The Midweight Adventure Motorcycle That’s Hard To Beat

6 minutes reading

Thursday, 2 Jul 2026 13:01 0 2 autotech

For the last few years, the middleweight adventure bike market has been the busiest part of the motorcycle industry. While other segments struggle, adventure bikes of all shapes and sizes continue to sell well. Every major motorcycle manufacturer has a bike competing in this space, with each bike offering something different. But if you want something specialized for yourself, there’s a niche Chinese bikemaker that promises to smoke its compatriots by selling a Dakar-spec ADV.

Table of Contents

China’s Arrival In The ADV Segment

CFMoto

The Forgotten Adventure Bike That Still Beats Modern Machines

This old-school do-it-all adventure bike still manages to hold its own against newer rivals.

The Kove 800X Rally Is Something Of A Sleeper Adventure Bike

MSRP: $12,999

Unlike most of the other Chinese bikes on the market, the 800X Rally doesn’t undercut everyone. It is a unique model that will only really appeal to a certain kind of rider. Once you get over the sticker shock and look a little closer at the model, you will understand that it really is pretty cheap for what it is. This might be a middleweight, but it is a middleweight that has gone on a pretty crazy weight-loss program. Even the passenger pegs were deemed surplus to requirements in an effort to keep the weight as low as possible.

A KTM-Derived Twin-Cylinder Engine Powers The 800X

Power: 95 Horsepower

Almost by accident, the KTM LC8c parallel-twin engine has become one of the most ubiquitous engines in this space. It goes into a wide variety of middleweight bikes, and has proven to be equally fun no matter what platform it is used in. As is the case with most modern powertrains of this size, it is relatively economical and offers incredible midrange performance.

An Engine With A History

While modern and powerful, this engine has proven to be anything but reliable. Customers have been left disappointed with several KTM models experiencing cam failures (KTM 790 Duke pictured above), in some cases with relatively low mileage. These failures have not been widely reported on CFMoto models, but in the same breath, not as many CFMoto bikes equipped with these engines are out of warranty.

Only time will really tell if the issues persist. It is uncommon in this day and age for mechanical reliability to be this much of a gamble on any model, and it is understandable that many potential customers will not be willing to take the risk. But, we dare say, to some the risk will be worth the potential reward.

The CFMoto Ibex 800 E Is The Sleeper Adventure-Touring Motorcycle That Everyone’s Overlooking

The Ibex 800 E is admired by everyone who learns about it, but is still overlooked.

The 800X Rally Is The Lightest Middleweight On The Market

With a scarcely believable dry weight figure of 364 pounds, this is by some margin the lightest middleweight ADV on the market. It is actually lighter than some entry-level models! To achieve this incredible weight figure, Kove made the rather bold decision to leave off just about every modern feature we have grown accustomed to getting at this price point. It doesn’t even get a ride-by-wire throttle, and we can say with some authority that CFMoto (who produce the engine) has not quite perfected the art of fueling in the Euro5+ era. It does get switchable ABS (a necessity for some markets) and a TFT dash. It is a bare-bones machine with a power-to-weight ratio that makes it a legitimate threat to the establishment.

Built Like A Giant Dirt Bike With Lights

With over 10 inches of travel up front, almost 10 inches at the rear, and over 11 inches of ground clearance, the bike is virtually untouchable in this department. Even so, the seat height isn’t that bad, all things considered. 35 inches is relatively tall, but there are most certainly ADVs with taller seats and less ground clearance. The suspension may not be from any of the established brands, but it is lifted directly from the 450 Rally, a literal rally raid bike.

While revalved and sprung for the weight of the bigger, heavier 800, this kind of suspension makes the bike feel far more like a dirt bike than some people will be comfortable with. More to the point, this is a seriously dedicated off-road bike that will not be particularly comfortable for any length of time on the highway, or in the city, for that matter. Its relatively flat dirt bike seat is only really designed for standing, not sitting, and is also only designed to accommodate one rider. Part of that excessive weight loss program the bike went on included removing the passenger pegs, which removes yet another layer of practicality from the ADV.

Most people will be looking at getting an ADV because of its versatility, and the 800X Rally is not a versatile machine. It is built for enthusiasts who have always wondered what it would be like to own a giant dirt bike with lights that has twice as much power as the average dual-sport. To say the least, it is a niche offering that doesn’t make much in the way of practical sense. It exists purely for the sake of rider engagement, and for that reason alone, we love the thing. Off-road, it is unbeatable, at least while its cams are still in one piece!

Chassis, Suspension, And Weight Specifications

Chassis	Steel perimeter
Front Suspension	YU-AN 49 mm upside fork, adjustable compression and rebound (10.6-in travel)
Rear Suspension	YU-AN piggyback shock, adjustable rebound, high and low-speed compression (9.8-in travel)
Weight	364 lbs (dry)