Essay – CFMOTO 800 MT Touring – the big test

The 800 MT Touring is undoubtedly the most anticipated model ever from CFMOTO. The Chinese brand – long known for its ATVs – is rapidly growing worldwide and can do so even faster with its new trail models. The 800MT Touring is therefore the first major test for the Asian brand!

We all know how the last three years have been globally. A pandemic that lasted two years, followed by an ongoing war, and with that, the motorcycle market also suffered. The lack of components delayed the arrival of many models, and we should have ridden the 800MT Touring and Sport much earlier. The opportunity arose now that CFMOTO has a new importer in our country, the famous Multimoto group, so let’s analyze it. Before that, it is worth mentioning that CFMOTO was founded in 1989, has over 4,000 employees in its facilities, and distributes motorcycles, ATVs, and Side-by-Sides in over 100 countries through more than 3,000 dealers. The brand does not hide its ambition to be a global premium brand, and the recent investment in the Moto3 World Championship is proof of that, aiming to give more visibility to the manufacturer. Currently, the range consists of models of various styles (stay tuned as we have more tests coming soon), and it is no secret that the brand has a partnership with the KTM group, as well as other global partners such as Bosch, Brembo, KYB, J.Juan, among others.

LOTS OF EQUIPMENT

This is a very well-born motorcycle in terms of aesthetics, with spoked wheels on both axles (as the public likes), a 19-inch wheel at the front and a 17-inch one at the rear. There is a lot of equipment to take into account: the presence of various protection bars, a sump guard that is not only under but also lateral; the tire monitoring system with Maxxis tubeless units; the steering damper; heated grips and seat; electronic cruise control; cornering ABS, hand protections… And let’s catch our breath because there is more, including the center stand, manually adjustable front screen, slipper clutch, bi-directional quickshifter, auxiliary headlights, KYB suspensions with adjustable inverted fork at the front, full LED lighting, two riding modes, or the 7” color TFT instrumentation with total connectivity. If you want to save 1000 euros, in the Sport version you will find all of this mentioned, except for the hand and sump protections, quickshifter, and heated grips and seat. And the wheels, while the same size, are not spoked. Will there be anything missing among all this equipment? We will see. THE BEST RIDING POSITION AND COMFORT; SUSPENSIONS; EQUIPMENT

TO IMPROVE LATERAL REST; CONFUSING INSTRUMENTATION; ABILITY TO TURN OFF ABS ON THE REAR WHEEL;

ENGINE AND CHASSIS

Regarding the engine, there are no secrets either. We are facing a parallel twin engine from KTM, the famous 790 that delivers 70 Kw (about 95 hp) at 9,000 rpm for a torque of 77 Nm at 7,500 rpm. A very compact unit, with a 75º crankshaft, aiming to offer the best sensations of a V-twin, but with less mechanical complexity, featuring forged pistons and various internal components designed for minimal internal friction and, consequently, a quick revving. As for the throttle, it is naturally ride-by-wire.

In terms of chassis, the tubular frame and subframe weigh a total of 16 kg, while the aluminum swingarm weighs only 6.9 kg. However, being a large bike with a lot of equipment (various protections, center stand, auxiliary lights, everything adds weight…), the total weight of the bike is 231 kg, without the presence of the side cases. The adjustable KYB suspensions (only lacking compression adjustment at the rear) offer 160 mm of travel at the front and 150 mm at the rear, and J.Juan, a brand associated with Brembo, provides the braking equipment.

Also worth mentioning is the 19-liter capacity tank, the seat placed at 825 mm from the ground, and the 190 mm ground clearance, which will be sufficient in a motorcycle that CFMOTO considers to be 80% asphalt. But let’s get to the driving impressions, because that’s what you really want to know!

VERSATILE

This was our cover headline, and just by looking at this 800MT Touring we can imagine that this motorcycle is really like that! Well, the riding position is very good, with a comfortable seat, wide handlebars, and rubber-covered footrests (removable) that eliminate possible vibrations. A posture clearly less “racing” than the Austrian model that provided the engine, which aligns with the more touristic philosophy of this model. However, the seat is somewhat wide in the front area, so those with shorter legs may have some difficulty reaching the ground with their feet. Worse is the fact that the side stand is too short, so we always have to think about how we will park, especially if we have the bags mounted. Not only will it be difficult to lift it off the side stand, but it can even tip over if we are not careful. The ideal is to always use the good center stand! And by the way, the rearview mirrors have a slight tendency to misalign on the highway, even if tightened well.

Ongoing, in what is most important everything works well! Between the Rain and Sport driving modes we always end up using the sportiest mode and the driving is super pleasant, the suspensions are very competent and we don’t even feel the need to adjust them, offering comfort and capable dynamics. The Maxxis tires also surprised us positively, with high dry grip, and the braking fulfills its role, although we have to put more force on the lever than on other rival machines. Our unit had a slight vibration during harder braking, which could mean just some impurity between the pad and the disc. As for the engine, it offers all the sensations we know from KTM, seeming smoother and less abrupt in this model, perhaps due to the higher weight of the assembly. But it is very linear and excellent on open road, with the quickshifter working relatively well (not a reference) but allowing us to use the clutch if we want, as the gearbox remains very light and easy to operate.

VALID OPTION

Before we go to the conclusions, we still need to mention several details. The fact that the aerodynamic protection is very good (we rode with the “windshield” in an intermediate position), while the instrumentation is quite complete but somewhat confusing to navigate in the first days, so we need some time to get used to it, as well as to the respective brand app that gives us other information that is not available on the 7-inch TFT, such as the average consumption which was around 5.5 l/100 km. The huge Shad Terra cases we used in the photo session are of high quality and also make us dream of long trips, but for most users they may be too big, besides making the bike somewhat unstable at higher speeds, even just mounting the top case. And while the heated grips and seat work perfectly (very fast heating), the most demanding could ask for the presence of traction control, or, above all, the possibility of turning off the ABS on the rear wheel, which is what we really missed the most on off-road trips. In these places, even with quite road-oriented tires, the 800MT performs well, with an accessible riding position to stand up and suspensions that keep everything under control. In the end, there are several details that we would like to see reviewed, which does not prevent this CFMOTO 800MT Touring from being already an excellent bike at the moment, especially because the price-quality ratio is very interesting. A beautiful machine, very well equipped and very comfortable, equipped with a well-known engine and offering high-quality suspensions. Agile and stable in a good compromise, it also does not fail dynamically in the way it curves, brakes, and accelerates, so it is another good proposal in a competitive segment where there is no shortage of options for all tastes.

CFMOTO 800MT TOURING

MOTOR 2 CILINDROS PARALELOS, REFRIGERAÇÃO LÍQUIDA

CILINDRADA 799 CC

POTÊNCIA 70 KW (95 CV) @ 9.000 RPM

BINÁRIO 77 NM @7.500 RPM

CAIXA 6 VELOCIDADES

QUADRO TUBULAR EM AÇO

DEPÓSITO 19,2 LITROS

SUSPENSÃO DIANTEIRA FORQUILHA TELESCÓPICA INVERTIDA KYB, TOTALMENTE AJUSTÁVEL, CURSO DE 160 MM

SUSPENSÃO TRASEIRA MONOAMORTECEDOR KYB AJUSTÁVEL, CURSO DE 150 MM

TRAVÃO DIANTEIRO 2 DISCOS DE 320 MM, PINÇAS RADIAIS

TRAVÃO TRASEIRO DISCO DE 260 MM

PNEU DIANTEIRO 100/80 R19

PNEU TRASEIRO 150/70 R 17

DISTÂNCIA ENTRE EIXOS 1.531 MM

ALTURA DO ASSENTO 825 MM

PESO 231 KG (EM ORDEM DE MARCHA, S/ MALAS)

P.V.P. (DESDE) 11.970 €