CFMoto 450MT First Impressions
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Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with CFMoto in any way. This bike was purchased from a Christchurch dealership by us, at full retail price. Obviously, we would love people to rent this bike but we also want you to have a well-informed decision about if this bike suits the style of riding you’re planning for your rental.
The CFMoto 450MT was irresistible and full of promise. As a young motorcycle rental company, we at Tiki Tour Motorcycles are always on the lookout for bikes that blend performance, comfort, and value whilst also suiting the riding that customers demand of the South Island. The 450MT seemed to tick all those boxes, and we were eager to see how it would hold up to the rigors of Kiwi roads and the often spirited riding style of our customers.
Update: 3000 km later with on & off-road riding
TL;DR: A fun bike, with a good combo of on and off-road capability. If you’re a smaller person or a less skilled rider, make sure to travel with some friends, or get shredded at the gym.
We’ve finally had a good chance to run the bike across various terrains. We fitted a set of Mitas Enduro Trail+’s to the bike, the factory rack and a set of RhinoWalk soft panniers (along with the other extras down below), before some adventure riding around the top of the South Island. Because I’m vertically challenged (5’4”, 65 kg), I dropped the rear to the low suspension setting and the front forks to maintain the geometry, along with a few turns of rebound on the rear (the user manual provides some guidance on this but it is partially lost in Google-Translation).
For the route, we did a combination of sealed and unsealed riding, including Port Underwood, Maungatapu Track, Porika Track and (some of) The Denniston Track over 6 days.
Firstly, the bike handles (while moving) like it is about 50 kg lighter than it is. Tight turns, low-speed maneuvering and twisties were all a breeze, even with the bike loaded with a week’s worth of supplies. But the weight came back to haunt me when I gave the bike a little lie-down. Under conditions other than flat, dry and firm ground, I couldn’t lift the bike to a point where I could get back on (again, a non-issue if you’re well-built; I just write blog posts). With the help of a friend, that wasn’t a problem.
Similarly, with river crossing where the bike had to be walked, I found it impossible to balance myself and the bike whilst walking it over larger river rocks, so the help of friends is a must for that level of off-road riding. We decided to abandon The Denniston Track because the Orikaka river was higher than we were comfortable pushing the bike across (waist deep to a 5’4” guy). I also found that by the end of the trip, manhandling the bike on trails was getting exhausting, but again that points back towards my riding fitness as much as it says anything about the bike.
The toggle-able ABS is perfect for NZ roads, easily switching as you jump between sealed and unsealed roads. I did get caught out a few times as the Off-Road Mode gets turned off when you turn the bike off. So stopping for a break mid-downhill descent on the Porika Track caused the bike to be switched back to road mode which demanded the ABS switching ritual and ultimately another lie down for the bike due to my inability to multitask.
Many whispers state the bike firmware updates do wonders to the power delivery. In my opinion, I think it has improved a lot since I first test-rode the 450MT, with a lot of jerkiness removed and a throttle response that is a bit more forgiving on the rider. I think the power delivery is in that sweet spot for my level of off-road riding (beginner to intermediate, if I’m being honest), where it’s enough to spin the rear and do a bit of power steering, but not enough for me to get in lots of trouble, the braking also provided nice feel and a reassuring level of effectiveness.
On the road, the bike isn’t going to rip your arms out, but there was plenty of power left for safe passing maneuvers and enough to still have fun in the twisties. There was only one time where I was left wanting and that was a steep uphill, strong headwind passing maneuver.
I really like the UI of the bike, it’s easy to see everything that’s going on. Two little quirks we found : 1) When fuel was low (~<100 km), if you turned off the bike and on again, it would show 0 km of range. This sometimes corrected itself if you cycled the power again. 2) Dropping the bike in the river introduced a ghost indicator flash where the indicator would randomly blink once (just enough to make you think you were losing it). Once the bike had dried out, this went away
To the previous post…
A Smooth Start
From the get-go, the 450MT impressed us with its value for money. The modern interface looked good, the riding position struck a balance between comfort and control, ideal for long journeys exploring New Zealand’s scenic routes, with enough go to ensure that you can comfortably pass on the motorway. And let’s not forget the engine’s throaty purr all courtesy of the 270° crank. Handling the 450MT was a pleasant surprise. For a bike of its size and weight, it felt remarkably light and nimble. Performing tight u-turns on the Port Hills Summit Road was remarkably achievable. These facts weren’t really anything new to us from the reviews we’d already seen.
On the electronics side of things, there are a few interesting bits and pieces. We couldn’t successfully pair my phone, the bike and a Cardo (Bluetooth headset) at the same time, whilst retaining the bike dashboard UI that showed your song selection and phone calls/contacts. We found the best solution was to disconnect the Cardo from the phone and leave only the bike connected to both the Cardo and the phone. The consequence of this was that presumably, CFMoto are doing some form of music compression which means the music sounds like it’s being played through your mate’s Bluetooth to FM radio adapter in his clapped-out Honda Civic (the music sounded noticeably worse). Additionally, trying to make phone calls in this configuration was like talking on a walkie-talkie, with one person often cutting off the other, making conversations somewhat frustrating. Hopefully, these are software limitations that will be fixed over time. On the flip-side we’re a big fan of the app and are loving looking at the riding statistics (where does this data go @CFMoto?).
At this stage, we’ve still got plenty of kilometers ahead to complete the break-in period, so we're treating it with cautious optimism.
Tackling the Aftermarket Fitments
Of course, no bike is truly yours until we’ve added a few aftermarket touches. Here’s the roller coaster ride our customization journey went:
Centre stand
The centre stand was first. For the most part, the installation was good. We found that the spacers provided had slightly different outer diameters, with one of the spacers demanding percussive persuasion (we hit it with a hammer) to get it to seat correctly (we also switched the sides the spacer was installed on because one of the brackets had a a slightly looser fit - for any engineers out there, we’re talking an H7 n6 fit).
In our kit, parts 6 had a different OD and parts 3 and 4 had slightly different IDs.
The other big struggle with the centre stand was the dual spring installation. We found taking out the rubber stop, propping the stand up on a box and levering with a screwdriver and a pair of snaplock pliers did a great job of ruining the paint, and eventually worked to get the springs fitted. Having one end of the springs fixed would have made this way easier.
Bash Plate: A Tight Squeeze
Next: the bash plate. Now, fitting this little beauty was like trying to wrestle an eel into a jar. We found that one of the bolt holes just wouldn’t line up with the chassis. Maybe it’s an issue with the way we installed it, or perhaps we didn’t have enough Weet-Bix for breakfast that day. It seems like CFMoto keeped the same hole layout as the factory bash-plate, forgetting that 4mm sheet doesn’t quite bend the same way. Either way, it was a tight fit and required some extra elbow grease. The bash plate is crucial for protecting the underside of the bike, so despite the struggle, we’re glad it’s in place—even if it did test our patience.
After the fitment, we added a hole for the fuel drain overflow because fuel pooling beside the exhaust seemed like a bad idea.
Upper Crash Bars: A Bit of Dremel Action
Next, we turned our attention to the upper crash bars. These provided another minor challenge, as they had some interference with the body plastics. A little bit of dremel action was needed to get a ‘relaxed’ fit, otherwise the mounting bolt was begging to be cross-threaded. The deep tube kept snagging the hex socket which added to the frustration of that experience. But the results are worth it, adding to the bike’s look.
Engine Covers
The engine covers, on the other hand, were a walk in the park. These slotted into place without a hitch, providing an extra layer of protection. In hindsight, the full covers from AliExpress might have offered more comprehensive protection and would be our go-to next time. Still, the ones we installed should do a decent job of keeping the engine safe from minor scrapes and debris.
Hotgrips
Finally, we fitted some Dayton Hotgrips to the bike. Winter riding in New Zealand can be a chilly affair, and these heated grips are just the ticket for keeping hands warm. Interestingly, the left grip came bolted to the handlebars, which could be removed without cutting the whole grip off if you wanted to save it for later. To get a good fitment, we had to pad out the left bar with some thread tape and held it in place with a combination of glues. On the right, there was a dob of glue on the underside of the grip that had vulcanized the rubber grip to the throttle tube, and we had to sand down some of the ridges on the throttle tube with a Dremel. But once everything was in place, the fit was nice and tight. We even found a switched positive bullet connector available under the seat—an unexpected bonus that made the installation easier.
Finally, a top box
We custom fabricated a Givi monokey plate mount to give a bit of flexibility with different luggage options on the bike. But that’s a story for another day…
The Road Ahead
So, what’s next for our CFMoto 450MT? Well, we’re looking forward to clocking up more kilometers and seeing how it handles everything from the rugged backcountry trails to the smooth coastal highways. There’s still a lot of ground to cover before we can give a full verdict, but our initial impressions are pretty positive.
The 450MT seems right at home in New Zealand, offering a comfortable and engaging ride that makes us excited for what it holds. Whether you’re a local rider or a visitor looking to explore our beautiful country, we reckon this bike is worth considering.
In the meantime, we’ll keep you updated on our experiences and any further tweaks we make. As per the DR650 mantra, part of the fun of owning a motorcycle is modifying it like crazy.
So, whether you’re planning a tiki tour of your own or just curious about the 450MT, we invite you to follow along with our adventures and even try the bike out for yourself. There’s a whole lot of beautiful country out there, and we can’t wait to see where the road takes us next.
