Australian Motorcycle News — January 03, 2018

102 amcn.com.au

longterm

CFMoto 650NK

Sound advice

The Musarri exhaust was a simple mod that transformed

the650NK’ssoftly-spokenP-twinthrumintoamusicbox

of growls, barks and (occasionally on the overrun) pops.

Insecondgearitfeelslikeyou’reholdingthenoiseinyour

righthand,whichisbrilliantandaddictive.Thenewpipe

wasalsoatleast3kglighterthanthestockunit,which

means an improved power-to-weight ratio.

Musarri GP Street Series Slip-on Exhaust

$199.90+19.90postage

Screaming Demon

0410 311 236

Chop chop!

CFMoto brought KTM designers Kiska in to tweak the

NK’slook,anditwasreallynoticeableattherearfender.

So in some ways it was a shame to ‘eliminate’ it. But the

changeworked,givingthebikeamoremuscularprofile.

TheguysatPromotodidthejobforus,andinstalledthe

Oggy Knobbs at the same time. Let the record show that

these were never called into action.

Fender eliminator kit $129.00

Oggy Knobbs $289.00

Kenma Australia

1800 251 145

Cya CF!

CHRISTMAS AT AMCN is

a time for giving back

rather than receiving

goodies, and sadly the

CFMoto was on the

returns list. For almost

12 months we used it

to commute and cover

general office duties,

and did some great

weekend rides on our

way to clocking up

around 5000km. For

this novice rider it’s

been a steadfast steed

and we built up a strong

bond through summer

and winter. Having

the NK for an extended

period also gave me

the chance to practice

some basic bike

maintenance tasks.

Highlights included a

training day organised

by the Yarra Ranges

Council on a warm

autumn weekend, and

the countless smug

smiles brought about

by filtering through

Melbourne traffic. The

lowlights were some

close calls with that

same traffic, and once

trying to take off from

the lights too quickly

on a wet evening and

feeling the back end

of the bike squirm

around until it righted

itself – at which point

I just wanted to pull

over until all witnesses

had passed and I

could get over the

embarrassment. Still,

they’re lessons you

don’t forget.

In line with our goal

of creating a super

commuter, we also

made a few changes...

MARK VENDER

CFMoto 650NK

Parallel-twin

373cc engine

41.5kW @9500

(claimed)

62Nm @7000

(claimed)

193kg (dry,

claimed)

$6490

Best thing

The NK’s 649.3cc parallel-twin is a straight

copy of the one Kawasaki has used in its ER-6n,

and it’s an engine that has proved its reliability

over many years. The capacity and performance –

41.5kW and 62Nm, just under the LAMS limit – is also

attractive. Last year I rode plenty of 300cc models, and

it was always a pleasure to come back to this slightly

larger bike. And the NK’s price is the same or just under

some of those lower-capacity ‘big brand’ models.

Worst thing

Not many people are going to check you out

and give you an appreciative nod at the lights.

If you’re looking for a two-wheeled status symbol, this

ain’t it. But if you’re after a competent and solid bike at

a very decent price, hop aboard.