I’ll admit I arrived at the CFMOTO 1000MT-X launch with some predetermined ideas about what I was going to find. CFMOTO has exploded over the past five years and the 450MT in particular has done a lot to change the conversation around Chinese-built adventure bikes, but this is different. Building an affordable 450 is one thing; stepping into the big-bore adventure category and taking on motorcycles that have had decades of development is another thing entirely, especially when you consider they cost a hell of a lot more.

This part of the adventure market is cut-throat. Once you start talking about big-capacity adventure bikes, riders expect huge power, sophisticated electronics, quality suspension, excellent brakes, comfort and enough off-road ability to justify the price tag. You’re playing in a world inhabited by bikes like the Honda Africa Twin, BMW’s big GS models, Triumph Tiger 1200 and KTM 1390 Adventure.

Big adventure bikes can also become big, heavy pigs very quickly. Add a large engine, long-range fuel tank, crash protection, electronics and enough comfort to spend nine hours in the saddle and suddenly you’ve built something that’s brilliant on the highway but bloody hard work in the dirt. So when CFMOTO rolled out a 946cc, 111hp adventure bike for $18,990 ride away, there was an obvious question: where has it saved the money?

After two days riding it, including one nine-hour day in the saddle, I’m still looking for the obvious answer.

NO LONGER THE CHEAP OPTION

I’ve taken a bit of a sidestep into the adventure world lately and, to be honest, I’m loving it. There’s something different about this scene because adventure riding isn’t necessarily just about the bike or how fast you can go. I can ride with my dad, head away with my brother and turn a motorcycle ride into something much bigger than simply doing laps of a bush track.

That made the 1000MT-X particularly interesting to me. We already know the 450MT and 800MT, but the 1000 represents the next step in CFMOTO’s evolution and starts nudging the company towards the territory occupied by the really big 1200 and 1300cc machines.

The 946.2cc parallel-twin produces 83kW – or roughly 111hp – at 8500rpm and 105Nm at 6250rpm. You get fully adjustable 48mm KYB suspension, Brembo brakes, Bosch electronics with a six-axis IMU, cornering ABS, adjustable traction control, five ride modes, cruise control, quickshifter, heated grips and seat, an eight-inch TFT and a 22.5-litre tank.

Read that list again and then remember it costs $18,990 ride away.

CHINESE? SO WHAT?

That price is probably going to make some riders suspicious rather than excited. When competitors can cost substantially more, surely something has to be missing? Yet after riding the 1000MT-X, I don’t think the CFMOTO badge is going to be the thing holding this motorcycle back anymore.

There are certainly characteristics here that feel familiar from other manufacturers, particularly some orange ones, but the MT-X also has enough of its own spice to stop it feeling like a copy. More importantly, the drivetrain, electronics and overall finish don’t leave you constantly thinking, “Yep, that’s where they saved the money.”

The amount of technology is probably what surprised me most. Five riding modes and three-stage adjustable traction control could easily become a nightmare if they’re buried six menus deep, but everything is accessible and relatively straightforward. The different modes also genuinely alter the character of the motorcycle.

Power delivery is excellent and the 946cc twin has more than enough grunt for what this bike is trying to achieve. There’s proper big-bike torque without making it feel like the throttle is connected to a hand grenade.

NOW GET IT DIRTY

That brings us to the bigger question. Is the 1000MT-X merely an affordable touring bike dressed up as an adventure machine, or can you actually take the thing properly off-road?

Our launch gave us a decent opportunity to find out. We covered road kilometres, fast and flowing gravel roads and some more technical tracks with off-camber sections where a 222kg wet adventure bike suddenly starts reminding you how big it actually is.

And yes, there are limits. This is a 946cc motorcycle weighing 222kg wet and no amount of marketing bullshit is going to make that disappear. But the important thing is those limitations aren’t unique to the CFMOTO – every big adventure bike starts becoming a handful when the terrain gets tight, steep, slippery or properly technical.

What impressed me was how far I could push the MT-X before its size became the limiting factor. The chassis remains composed on loose gravel, the front-end gives you enough confidence to commit and the suspension doesn’t collapse underneath the weight of the motorcycle when things get rough (a rarity for adventure bikes nowadays).

Could I take it where I’d take a 450MT? Probably not with the same enthusiasm. But could I line it up against the established big-bore adventure bikes? Absolutely.

Does KYB AND BREMBO SOUND FAMILIAR?

One reason the CFMOTO works is that the company hasn’t tried to reinvent every component itself. Up front is a fully adjustable 48mm KYB USD fork, with another fully adjustable KYB monoshock at the rear. Braking comes from Brembo, with twin 320mm front discs and radial calipers backed by a 260mm rear disc.

The 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel combination is another sign CFMOTO genuinely expects owners to get this thing dirty. Those are proper adventure-bike dimensions rather than a road-biased setup pretending to be off-road capable, and they contribute to the confidence the bike gives you once the surface becomes loose.

THE 222KG ELEPHANT

There is one number that needs addressing: 222kg wet. That’s heavy, but again, context is everything. We’re comparing it against litre-plus adventure motorcycles, not enduro bikes, and plenty of its intended competition is playing in the same heavyweight arena or beyond.

The MT-X carries itself better than I expected and doesn’t constantly remind you how large it is. There’s enough stability for fast gravel riding without the steering becoming ridiculously heavy when the trail tightens, and the power delivery helps you use momentum rather than fighting the bike. Eventually physics catches up with you – as I discovered when one of the handguards became black following a small disagreement with the ground – but you’ll find the same limit on every motorcycle in this class.

NINE HOURS LATER

Off-road ability only solves half the big-adventure equation. These things also need to cover serious distance. We spent around nine hours aboard the CFMOTO on the first day and backed it up with another long stint the following day. I wasn’t cramped, the cockpit didn’t force me into some horrible seating position and I didn’t climb off immediately thinking I needed lower footpegs or a completely different handlebar.

I would make a few minor ergonomic tweaks. Bar position and lever position would be among the first things I’d attack with a couple of spanners, but those are personal setup changes rather than fundamental problems.

The heated seat and grips are also features you might initially dismiss until you’re hours into a cold ride and suddenly wondering how you lived without them. Wrap-around handguards are standard too, and with the large TFT, cruise control and quickshifter, the bike doesn’t feel like CFMOTO went through the accessories catalogue deleting things until it hit the price target.

500KM AND KEEP GOING

The 22.5-litre fuel tank is claimed to provide more than 500km of range. Range anxiety isn’t much fun when you’re several hundred kilometres from the nearest servo, so a genuine long-distance tank is much more useful than simply making the bike look Dakar-ish.

There’s also some good news for riders already familiar with the 800MT platform. CFMOTO says roughly 70 percent of accessories for the 800 can carry across to the 1000, opening up options for protection and luggage without owners waiting years for the aftermarket to catch up.

For me, protection would be where I’d spend first if I planned to push one properly off-road. Add a decent bashplate and protection where required, adjust the cockpit to suit and I’d be good to go.

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

That’s still the question I kept coming back to because $18,990 ride away is difficult to ignore. When you compare the equipment list with the established premium players, the old assumption would be that the cheaper Chinese motorcycle must be noticeably inferior somewhere.

Based on these two days, I don’t think that’s a fair assumption anymore. I’m not saying the CFMOTO has magically made every premium big-bore adventure motorcycle irrelevant. There are established brands with years of development, enormous aftermarket support and individual strengths that the MT-X will need to fight against. We also need more than two days on a launch to answer long-term questions about durability and ownership.

ITS OWN BEAST

The 450MT proved CFMOTO could make a lightweight adventure bike that people genuinely wanted to ride. The 1000MT-X had a much harder job because everything becomes more difficult as the capacity, performance, weight and expectations increase.

Yet CFMOTO has pulled together a bloody good first attempt with this 111hp twin, sprung with quality KYB suspension, stopped by solid Brembo brakes and running a suite of Bosch electronics. There are things I’d tweak, and there are places where 222kg will always be 222kg, but neither is unusual in this category.

The biggest compliment I can give it is that after two days I stopped thinking about whether a Chinese manufacturer could build a good litre-class adventure bike. I was simply thinking about whether this was a good adventure bike. And it is.

ELECTRONICS & EQUIPMENT

Ride Modes: 5
IMU: Bosch 6-axis
Display: 8-inch TFT
Quickshifter: Standard
Cruise Control: Standard
Heated Grips: Standard
Heated Seat: Standard
Cornering ABS: Standard

ABS: Bosch dual-channel ABS
Traction Control: Bosch three-stage adjustable

ENGINE

Engine Type: Twin-cylinder inline, DOHC
Displacement: 946.2cc
Bore x Stroke: 92.5 x 70.4mm
Compression Ratio: 13.5:1
Fuel System: Bosch EFI
Transmission: 6-speed with slipper clutch

SUSPENSION & BRAKES
Front Suspension: KYB 48mm USD fork, fully adjustable
Rear Suspension: KYB monoshock, fully adjustable
Front Brakes: Brembo radial calipers, Dual 320mm discs
Rear Brake: Brembo twin-piston caliper, 260mm disc

WHEELS & TYRES
Front Tyre: Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 90/90-21
Rear Tyre: Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 150/70-18

DIMENSIONS

Length x Width x Height: 2288 x 945 x 1476mm
Wheelbase: 1525mm
Seat Height: 870mm
Low-Seat Version: 830mm
Wet Weight: 222kg
Fuel Capacity: 22.5L

PRICE & WARRANTY

RRP: $18,990 Ride Away
Warranty: 3 years
Colours: Aerolite Grey / Tactical Green