The Chinese-made CFMOTO 650NK is still one of the best bang-for-your-buck bikes in the learner market, but if you want improved handling, grip and tech, there is now an option.
CFMOTO Australia has announced the addition of the 650NK SP Edition at $7790 at $1000 more than the standard model which is still $300 cheaper than when it arrived in 2013, despite a lot of updates over the years.
Now, the SP edition should improve your ride experience even more with features such as KYB suspension, Pirelli Angel ST tyres, new slipper clutch, enhanced 6 speed gearbox for optimised gear changes, large 5-inch TFT display, Bosch EFI (Euro 5), new rims and new aggressive NK styling.
The 650NK SP is one of many new models from CFMOTO this year.
CFMOTO Australia boss Michael Poynton hopes to release two 700CL-X variants this year, with the first one scheduled to arrive in July.
“We are also hoping to have the 800MT (KTM 790 powered adventure bike) in the market end of this year,” he says.
“With electric, we hope to also have something in Australia later this year, however this will be under CFMOTO’s new sub brand Zeeho.”
No word yet on the arrival of 1250cc-powered touring and adventure bikes.
The 650NK SP is powered by a 41.5 kW (LAMS restricted) 650cc parallel twin engine as used in the 650NK, MT and GT variants, and is managed by a Bosch EFI system now certified for Euro 5 emission standards.
Spanish J.Juan hydraulic disc brakes and Continental ABS braking system are standard.
Pirelli’s sporty Angel ST tyres should be a good match for the upgraded KYB suspension with a conventional telescopic fork at the front and a cantilever KYB monoshock at the rear.
The full colour TFT display self adjusts to ambient light has two Sports and Eco display modes like the standard model but is now larger.
The 650NK SP is available in two colour options, Athens Blue or White/Black.
All CFMoto bikes until the end of May 2021 receive a three-year extended warranty, up from the standard two-year factory unlimited km warranty.
Australian importers have secured about 200 limited-edition Vespa scooters specially designed to celebrate the venerable Italian brand’s 75th anniversary.
The 75th anniversary Primavera 150 and GTS 300 models feature unique styling, special 75th anniversary decals, nubuck leather saddle edged in grey and chrome-plated luggage rack for a specially designed bag.
PS Imports Group Marketing Manager Dale McBride says “supply shouldn’t be too restricted with around 100 of each model.
The GTS and Primavera 75th models are due around late June/ July with pricing announced closer to arrival.
I’ve ridden many scooters and I have to say the best handling and among the best finished are the steel-body Vespas with their unique front suspension.
These two 75th models in retro “Giallo Pirite” metallic yellow should be very special, indeed.
One distinctive feature of the Vespa 75th is the chrome-plated rack and complimentary round bag whose shape replicates the typical spare wheel holder.
Made from velvety-soft nubuck leather in the same colour as the saddle, the bag has a shoulder strap and clips on the luggage rack with a quick-release mechanism. It comes with a waterproof cover.
Like all Vespa special editions, the series is identified with a plate behind the leg shield.
All 75th models come with a 4.3″ TFT colour display and Vespa MIA smartphone connectivity system.
Each Vespa 75th also comes with a Welcome Kit, a vintage steel Vespa plate, a personal Owner’s Book and eight collector postcards with images from the eight decades of the Vespa story.
THE VESPA LEGEND Vespa’s paint company, Piaggio, filed its first scooter patent on 23 April 1946, beginning 75 years of iconic urban riding.
Piaggio has now made nearly 19 million vehicles with the growth rate not slowing down.
Vespa produced 58,000 scooters in 2004, more than 100,000 in 2006, 180,000 in 2017 and 200,000 units in 2018.
Ducati Australia has confirmed we will get some of the 800 limited-edition and numbered edition Desert Sled Fasthouse model.
The motorcycle was created to celebrate the collaboration between Ducati Scrambler and the American clothing brand Fasthouse, which in 2020 took the rider Jordan Graham to victory in the Hooligan class of the Mint 400, the oldest and most prestigious off-road race in America.
Despite the American connection, Ducati Australia confirms the Desert Sled Fasthouse will be available here in August and have a ride away price of $A20,290.
That’s $1000 more than the current white model, but it does look more racey and has a couple of extra features.
They include a non-slip coating on the seat and off-road inspired foot pegs with removable rubber pads.
The black spoked wheels measuring 19” at the front and 17” at the rear are fitted with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres in sizes 120/70 R 19 M/C 60V M+S TL front and 170/60 R 17 M/C 72V M+S TL rear.
The collaboration with Fasthouse on this bike also includes the launch of a capsule collection of apparel consisting of short and long-sleeved t-shirts, jackets and caps.
They will be available from the end of April on Fasthouse’s sales channels, in Ducati network dealers and on the Ducati Online Shop.
Australia is miles behind the UK when it comes to interest in electric motorcycles and scooters.
A new survey shows half of UK bikers want to own an electric motorbike or have bought one, and 43.8% say sales of new petrol bikes should eventually be banned entirely.
In Australia, there are few electric models available:
Of course, the biggest obstacle in Australia is the combination of limited range of electric vehicles and the tyranny of distance in our big country, especially when compared wth the UK.
But it’s not just sales of electric motorcycles and scooters that are stagnant. Electric Vehicle Council figures show that last ear only 6,900 electric cars were sold in Australia, up just 2.7% on 2019. That’s just 0.7 per cent of total Australian car sales.
By comparison, electric vehicles in the EU increased their market share from 3.8% in 2019 to 10.2% in 2020. In California, market share went from 7.6% to 8.1%. Norway EV sales rose from 56% in 2019 to 75% in 2020.
In the the UK, it was 3.1% in 2019 against 10.7% in 2020, but that should improve markedly if the survey from motorbike insurer Bikesure is any indication.
Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari blames politicians for “yanking the handbrake” on EV sales in Australia.
“We have no targets, no significant incentives, no fuel efficiency standards – and in Victoria we even have a new tax on non-emitting vehicles,” he says.
“Our governments are apparently doing everything possible to ensure Australia is stalled with its hazards on while the rest of the world zooms into the horizon,” Beyhad says.
Harley-Davidson’s first adventure motorcycle, the Pan America 1250, is heading to Australia and New Zealand later this year.
There are two models (pictured above) in the new family, but Australia and New Zealand will only get the up-spec Special model, arriving in Harley-Davidson dealerships in the third quarter of 2021.
The Pan America Special is priced at $A31,995 ride away ($NZ33,995).
Harley-Davidson Pan America Special
Harley-Davidson Pan America Special
That’s fairly competitive when compared with rivals from BMW, Ducati, KTM and Triumph.
The base model has mag wheels and is more road oriented, while the Special is an adventure tourer with electronically adjustable semi-active suspension, tyre pressure monitors, centre stand, multi-position rear brake pedal, hand guards, aluminium skid plate, Daymaker headlight, heated hand grips and steering damper.
Options include tubeless spoked wheels like BMW’s GS and adaptive ride height.
Both are powered by the new Revolution Max 1250 engine which will also feature in the Bronx streetfighter which has been delayed until the end of this year.
The liquid-cooled 1250cc V-Twin is designed for low-end torque and low speed throttle control that is useful for off-road riding.
Despite this being a new bike and new territory for the company, their launch video featuring Hollywood action hero Jason Momoa points out that Harley’s roots are on dirt roads more than 100 years ago.
Yet chairman Jochen Zeitz also claims it is the first adventure touring bike designed and built in America.
He’s obviously not counting the electric Zero dual-sport motorcycles which are limited in touring capacity to less than 400km.
It will be interesting to see how the big Harley adventurer copes with Australia’s tough terrain, but on paper it stacks up pretty well against its main competition from BMW, Ducati, KTM and Triumph.
With 150hp or 112kW of power, it’s only beaten by Ducati’s Multistrada, while the torque monster BMW at 142Nm is the only with more grunt than Pan America’s 127Nm.
And while many may expect the company which previously boasted it made “heavy motorcycles” would have characteristic lard, it sits in the middle of the pack at 245kg, 23kg less than the market-leading BMW R 1250 GS.
However, in Australia, we get the Special with all its extra tech and comfort features which nudges the weight up to 253kg which is still less than the BMW and Triumph.
All the tech is controlled through the 6.8 inch TFT display with speedometer, gear, odometer, fuel level, clock, trip, ambient temp, low temp alert, side stand down alert, TIP over alert, cruise, range and tachometer indication BT capable – phone pairing to access phone calls, music, navigation through the H-D app.
Harley-Davidson dealers will offer an extensive line of accessories, including three durable luggage systems, and new technical riding gear for men and women developed in collaboration with respected European motorcycle apparel specialist, REV’IT!.
“More Fun” reads the decal on the CFMoto 300SR tail section.
I wonder how much fun you can have with a 292.4cc sports bike with just 21.4kW of power at a screaming 8750 revs.
But with its race replica decals, aggressive styling, light weight, upside-down forks and clip-on handlebars, they’re not kidding.
It is a delight to flick around the city streets and up into your favourite twisting mountain road.
This is the first fully faired bike from the Chinese manufacturer and one of several firsts for the company in coming months. Other firsts are a range of 700cc bikes, a 1250cc adventure bike and even an electric range.
CFMoto is imported to Australia by Mojo Motorcycles who have kept prices competitively low on all their bikes and this is no exception at $5790, ride away with a three-year warranty.
In fact, all CFMoto bikes purchased from until the end of 2020 receive the extended warranty, up from the standard two-year factory unlimited km warranty.
The main rivals to the 300SR are the Honda CBR300R at $5749, KTM RC390 ($5995), Suzuki GSX250R ($5790) and Yamaha YZF-R3 ($6299).
It comes in Nebula Black or the standout Turquoise Blue with race replica decals which I took for a squirt around the city and environs, looking every bit the boy racer, even at my mature years.
Complementing the racer style are distinctive LED headlights which give good coverage if you’re commuting home at night.
It also comes with a full-colour TFT display with comprehensive information, two-mode display and even mobile phone connectivity which tells you when you receive a call.
While the bike shares the same drivetrain and frame as the naked 300NK version, there are some subtle and strange differences.
Of course, it weighs more as the fairing adds 15kg, but it’s still a lightweight at just 165kg.
Strangely the liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine has 3.6kW less power.
That is offset by the 4.8Nm more torque which helps drive the bike off the line at the traffic lights and provides a fair bit of flexibility throughout the rev range.
However, it runs out of breath quickly, especially on hills, and you have to tap dance on the slick six-speed transmission to squeeze the most out of the buzzy little engine.
Yet it’s plenty for most novice riders and still great fun for those who enjoy a nimble bike they can flick through tight and technical bits of tarmac.
Surprisingly, the little donk generates a fair bit of heat which is something I did not find with the naked version. It seems the fairing traps the heat and pours it out directly on to your legs.
It comes with a balancer shaft, but still tingles your fingers, backside and toes and blurs the mirrors.
Riding position is not overly aggressive with the bars slightly lower than the 300NK, but the seat also 15mm lower which tucks you into the bike more.
The unforgivingly hard saddle reminds you that this is a sports bike and not a tourer and the narrow 12-litre tank invites you into an intimate jockey riding position.
Strapped into this position, you have a good command of the bars for counter-steering and quick changes of direction.
While the suspension is a little on the plush side and bottoms out on big bumps with my 75kg weight, it still handles quite well with little fork dive or deviation on big bumps.
It flicks easily into corners and holds deep lean angles where you will be using all the 140mm width of the rear tyre and scraping the hero bobs on the footpegs in quick time with confidence.
And tight feet-up carpark u-turns are simple with wide clip-on bars providing a generous turning circle without jamming your thumbs against the tank.
My only concern is the poor braking performance.
The brakes feel wooden with little initial bite and plenty of input required for effect.
In fact, I was surprised to find that despite the bike weighing more than the 300NK, it has slightly smaller disc rotors at 292mm (front) and 220mm (back) compared with 300mm and 245mm.
CFMoto 300SR tech specs:
Price: $5790 ride away
Warranty: 3 Year, unlimited kilometres
Engine: 292.4cc water-cooled single cylinder, DOHC with balance shaft
CFMoto is not only introducing a bigger adventure bike platform called the 800MT, but there will be two model variants.
Australian CFMoto distributor Mojo Motorcycles boss Michael Poynton confirms that there will be an off-road oriented spoked-wheel model and a more road oriented alloy wheel model.
Both will have 19-inch fronts and 17-inch rears, most likely with varying degrees of tread aggression to suit the terrain.
The bikes will be shod with 110/80 R19 and 150/70 R17 tyres.
“We are planning to release both variants in Australia in the second half of 2021,” he says.
Mojo has been importing the bargain-priced bikes since 2005 with sales of more than 250,000 and now has more than 80 dealerships across the country.
CFMoto’s road motorcycle range currently includes four NK naked bikes (150cc, 250, 300 and 650) as well as the 650MT adventure tourer, 650GT sports tourer and their first full faired bike, the 300SR which we will review shortly.
CFMoto also recently unveiled its 1250cc tourer with a KTM V-twin engine and announced a range of electric scooters will be coming to Australia from 2022.
Now we know that the 800MT coming next year will be in two variants, powered by KTM’s 95hp 799cc LC8c parallel twin from the 790 Adventure, now replaced by the 889cc 890 Adventure.
CFMoto and KTM have had a long association with the Chinese manufacturer producing small-capacity KTM bikes for the local market for several years.
And like most CFMoto products, the 800MT will likely be designed by Austrian designers Kiska who also design for KTM.
The 800MT adventure bikes will weigh in at a hefty 231kg, rising to 248kg when in touring mode with alloy panniers and a top box.
Moto Guzzi’s top-selling V7 will finally get a modified version of the 853cc engine from the new V85 TT adventure bike.
The fourth iteration of their best-selling model will still be called a V7, not V7 IV.
Unfortunately, Moto Guzzi Australia says we will have to wait until the middle of 2021 for the updated model to arrive. Meanwhile, we expect the prices of the current model may drop significantly.
V7 Special
V7 Stone
There will be two versions, the alloy-wheeled V7 Stone and the spoke-wheeled V7 Special.
While power in the V85 TT is 59kW (80hp), the new V7 will only be 48kW (62hp).
We’re not sure why it has be detuned, but it is still up 25% from the current V7 III.
Torque will be 73Nm which is up from the current output of 60Nm, but not as high as the V85 TT with 79Nm.
There are no other tech details yet, but expect a full suite of electronics.
Hopefully the bigger engine doesn’t come with more kerb weight as it is already a hefty 198kg. If it is lighter or the same weight, let’s hope it isn’t at the expense of the generous and practical 17-litre fuel tank.
Thankfully, it’s not water-cooled and retains much of the original styling that has made the bike such a popular stalwart of the Mandello manufacturer on beautiful Lake Como in Italy’s north.
The biggest changes are the sturdier looking rear end with a 20mm wider 150mm rear tyre visible under a shorter rear guard, chunkier cordon shaft drive and a more robust pair of Kayaba shock absorbers with longer travel.
V7 Special with chunkier rear
Moto Guzzi has also beefed up the front with steel elements in the headstock and the seat now as a higher rear section.
V7 Special
They now come with LED lighting that includes a daytime running light in the headlight in the shape of the Moto Guzzi Eagle.
There are also new instrument clusters.
On the Stone it is a single dial that is slightly off-centre a bit like the popular Ducati Scrambler, although not quite as asymmetrical.
V7 Stone, with its strong and minimalistic style.
The V7 Special gets dual dial analogue instruments with a separate speedo and tacho.
V7 Stone will come in three satin-finish colour schemes: Nero Ruvido (Black), Azzurro Ghiaccio (Blue) and Arancione Rame (Orange).
V7 Special will be available in Blu Formale and Grigio Casual.
The new Monster has ditched the steel trellis frame for a much lighter alloy frame to improve power-to-weight ratio, performance, fuel economy and emissions.
But the move seems to have upset some Ducatisti, causing concern that the iconic trellis frame may be destined for the scrap heap.
Some fans even go so far as to say the new Monster is ugly and have ridiculed it on internet chat forums.
The Queensland Italian Bike Addicts facebook page is even running a poll asking fans whether they prefer the design of the new Monster or a garbage truck … so far the garbage truck is winning!
Monster poll
The 2021 Ducati Monster has a 937cc L-twin engine, up from the 821cc, so it has a few extra ponies.
But the biggest performance boost is in the power-to-weight ratio thanks to a 188kg wet weight which is a whopping 18kg lighter than the 821.
The new hybrid monocoque frame with a fibreglass-reinforced polymer subframe saves most of that weight.
But has it spoiled the iconic look of the Monster?
2002 Monster
A quarter of a century ago, the Monster took the motorcycle and design world by storm with its muscular naked looks, making a highlight of the frame and L-twin.
In recent years the full trellis frame has been whittled down to a shorter frame attached to the cylinder head with a separate subframe.
Ducati Monster 1200 with half trellis frame
Now that it has totally ditched the trellis frame, some Ducatisti say it is no longer a true Monster.
The other missing iconic ingredient is the L-twin shape defined by a protruding forward cylinder and the “L” cam covers.
It seems the designers have done all they could to turn the motor into a formless mass of black metal.
And with its sharp edges and origami styling, it now looks more like many Japanese naked bikes, particularly the popular Yamaha MT models.
Yamaha MT-10
If you are really kind, you could say it looks like the MV Agusta Brutale 800 (although it retains a trelllis frame).
2021 Monster
Brutale 800 RR LH44
I can understand the need to meet tough new emissions and economy targets without jeopardising performance, but when they take away iconic design elements and make it look like many other naked bikes, it loses its identity and its appeal.
I would still love to ride the new Monster, but as the above FB admin says, this is a bike that is as much about style as it is function.
Let’s hope that when it comes to updating the Monster 1200, Ducati retains their iconic design elements.
* What do you think of the new Monster? Leave your comments in the box below.
Brisbane riders have the chance to go wild on a locally designed WYLD mini electric chopper at the “Launch, Show & Ride EV Expo” at University of Southern Queensland’s Springfield Campus next week.
The WYLD is produced by Brisbane-based electric light vehicle company EMoS, formerly known as e-Motion Concepts.
The e-Moped will cost from $A2999 to $A5599 depending on battery size.
EMoS will launch the bike at the event in the USQ’s Springfield campus car park of Block B at University Drive, on 12 December 2020, 9am to noon.
And you can get a chance to have a test ride.
In fact, because it is governed at 50m/h top speed it’s classed as a moped, so you don’t even need a motorcycle licence. (Mopeds can be ridden on a car licence in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.)
Extending the special moped licence to all states is one of the key points of a Two Wheel Action Group petition to state and federal ministers. Click here to read more and sign the petition.
Electric future
While you’re at the Expo, you can see and ride the future of electric vehicles with a display of EMoS light electric vehicles (LEVs) to transport people and goods.
Ride Sports will also display their range of e-bikes and the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) will have information about electric vehicles and some electric cars on show.
As part of the Australian launch of the EMoS WYLD, the company will give away one of their iLARK three-wheeled personal e-scooters to one lucky attendant.
iLARK three-wheeled personal e-scooter
EMoS co-founder Harry Proskefalas visitors will be able to learn more about the coming electric vehicle revolution.
“The venue at USQ Springfield campus is very fitting, with USQ’s own commitment to sustainability, such as the 2 megawatt solar project and green transport initiatives,” he says.
The WYLD features a removable battery and you buy a backup 20Ah battery with 80km of range for $600 or a 30Ah battery with 90km range for $850.
It has fat 12-inch tyres, a solo saddle, mini ape-hanger bars, digital instruments and Harley-esque styling in red or blue.
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