CFMoto 800NK Full Details

Having first appeared late last year as the NK-C22 concept bike, CFMoto’s 800NK has now been given a full-scale unveiling in its Chinese homeland where it’s hitting the market at a remarkably low price.

As earlier reported, the company has revealed two variations of the bike, both sharing the same 99 hp, KTM-designed 799cc parallel-twin engine and chromoly-steel-tube frame, but with different levels of technology and equipment. In China, both versions are remarkably inexpensive, undercutting their rivals by a huge margin and offering a higher level of standard equipment. The base model’s price is the equivalent of $6,800, while the top-spec version’s tag equates to around $7,200. And while we can’t read too much into those numbers—taxes, shipping, and a host of other influences make direct comparisons in different countries difficult—in their homeland the bikes are little more than half the price of a KTM Duke using the same engine. In China, a KTM 790 Duke, manufactured alongside the 800NK at CFMoto’s factory and using the same engine, costs the equivalent of $13,000.

The difference in the US market, if and when the 800NK reaches these shores, won’t be as large. Here, the KTM 790 Duke starts at $9,199. Even so, it’s likely that the CFMoto will be notably less expensive. It’s a fraction behind the KTM in terms of performance, with 99 hp at 9,000 rpm instead of 105 hp, and 60 lb.-ft. of torque at 8,000 rpm, down from 64 lb.-ft. for the 790 Duke.

The low cost doesn’t appear to indicate much corner-cutting in terms of equipment or materials. CFMoto puts the base version’s weight at an impressive 410 pounds, while the top-level version is 417 pounds, putting them very close to the 414-pound 790 Duke. Both versions use the same 43mm inverted, fully adjustable KYB fork and KYB monoshock, along with ABS-assisted J.Juan radial-mount, four-piston front-brake calipers with 320mm discs.

Even on the base version, standard equipment is ample. There is cruise control, along with a 5-inch TFT dash with a phone-mirroring system to allow navigation and music control from the screen. On the top model, that display is replaced by a huge 8-inch TFT in portrait orientation, with a dual-core processor that allows a split-screen layout—with speed, rpm, and other bike-related info at the top and the lower half dedicated to apps, navigation, calls, and media. This higher-end dash also has wireless Apple CarPlay built-in.

The top version’s features don’t stop there. It features keyless ignition with a proximity key fob, as well as a standard bidirectional quickshifter and a steering damper. Both versions of the bike have a slipper clutch and offer three riding modes, Sport, Street, and Rain.

There’s still no official word on when the 800NK will reach markets outside China, but it’s very clearly a case of “when” rather than “if.” In the USA, we’re already offered the CFMoto Ibex 800 S and Ibex 800 T adventure bikes, using the same KTM-based engine as the 800NK, and CFMoto opted to show the original NK-C22 concept bike that previewed the 800NK at the EICMA show in Milan last November, clearly indicating that its target is developed Western markets.