Cheap adventure
Want a decent adventure bike for £2700 less than a Ténéré 700? This new could be the answer Cfmoto 700CL-X ADV
This is the adventurous version of Cfmoto’s remarkably good 700CL-X Heritage – the machine that convinced hardened Bike sceptics that a Chinese motorcycle could compete with the best without a bargain price being an excuse.
The 700CL-X ADV has the same underpinnings as the base model so there’s no reason to expect any less from this one – it’s powered by a version of Kawasaki’s ER-6 motor with 74bhp and 50 lb.ft (identical figures to MT-07). Suspension is the same adjustable KYB kit used by the Heritage, and the forks don’t appear to be longer despite the ADV’S off-road pretensions. The chassis is unchanged too.
The main differences are the 18in front wheel (now spoked), beaky front mudguard, screen, 5mmwider handlebars and the addition of minging pannier fitment racks. That lot adds 7kg, bringing the total weight to 203kg. The electronics are tweaked too. You get two modes – Street and Off-road, though Cfmoto don’t reveal what the off-road mode does. Our bet is: switch off the rear ABS and soften the power delivery. The seat height goes from 800mm to 830, presumably because of a chunkier saddle.
The Adventure is now on sale in China, but Cfmoto won’t say whether it will come to the UK. If it does it’ll add a welcome dose of value to the middleweight adventure class. The Heritage sells for £6599, so the Adventure is likely to be around £7k – that’s £2700 cheaper than the more off-roady and lower-spec’d Ténéré 700, and only £750 more than the less powerful Honda CB500X. For a bike with a perky engine, loads of electronics, decent suspension and a market-leading four-year warranty, £7k seems like a steal. Plus, because of its relative low weight, the chances are the ADV will be far better off-road than pricer big adventure bikes.
‘The ADV will be far better off-road than pricer big adventure bikes’