Premium adventure tourer from Chinese firm offers electronic semi-active suspension, luxury touring kit and Bosch rider aids for under £8500
CFMoto’s been a bit quiet in the UK recently – that’s because the Chinese bike maker was caught up in the crossfire caused by KTM’s financial worries in late 2024. CFMoto had a strong relationship with the Austrian brand (more on that later), and KTM’s UK arm was actually the importer for CFMoto bikes too.
Since the orange brand hit rough waters, CFMoto’s been sorting out a new importer – which has taken some time. But now, things are back on a more even keel, thanks to a new distribution deal. The new UK importer is Quadzilla, a firm which always sold the Chinese brand’s ATVs, quads and side-by-side machinery, so is already a solid partner.
And Quadzilla is now in charge of bringing in and selling bikes like this – the new CFMoto 800 MT-ES. It’s a top-end machine in terms of spec, but like all these new Chinese offerings, it comes at a very tempting price.
Less than £8500 RRP is more than decent for the spec, which includes a semi-active suspension setup called Intelligent Suspension System (ISS). It’s unbranded, but looks like Sachs kit, which is more than decent enough stuff.
According to CFMoto, the ISS electronically controls damping in real time, with sensors continually monitoring the bike’s movement, speed and riding conditions, sending data to a smart ECU, which adjusts the suspension settings almost instantly to suit the situation.
That means the 800MT-ES can respond automatically to changing road surfaces, rider inputs and vehicle load, helping maintain stability, comfort and control throughout the journey. Three damping modes are available: comfort, standard and sport. Comfort prioritises ride quality over broken surfaces and longer journeys, while Standard provides a balanced setup suitable for everyday riding. And the Sport mode stiffens up the damping response for better chassis control and sharper handling on faster roads.
The ISS also has electronic preload adjustment, with four pre-set modes for a solo rider, rider with luggage, rider and pillion, and two-up with luggage. CFMoto says that the preload adjustment maintains the correct ride height and chassis balance for each scenario, improving handling while also optimising comfort.
The system also alters seat height slightly as preload changes, helping the motorcycle remain balanced regardless of load.
That tech spec is further enhanced by a Bosch motorcycle stability control system, which adds an IMU-assisted ECU. That looks after traction control and ABS, optimising the settings to suit lean angle as well as throttle position, speed and other parameters. Other rider aids include an up/down quickshifter, cruise control, wheelie control, engine brake control, and four rider power modes: Sport, Rain, All-terrain and Off-road.
These modes tweak the balance between engine performance, ABS intervention, traction control and wheelie control for the best results on different surfaces and riding conditions.
CFMoto’s also fitted its T-Box system, which is a smart ‘telematics’ setup. The control box links to your phone, but also has its own mobile data connection, and that allows all manner of clever activities, including the ability to switch the ignition on and off with your smartphone. There’s also live GPS tracking, security and geofencing functions, online software updates for the bike’s systems, and diagnostics functions – clever stuff.
Underneath all this tech is a fairly modern engine and chassis setup, using the same 799cc parallel-twin engine as seen on the KTM 790 model lineup – the two firms have a long history of cooperation, and CFMoto has had access to the KTM engine tech, while also providing production support and R&D skills. That engine is a DOHC liquid-cooled eight-valve design, with twin balance shafts, which makes around 90-100bhp depending on the tune.
Here is has 91bhp, and 75Nm of torque, which is spot-on for the class. The chassis is based on a steel tube main frame with aluminium swingarm, and the electronic suspension system. Brakes are by J.Juan, with twin radial four-piston calipers up front and 320mm discs, and there’s also a standard steering damper fitment. Wheels are wire-spoked tubeless rims, with a 19” front, wearing premium Michelin Anakee on/off road rubber.
Add in a full fairing, useful touring kit like heated seat/grips, cruise control and an optional hard luggage setup for an extra £700, and you have what looks like another tempting option in this sector. The new 800MT-ES is hitting dealers now: more info at www.cfmoto.co.uk.
CFMoto 800MT-ES tech highlights:
Bosch MSC stability control system with a six-axis IMU, traction control, wheelie control and cornering ABS
ISS semi-active suspension system
Four riding modes: Sport, Rain, Off-Road and All-Terrain
Cruise control
Rear radar enabled blind-spot detection
Cornering LED headlight
8” TFT touch display
TPMS
Heated rider seat and handlebar grips
T-Box Telematics system with real-time connectivity to the CFMOTO ride app, allows smartphone ignition switching
Upper and lower engine and fairing crash bars
Pannier side rack
Centre stand
Standard steering damper
CFMoto 800 MT-ES specs
Price: £8,599
Engine: DOHC 8v, 270° parallel twin, l/c, 799cc
Bore x stroke: 88×65.7mm
Compression ratio: 12.7:1
Carburation: ride-by-wire fuel injection
Electronic rider aids: IMU-assisted Bosch traction control, cornering ABS, wheelie control, rear lift control. Four rider modes
Max power (claimed) 91bhp@9,250rpm
Max torque (claimed) 75Nm@8,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox with up/down quickshifter, slipper clutch, chain final drive
Frame: steel tube with bolt-on subframe
Front suspension: 41mm USD front fork, Intelligent Suspension System (ISS) semi-active damping control
Rear suspension: dual-sided aluminium swingarm, monoshock with ISS semi-active damping control and preload adjustment
Brakes: dual 320mm discs, radial-mount four-piston J.Juan calipers (front), 260mm disc, twin-piston J.Juan sliding caliper (rear), cornering ABS
Wheels/tyres: wire spoked/Michelin Anakee, 110/80 19 front, 150/70 17 rear
Rake/trail: na°/namm
Wheelbase: 1,531mm
Seat height: 825mm
Kerb weight: 231kg
Fuel capacity: 19 litres
Equipment: Radar Detection System (RDS), cruise control, 8-inch smart TFT display, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), heated grips and seat, up/down quickshifter, steering damper, T-BOX telematics system.