Making a dirbtike is hard. There’s a reason electric cars have been widely available for over a decade to the general public but electric dirtbikes have only popped up in the last few years. We’ve had some manufacturers dabble in electric dirtbikes some time ago but they were never tough enough to withstand the rigours of dirtbike riding. It’s probably the same case for electric four-wheel-drives or work vehicles. Know many of them from 10 years ago? So when the CFMOTO CX-2E popped up we had to get one on a long term test.
I remember attending a launch several years ago where KTM showed us a slowed down video of a shock in a two-stroke. The shock was violently vibrating in the mounts so much you could see it moving. To the naked eye you couldn’t see the movement but slowed down on an expensive camera you could. KTM explained that this was just while the bike was stationary and that when the bike revved or was ridden through rough terrain, the movement was 10-fold. They made it clear to get a dirtbike to withstand the rigours of off-road conditions required so much more attention to detail than anything else.
So I was surprised when I removed the seat of the CFMOTO CX-2E to find everything in the right place. The wiring harness didn’t have any wear and tear and all the wires were still plugged in to where they needed to go, the battery bracket was still working, the top of the shock mount perfect and every other component on the bike still running as it did when it was new. Jax rides his CFMOTO every week either at the track or local park (yep, the joys of electric bikes) and while it doesn’t vibrate like an ICE bike, it still gets a hammering. Dirtbike manufacturers have told us it takes years to get the durability side right and it seems CFMOTO got it right on the first go.
CFMOTO did have a head start as they have been making ag equipment for nearly a decade and adventure bikes for a few years but this is their first dirtbike and it’s proving incredibly reliable.
Jax is still loving the torquey motor of the CFMOTO CX-2E and the three different power modes and he has gotten used to the abrupt throttle opening in the most powerful setting. He’s still finding the suspension a little stiff and the bike a touch heavy when he’s off balance. We’ll keep playing with ways of softening up the suspension and get back to you.
Mitch Lees
2024 CFMOTO CX-2E
RRP
$2190
WARRANTY
12 months
DISTRIBUTOR
Mojo Motorcycles
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