Trip to the Dark Side??

[MrGrumpy]

I bought MS&L mag this month. Not a lot in it scooter-wise, except for a reader saying that his Aprilia SRV was the best bike/scoot he'd ever owned!

But....there was a test of a forthcoming WK650 touring bike from China (the naked version is already on sale). Looks like a mini Pan European, right down to under handlebar mirrors and integrated (and deep looking) panniers! Obviously Manual transmission and chain drive, but with good fairing and screen, 70bhp, 210kg dry weight, decent if not outstanding to ride, apparently decently made, includes the panniers, all for £5200 (probably)!
Its got me thinking.....if I bought that instead of a new TMax, I'd save £3600, which is almost enough to replace the baby burger with a new or nearly new 300 or 400cc scoot as well!

Strange times!!

[JohnR93]

Nice looking bike, time will tell though. Then again, remember what was said about Japanese bikes in the '60s & '70s...

[wozza]

Yep I had a quick read of the road test and they definitely gave it a reasonable write up.

[anonstarter]

It's a nice looking bike!

I found this in-depth review: http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/showt ... Moto-650TR

22-04-2012:
First impressions are good, the bike is smooth, really smooth. The gearbox is slick and easy to shift. The 650 TR feels very well balanced and quite nimble when slotting through traffic. One of my main concerns before the bike arrived (having bought it sight unseen) was its over all dimensions, much to my surprise the bike suits my 1.85 meter frame just fine. My feet are fully planted whiles stopped and my arms are comfortable on the (ugly) handle bars. The riding position is upright, think commuter bike, but the my feet and legs are a bit tucked up under me like a rce bike.

The performance character is subtle, in the sense that the bikes power delivery comes on nice and easy, without any jerking or lurching. Below 6000rpm the bike can feel underpowered when running with other bikes like ducati's. That all changes past 6000 rpms, the powerband kicks in and the bike starts to move. Even at high RPMs the bike is still smooth almost nothing is felt in the bars or pegs.
Braking is fine, nothing WoW and also nothing to complain about. The bike has dual disk brakes up front which can bring you to a complete stop very quickly and even though the front suspension is plain Jane non adjustable there is no real noticeable nose dive under heavy braking and the entire bike remain very stable and controllable during emergency breaking and avoiding (tested many times in the last two days TIC).

Interestingly many of you have asked about the price, I don't know what people are complaining about for 46,800 rmb (£4768.03) the fair deal for 650 water-cooled, fuel injected sport touring bike, considering the next comparable LEGAL bike is in the 100,000 rmb range (I don't include regal raptors or any other smaller displacement bikes). Its not just an NK with a windshield is a different model completely it just shares an engine. Hell the plastics are better then Bennelli and the engine is better then the JH 600 (which I also own). Now that being said the bike is a little under equipped. Looking at the dash its analogue both the speedo and the RPM gauge. with only the odometer and fuel gauge being in LCD display in the lower right corner which is backlit when the lights are on. The TR does not have any type of trip computer or even a clock . Indicator lights (idiot lights) are on the outer edge of the inner fairing and are very bright, maybe too bright. On the fairing there is room for speakers, and there are panels that are removable or drill-able depending on your choice of installation for a stereo system. A kit is not currently available from CF moto, all though I am told by the production manager in HangZhou they intend on designing and building one for aftermarket sale. There are two glove boxes below the handle bars one that is lockable with the ignition key and the other is unsecured but has a nice positive latch. They seem to be waterproof but most likely they are water resistant. The mirrors are built into the fairing and are well placed and only a small amount of my lower elbow can be seen, they don't vibrate much and have good enough visibility to not be a concern. They are also designed as breakaway so if you clip something while driving damage will be minimal and you can just simply pick the unit up and snap it back in place.
The handle bars are Ugly yes but comfy, the designer of the NK definitely used the Honda ST 1300 and the Yamaha FJR 1300 as a guide and the handle bars are a product of this relationship. However they are attached like any other set of bars. Its easy to swap out the bars for a regular set of risers and bars. The controls are the same that are on the NK and they are just fine. The clutch and brake levers adjustable and function smoothly.
The seat is a single peice and is quite comfortable even after a few hours, it seems to be softer and thicker then the NK's and its narrow enough at the front for you to grip the tank comfortably while cornering. Now my long legs actually rest on the lower fairing while riding and at first it comfortable because it allows you to fully relax your legs on long straights but after a few hours without knee padding the knee cap can become a little tender. I am not sure why CF moto thought that such an aggressive leg position was needed but I think that lower aftermarket pegs might help with that.

The Head lights are the Automotive style incandescent and the parking lights are LED. The brake light is also LED but are a bit dim when NOT lit up under braking, during braking the lights are very bright. Turn signals are LED upfront and bulbs in the rear, both sets well placed and very bright. No automatic cancel on the signals but big green indicator on the inner fairing left and right respectively.

The side of the bike have these rather large engine guards like on the ST 1300, however they appear to be hollow so I am not sure whether or not they will really help in a crash and I hope I never find out the hard way. They do seem to work quite well as highway bars.....

The boxes are a nice bit of kit, they are none removable and are make of nice thick ABS. The latch and locks are good, not great but good and the each box can fit a full size helmet and then some.

The boxes are felt lined which is a nice touch. They stick out only as wide as the mirrors so you can lane split through traffic quite easily. The boxes are not meant to take a hit and there is not crash bars either. A stick on the outside indicates that the max load is on 3kgs per bag, which seems a little light to me but there is a metal sub frame supporting the bags which at least indicates to me the possibility of handling more... A top box will be a must for longer trips or trips 2 up. The boxes are a bit on the small side, as I feel that they could have been much taller, meaning they could extend down more increasing the over all size to accommodate more gear but they seem acceptable for most occasions.

All in all the bike is great, for now....

A 2 year unlimited mileage warranty is given with every purchase and at the time I ordered the bike the offer was 46,800 (£4768.03) with 2700 rmb (£275.08) in free riding gear (which was quality stuff).

For the money its a very good bike! I would and have chosen it over the Bennelli Trek do the Bennelli's plastic quality and because of the high vibrations felt in the handle bars, as well as price. The fit and finish is comparable with other "high end" domestic and semi domestic brand bikes and is capable of being a commuter bike during the week and your long haul touring bike on the weekends and holidays. I will leave Friday for a week long ride and will report more on the bike after....

However 3 months later he writes:

23-07-2012,
+++UPDATE+++

So after 4100 kms driven on the TR the bike is good. I have had no MAJOR problems, but some typical minor ones.
Parts replaced do to defect:

Clutch Cable
Front Brake Cable
Rear Brake Cable
( all the cables were changed by CF moto and it was CF moto that CALLED me to tell me of the problem and to come in and have them changed for different one's.)

Oil pressure sensor, it would trigger the pressure light on the dash for no reason. (it has been changed twice, without no change the light just comes on, I ignore it)

Gasket on the engine cooling unit, which leaked.

Dash assembly, the speedo went to hell and the whole unit needed replacing, now my mileage reads 00000.4

Things still waiting on:

Leftside luggage box, current one leaks when I was the bike or during heavy rain. Seems to be entering at the locking mech. (CF moto is still working on the solution).

[Big Den]

Its only a matter of time before they get it right though, same with cars you will see a price "realignment" by the Jap and euro manufacturers then which will be interesting. Cars are already cheaper than i can ever remember, saw one of the new MG saloons yesterday looked pretty good.

[StephenC]

Looking at the list of issues it seems like the Chinese have caught up with the Italian manufacturing skills, anyway.

[MrGrumpy]

Looking at the list of issues it seems like the Chinese have caught up with the Italian manufacturing skills, anyway.

Bit worried about mentions of brake cables though...but of course, having dodgy brake pipes is a pretty alarming failure!