for the occasional road trip. The Chinese brand has pulled out all the stops to win over future buyers, but also to shake things up in the face of well-established competitors with long-term reputations.

Red dot 2024 award-winning design

What a bike! The brand has really worked on styling, and is now establishing itself as one of the benchmarks in design. It even won the Red Dot award in the motorcycle design category in 2024. Further recognition that the public did not wait for, so seductive has it been. The roadster took roadster sales by storm in 2024, with 689 vehicles sold, an increase of 187% on the previous year.

Carles Solsona - CFMOTO's 2-wheel design director in Italy. "Winning the prestigious Red Dot Award is an excellent result for the whole team. The 800NK is one of the CFMOTO products that best embodies the core values of our brand. Design, technology and performance. This achievement is a great way to celebrate our company's 35th anniversary. It's also a recognition of our commitment to and development of our exclusive design philosophy aimed at a global market."

Frankly, CFMoto has done a great job on this 800NK. The look is top-notch, the materials are of good quality, and the assembly is really clean.

The lowered turn signals, the scoops and grilles are a sight to behold. I really like the rear buckle and the mudguard with the number plate on the swingarm. The only downside is that they should have raised the wheel-lip slightly higher, to reduce splashing onto the rear headlight and the underside of the seats. The upholstery is very attractive, with the printed "NK" and small motifs on each side.

The front headlamp, with its full LED, is aggressive but not overly so. The integration of the 8" tablet doesn't seem to fit in with the rest at first glance, but once you've used it, you'll quickly change your mind. I'll come back to this later.

On the other hand, everything is so well arranged that to see the coolant level, you have to use an Allen wrench. And it's so optimized everywhere that there's no storage space for tools. What a shame!

Ready for the road

Once on the bike, you'll find yourself in the position of a classic roadster. The saddle isn't very high, but the slightly wide seat will require smaller riders to wiggle to the left to get a good footing. The seat is really comfortable, and even after several hours on it, I didn't feel any discomfort. The handlebars are slightly raised, requiring less pressure on the wrists than on a Z900-type super roadster.

The gear selector is a little too short for my taste, even though I'm used to riding with my feet tucked in. But on several occasions, my foot grazed the selector without engaging the gear. A habit that will fade with daily use of the bike. It's also rather disturbing to touch the support for the rear footrests. In fact, these are very offset, and when I rested my feet on the tip, I could feel my tendons touching the supports. And yet I'm not a glogot, nor do I have clown feet (I'm 1.78m tall and wear a size 43).

On the other hand, the big drawback for me was the positioning of the controls on the left. Everything is concentrated, and when you're riding in winter with thick gloves on, it becomes quite tedious to activate the indicators or cruise control without having to take your eyes off the road. This new craze for grouping everything on the left has spread to the vast majority of brands in recent years, but I doubt that heavy winter riders will be the most enchanted.

If, by any chance, you wanted to ride as a duo, the rear seat is big enough to accommodate your feet, but with no handgrips and a plastic seat that's slightly more slippery than the driver's, you're likely to find yourself stuck together when you first brake. This was never a problem when I was with my partner - quite the opposite, in fact - but more disturbing when you're with someone you know.

A tried-and-tested engine

CFMoto has been working with KTM for a long time, so using the twin-cylinder engine from the 790 Duke in the 800NK was a good idea for thrills and to be sure of the engine's quality. Although production has now been taken over by the Chinese manufacturer, the scrupulous respect for the specifications originally established by KTM guarantees an irreproachable level of quality. And when it comes to pleasure, we're not outdone. The torque at low revs is a pleasure when winding and cornering. The sound is captivating, and you quickly get used to the gentle melody of the 799cc engine. Even in its A2 license configuration, the engine is playful, and the castration is not too disabling. It's true that you quickly hit the red line, but you're also quick to exceed the speed limit, so there's absolutely no need to worry about only using 48hp. If you're serious, the engine picks up well out of corners, and beginners can gain experience with this engine/chassis configuration.

The 800NK with which I was entrusted had a bit of a bottle, perhaps due to poor tuning. In any case, I found the clutch lever too hard, and soon felt a good deal of pain in my left arm. That's when I remembered that the shifter came as standard. No more pain, now it's time to have some fun! Of course, at low speed and low rpm, the shifter slams into the first gears. But as soon as you pick up the revs and the pace quickens, the shifter becomes your travel companion.

Of the three riding modes, I clearly preferred Sport mode. The engine is powerful and the throttle response is very quick. Even though my model had an A2 throttle, the engine easily took to the revs. Of course, there's no comparison with my daily FZ1 or the Z900 tested last month, as they're clearly not in the same league. Switching modes is extremely easy: just release the throttle, and press and hold the mode button to switch from one to the other. Street riding is the best way to get to grips with this beast: it's playful, with no surprises, and suitable for most situations. The rain mode is very hard on the engine, and should therefore only be used on really slippery roads. With time, you'll see that the street mode is also perfectly at ease.

Smooth braking

I didn't have any particular problems with braking, even though the outside temperature was cool (7°C) and above all very wet, the numerous braking maneuvers I was able to perform never failed me. I also tested hard braking, and the combination of Ji-Juan brakes and ABS was reassuring. Even the Maxxis tires, which I'd never tested before, didn't fail me. With the season and the traffic, it was difficult to really get to grips with this equipment. For that, you'd have had to go out on the track and look for the maximum angle to really put them to the test.

The suspension absorbs road imperfections well, and doesn't dive too much under braking. But these shortcomings are sometimes masked by the steering damper fitted as standard on the Advanced version. A truly comfortable ride!

Agile as a little monkey

In town, it doesn't fall short of the mark, despite its rather large volume, and handles very well at slow speeds. The turning radius is very respectable, and the position of the hands on the handlebars makes it easy to weave in and out of traffic.

The 800NK is lively, with quick, precise corner changes as soon as you pick up speed. You really get the hang of this bike very quickly.

Once on the main roads, the bike behaves very well, and the cruise control makes life easier. I found myself overtaking three cars with my hands behind my back, and the bike remained stable and in line even at over 100 km/h. Wind resistance is in line with class standards, so I didn't feel like I was getting a helmetful. Nor did I experience any aerodynamic disturbance due to the absence of wind jumps. This 800NK Advanced will take you far. At least as far as the next station.

Although the range is given as nearly 300 km, I was surprised to see warning signals on the display and handlebar indicators as soon as I had only 80 km of range left. I can't say whether it's the sensor in the tank that's not in the right place, or whether it's the inclination I was using with the instantaneous sensor. But these bright red displays are not the most pleasant. With practice, you can afford to keep going, but at first glance, it's disconcerting.

Large-scale equipment

As mentioned earlier, this CFMoto comes with an abundance of equipment, ensuring real comfort for everyday riding.

The LED indicators in the handlebars, on either side of the tablet, are really very practical in use, as they really help to identify a problem, much more so than a simple message on the large tablet. What seemed like a gadget at first actually helped me get to grips with this roadster.

The 8-inch vertical tablet is certainly one of the bike's major assets, with its intuitive handling and functionalities. Apple's carplay, which changes the tablet's entire appearance to make you feel right at home (well, I hate the Apple brand, so don't expect me to test it). There's also the equivalent application with Google, but I wasn't able to test it for all-day use. But these split the screen and give you access to your contacts, calls and navigation. It's all the more practical given that the lower part of the tablet is touch-sensitive.

What can we learn from this essay?

We've been hearing a lot about Chinese motorcycles over the past few months, and it seems that the historic brands have a lot to worry about. Well, I can confirm that the performance offered by CFMoto on this 800NK Advanced is truly impressive. The quality of the product, the finish, the equipment and also the ride are a real pleasure. Of course, there are flaws, like all the others, little things that can detract from the sheer pleasure of riding, especially on a daily basis. But with a price tag of €8890, and a 5-year warranty on parts and labor for the first two years, and on the engine, gearbox and frame for up to five years, within the 60,000 km limit and on the brand's network, it's well positioned in relation to its rivals. The manufacturer with the biggest increase in sales in 2024 is making an offer that requires reflection when you change your bike.

Would I buy it for everyday use? I confess that the very stiff clutch on the version I tried out put me off a bit, but I'm sure it was just a bad adjustment. So when I change my steed, I'll look twice at the Chinese brands before going headlong for the Japanese.

Many thanks to Guillaume from Rennes Motos for giving me the opportunity to try out this bike.