CFMoto 450MT Coming in 2024

CFMoto has been on a roll recently and chose EICMA in Milan to reveal the latest addition to its lineup in the form of the 450MT adventure bike. Packing a variant of the modern 449.5cc DOHC liquid-cooled parallel twin that made its debut in the 450SS and 450NK, the 450MT puts an adventure spin on the idea, retuning the motor to prioritize torque at lower rpm over peak power and wedging it into a lightweight, steel-tube chassis with long-travel suspension and a genuine adventure bike look.

In the 450MT the engine puts out a claimed 43.6 bhp at 8,500 rpm, a fraction down on the 50 hp that the 450NK and 450SS manage, but also peaking 1,000 rpm lower in the rev range. Torque maxes out at 32.5 lb.-ft. and 6,250 rpm, which is around 4 lb.-ft. more than the sportier 450 twins manage, and arrives 1,350 rpm lower down in the curve. For an adventure bike, whether it’s being used off-road or for day-to-day use, those changes make a lot of sense. The engine’s 72mm bore and 55.2mm stroke are unchanged, as is the 11.5:1 compression ratio, suggesting the alterations come down to tweaks to the electronics and the camshafts.

The engine slots into a steel-tube frame with adjustable KYB suspension at either end: a 41mm upside-down fork at the front and a rising-rate monoshock at the back with a remote adjuster, mounted on an aluminum swingarm. There are 7.9 inches of travel at each end and 8.7 inches of ground clearance. As you’d expect from a bike with off-road ideas, the wheels are wires with a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear. Braking duties are by a single 320mm front disc with a four-piston J.Juan caliper and a 240mm rear rotor with a single-pot caliper. Bosch ABS is standard, but can be switched off, and traction control is supplied by the same German brand.

Once aboard you’re faced with a 5-inch curved TFT screen that includes all the usual connectivity for smartphones and a USB-C charging port, and all the lighting is LED—again in line with expectations in 2024. Unusually, CFMoto only quotes a dry weight for the bike, coming in at 386 pounds without fluids. Once the 4.6-gallon fuel tank is full and there’s oil and water in the engine, that will equate to somewhere in the region of 420 pounds ready to ride.

CFMoto expects to get the 450MT into production in the first quarter of 2024, but there’s no definitive news on when the bike will reach US dealers or its price.