Revealed: China's upcoming 650cc tourer
CFMoto building a Honda Deauville rival
IF there was a Honda badge attached to these leaked images of a new 650cc twin-cylinder tourer it wouldn’t come as much surprise. But in reality it’s the next-generation machine due from Chinese manufacturer CFMoto.
We’ve been critical before of Chinese companies that plagiarise the styling of existing bikes, but while there’s something of a BMW vibe about the new CFMoto – sold in the UK under the WK Bikes brand – it’s by no means a direct copy of an existing model.
Of course, pictures alone – and CAD/CAM images at that – give no clue as to the bike’s quality, but underneath all that new bodywork lies the existing parallel twin engine used on the existing 650TR (which has more of an old-style Pan European feel to its design.)
What looks like an alloy beam frame is much more likely to be a plastic cover over the existing tubular steel chassis.
With around 72bhp from an engine that owes more than a little to Kawasaki’s ER-6, and which has powered the firm’s efforts in the Lightweight TT for the last couple of years.
The existing bike looks like quite a lot of machine for an RRP of £4,399, and if the new one sticks to the same price it will further help CFMoto’s efforts to establish its brand among the mainstream.
What do you think? Will you ever be tempted to buy a Chinese bike? Second-hand Deauville or brand new CFMoto?
