CFMoto goes neo-retro with new 700CL-X range

Three neo-retro models will headline the new CFMoto 700CL-X range, with the first variant arriving on Australian shores in December, 2020. The new range carries higher performance than previous CFMoto models and is set to take on the likes of Yamaha’s XSR700, Benelli’s 752S, and even Husqvarna’s Vitpilen and Svartpilen models.

Penned by CFMoto's European design team (not Kiska), unveiled at last year’s EICMA show in Milan, and launched this week in CFMoto’s Chinese domestic market, the 700CL-X will be available in Adventure, Classic and Sport guises. The wire-spoke-wheeled Classic naked bike arrives in December and with the others arriving April, 2021.

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All three will be powered by an all-new 693cc parallel-twin engine delivering 55kW (73hp) at 8500rpm and 68Nm at 7000rpm. That’s an increase of 13kW (18hp) and 6Nm from CFMoto’s existing 649cc parallel twin, which produces a learner-friendly 42kW (55hp) at 9500rpm and 62Nm at 7000rpm.

Details differentiating the three variants are currently limited, but the 700CL-X Adventure features 18-inch wire-spoke Excel wheels and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR dual-sport tyres, gold forks and a taller touring screen. All press photos feature the 700CL-X Adventure fitted with Kriega’s Duo 36 waterproof saddlebags (which retail for $399), but it is not known whether these will come with the bike as standard.

The solo-seated Sport, meanwhile, is distinguished by its rear cowl, black alloy wheels, mini-screen, clip-on handlebars and ’bar-end mirrors.

Technical highlights of the new engine include forged pistons for strength as well as reduced weight and inertia; a split connecting rod also for robustness and simplicity and a slipper clutch.

Unusual for the middleweight road bike segment, the 700CL-X comes with cruise control as standard as well as ‘Sport’ and ‘Economy’ riding modes thanks to a ride-by-wire throttle. There’s also full LED lighting with an auto headlight function, a digital dash and a USB charging input.

The 700CL-X features an all-new alloy frame and swingarm that weigh 16.5kg and 6.7kg respectively, according to CFMoto. Fuel capacity is 13.5L. All up, the 700CL-X has a claimed dry weight of 183kg.

Suspension is by KYB including an upside-down fork with compression and rebound adjustment as well as a monoshock rear with rebound adjustment. Travel front and rear is 150mm.

The market

Pricing is expected to be north of CFMoto’s current range-topping 650GT, which has a rideaway price of $8490. For reference, Benelli’s conceptually similar 752S (also the company’s largest-capacity and most-expensive model since its Chinese ownership) has a rideaway price of $12,990.

Earlier this year Husqvarna slashed up to nearly $10,000 from its sharply styled Vitpilen 701 (also designed by Kiska and powered by a 693cc single-cylinder engine from the KTM 690 Duke), which now retails for $8795.

LAMS-approved versions of the 700CL-X (using the company’s existing 650cc engine for Australia and New Zealand) have also yet to be confirmed.

The company will also launch a wide range of accessories, including heritage-inspired panniers, a diamond-stitched seat, protection and bar-end mirrors, to encourage customisation as well as a wardrobe full of clothing for on and off the bike.

Watershed

CFMoto Australia director Michael Poynton says the 700CL-X is a watershed model for the brand as its first full-power bike to take on the competitive middleweight naked segment.

“The 700CL-X is extremely important to us,” Poynton says. “It will be the company’s first non-LAMS model to be offered and an example of what we can expect in the future from CFMoto as a result of its relationship with KTM.”

That relationship with the Austrian brand includes a joint production facility in China, which will apparently produce more than 500,000 units a year including all KTM models for China’s gargantuan domestic market. How big? Last year China recorded some 15.5 million new motorcycle sales – seven million fewer than India.

CFMoto is also set to produce a large-capacity model powered by KTM’s 75-degree ‘LC8’ V-twin as previewed in the V 02-NK concept. Depending on which version is implemented, CFMoto could produce it under licence in capacity between 942cc (76kW/97Nm, as seen in the KTM 950 range) and as large as the LC8’s current 1301cc iteration, which produces 132kW (180hp) and 140Nm in the 1290 Super Duke R.