2023 CFMoto 450 SR review

We’d been anticipating the arrival of the CFMoto 450 SR because it had the potential to be a LAMS disruptor, a new value leader.

It has been here for a while now, on sale at $8790 plus onroads, and so it goes up against Kawasaki’s Ninja 400 and KTM’s RC 390.

Not only does it undercut these on price but it also puts pressure on makers of 300 singles to up their game. The 450 SR will outrun them for similar money.

This looks the business, though we’re not so sure about the ‘Play to Win’ and ‘More Fun’ decals, both unnecessary.

This looks like you could take it to the nearest circuit, rip off the mirrors, tape up the headlight and mosey out on track. The high-set pegs, clips ons and winglets speak to all that. You can even set it up for race shifting.

At the heart of this LAMS contender is a liquid-cooled twin-cam 450cc parallel twin that kicks out 35kW at 10,000rpm and 39Nm of torque at 7750rpm. Double balancer shafts keep vibration in check.

This really does sound good for a parallel twin thanks to its 270 degree firing order. Think Yamaha MT-07 with an aftermarket pipe, only this isn’t an accessory item.

Supporting everything is a chromoly frame mated to a removable subframe. There’s also a Brembo M40 monobloc caliper, a quick-release air filter, Bosch ABS and a slipper clutch. Its fuel tank holds 14L and seat height is 795mm.

Overseeing things is a five-inch TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity which makes navigation, lap timing, and ride history possible.

The info centre shows intown fuel use of around 5L/100km. There’s also a petrol gauge; it cost us around $14 to fill up from half way.

So howzit go? Pretty darn well. The sports riding position will be fine for beginner riders who want something that looks impressive.

Riding it through the suburbs we found that we could ease neck and wrist pressure by gripping the 14L tank firmly with the knees.

As speeds rise, the wind pressure counteracts the forward lean which isn’t too extreme anyway; these are clip-ons but aren’t that low, and nor are your knees flexed up around your ears somewhere.

The hardware is good too, the Brembo radial-mount front brake and master cylinder, along with lever adjustability, are largely unheard of on smaller bikes like this. The rear brake doesn’t seem to contribute much to slowing, however.

CFMoto reckons on a 0-100 time of 5secs which none of its rivals has managed in our hands. Our best run in the dash to 100km/h was 4.90sec.

An overtake took in the 3.5-3.6sec range, a reasonable amount less than its rivals. However, we couldn’t break 43m for the stoppie, the rear anchor not contributing sufficiently. Still, this has enough braking power to get the job done.

The engine produces good urge across the range. It starts to get into gear around 2500rpm, there’s a bit of a lull at around 4800rpm, and then it’s all go from 5000rpm to the top of 12,000rpm.

The gearbox is an able ally too, lightweight, positive, and neutral easy enough to find.

In town, you can upshift early, using 3000-4000rpm, enough to get a jump on all the cars behind you. And out of town moderate revs is heaps, unless you’re with your mates on bigger bikes.

The engine eggs you on because best power lies above 5000 (100 is 5300rpm in top) so beware of speed creep. It pops and bangs nicely on the overrun, which is cool.

Vibes are well staunched, the mirrors honest in their reflection of what’s behind. Only they’re set a bit too far forward so they show too much arm, and cars can sometimes disappear in the blind spots.

It gets around the corners rather well too, as you’d hope of something that looks like this. Steering is fast but not too quick, and it’s a snip in direction changes.

The tyres we’re not familiar with, CST Adrenos, but they work well in the dry. We eased off rear preload three turns, which improved the ride quality heaps; the front is unadjustable and works fine.

A couple of minor points – the seat covering doesn’t seem to stretch tight enough over the foam so it wrinkles in places.

And the high beam mechanism is too close to the clutch lever so you’re forever switching from low to high beam inadvertently. How was this oversight missed?

To put it all in perspective, this achieves roughly what the Japanese opposition does but costs less. Kawasaki’s 400s have dropped in price slightly since the 450 SR’s arrival.

The Honda not so much, still over $12k. It’s hard to overlook the CFMoto value here; despite minor shortcomings it is highly competitive.

The 450 SR is available in black only and is covered by a two-year warranty. If you’re after something more upright and commuter friendly a less expensive 450 NK (for naked bike) is on its way.

At $8290, that should really set the LAMS market alight.

This story first appeared in the March 2024 issue of NZ Autocar magazine.