When motorcycle industry stalwart Dale Schmidtchen needed an attractive, utilitarian motorcycle at a good price, his research led him to the CFMoto 650 MT ABS.
Dale, who has previously worked for CFMoto, says he needed a bike capable of many types of riding.
“I had set a budget of under 10k,” he says.
Bargain bike
650 MTSunstate Motorcycles at Nerang delivered the bike in an attractive “Athens Blue” for the current deal that includes panniers and engine bars for just $7490 ride away.
“I chose to upgrade to the larger aluminium panniers for a small premium extra,” Dale says.
“I have to admit I rode one of the original prototypes at the factory back in 2011, so I was keen to see how much they had progressed since then.
“In a word, refinement.”
Dale is a big lad. Tall and hefty, yet he says he feels comfortable on the 650 MT.
“It’s tall in the seat (840mm) and wide with the panniers fitted, but this is typical of most adventure tourers,” he says.
“The ride position feels very much like a Ducati Multistrada.
Dale says the styling is “very KTM”.
That’s understandable as CFMoto styling is done by Austrian design house Kiska who also design for KTM.
Ergos and features
“Ergonomically, everything seems spot on,” Dale says.
“The LCD instrumentation is easy to read and I am pleased to say has a curved glass, so doesn’t suffer from bright sun.
“The mirrors are clear and do not fuzz, even at highway speeds.
The 649.3cc LAMS engine has 41.5kW of power and 64Nm of torque.
“There is more than adequate torque for acceleration, but I have to say that while it is still tight, at least 3000 revs are required for clean acceleration in the higher gears,” Dale says.
“It ticks over at a bit more than 4200rpm at 100km/h and early indications are that there could be close to 400km range from the 18 litre tank.”
New to CFMoto are the Yuan USD forks, featuring rebound damping, as does the rear shock.
“Ride is very plush, but I have noticed high-speed compression damping is a little harsh,” Dale says.
“Overall, I have to rate the bike as extremely capable and a genuine surprise in terms of value.”
We will get many opportunities to also ride the bike and we will track Dale’s ownership of the bike to see if it stacks up to his demands.
CFMoto 650 MT ABS tech specs
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Price: |
$7490 ride away |
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Engine: |
649.3cc liquid-cooled, DOHC, 8-valve, parallel-twin four-stroke with 180-degree crankshaft, chain camshaft drive and single gear-driven counter balancer |
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Bore & Capacity: |
83mm x 60mm |
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Compression Ratio: |
11.3:1 |
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Fuel System: |
EFI with 2 x 38mm ITT throttle bodies and single injector per cylinder |
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Power: |
41.5kW @ 9500rpm (LAMS restricted) |
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Torque: |
62Nm @ 7000rpm |
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Gearbox: |
6-speed with gear primary drive |
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Clutch: |
Multiplate wet |
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Chassis: |
Tubular steel diamond frame employing engine as fully-stressed member |
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Front Suspension: |
USD fork (max travel 140mm) |
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Rear Suspension: |
Extruded steel swingarm with tubular steel bracing, cantilever monoshock (max. travel 145mm) |
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Front Brake: |
2 x 300mm steel discs with twin-piston calipers with Continental ABS system |
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Rear Brake: |
1 x 240mm single disc with single-piston caliper with Continental ABS system |
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Front Wheel & Tyres: |
120/70ZR17, 3.5 x 17 MT alloy |
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Rear Wheel & Tyres: |
160/60ZR17, 4.5 x 17 MT alloy |
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Length x Width x Height: |
2150 x 835 x 1332mm |
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Wheelbase: |
1415mm |
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Seat: |
840mm or optional 820mm |
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Clearance: |
170mm |
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Turning circle: |
5.4m |
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Fuel tank: |
18L |
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Weight: |
213kg |
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Max Payload: |
150kg |