Baby bobber
Honda Rebel-rivalling CFMoto 450CL-C arrives for 2024
CFMoto are preparing to take on Honda and Kawasaki with their all-new 450CL-C parallel-twin cruiser.
Priced at £5599 in a choice of black or red, the A2-licence friendly bobbers will roll into dealerships from May 2024 – ready to go up against Honda’s popular £6399 CMX500 Rebel range, and Kawasaki’s new £5999 Eliminator 500.
Featuring a typically cruiser-style laid back riding position, with 16in rims shod with chunky CST bobber tyres, the CL-C gets an accessible 690mm seat height and tips the scales at 181kg with fluids. There’s 160mm of ground clearance, with some room for a small pillion.
Like all of its main rivals, the CFMoto uses a parallel twin. In this case, it’s a 449cc liquidcooled DOHC unit, producing a claimed 43.6bhp at 9000rpm.
Torque, meanwhile, sits at 31lb.ft at 6250rpm, and the bike features a slipper clutch that should help newer riders get to grips with downshifts.
The engine is housed in a steel tube frame, with a 270-degree crank likely to provide a little more of a rumbling feel than its competition. This is then met with a twin-exit shotgun style pipe, exiting to the right side of the motor – completing a look that wouldn’t be out of place from one of the more established marques from either Japan or Europe.
Putting the rider in a relaxed stance, with mid-level footpegs for a more engaging riding experience, the CFMoto also features chunky nonadjustable 37mm upside-down forks, plus a single rear shock shrouded from view, thanks to a rear end that hugs the 150/80x16 back tyre.
These springs offer 130mm of travel up front, plus 96mm at the rear, with a single disc brake at each end for stopping power. Up front, you get a 320mm rotor and four-piston J.Juan radial caliper, with a 220mm disc at the back.
Away from stopping, despite the classic looks, the CFMoto has a couple of modern touches up its sleeve, including a TFT display. This is a rounded unit designed to look like a single analogue clock, displaying all of the vital information including navigation.