This Bike Rides Like The $20K Machines They Stopped Making
Adventure motorcycles have become rolling demonstrations of how much technology can be packed between two wheels. What once required expensive options can now include sophisticated rider aids, electronic suspension, heated equipment, advanced displays, and touring-focused hardware. The result is a class of motorcycles that can make long highway days easier while still being ready for gravel, dirt, and rougher roads. But all that capability usually comes with a price. As manufacturers push ADVs further upmarket, the gap between a sensible middleweight and a premium machine can become surprisingly large.
Big Adventure Bikes Have Crazy Technology With Crazy Prices
The modern adventure bike is no longer just a tall bike with long-travel suspension and a large fuel tank. The expensive end of the segment has become a showcase for technology, with bikes such as the BMW R 1300 GS, the Ducati Multistrada V4 and the KTM 1390 Super Adventure offering sophisticated electronics alongside serious performance. Depending on the model, riders can find cornering ABS, traction control, multiple ride modes, quickshifters, electronic suspension, cruise control, tire-pressure monitoring systems and large color displays.
This equipment does a lot for adventure touring. Cruise control takes some strain out of interstate riding, while corner-sensitive electronics help when the pavement conditions deteriorate. Electronic suspension can adapt the bike to different roads on the fly, and even the dashboard has evolved from a simple speedometer into a command center for navigation, connectivity, and vehicle settings.
Now, all of that fancy equipment also means it’s easier to charge more, and there is nothing particularly strange about that. These motorcycles have thus become luxury items for people who indulge in going to places which are less than luxurious. A rider looking at premium European models can easily find themselves considering motorcycles that cost well into the five-figure range before adding luggage and other desirable equipment.
Look a little away from the gold standards of Bavarian adventure tourers for a moment, and you start seeing much more financially sensible machines. The ADV doesn’t have to have the biggest engine, or the most sophisticated kind of equipment. What it does need, however, is the engineering that creates a synergy between all its existing mechanicals and electronics. A bike like this may not move as fast as a BMW or a Ducati, but it moves just as well and carries you comfortably when you require it to.
The Sub-$11k CFMoto Ibex 800 E Is Hard To Ignore
We chose the CFMoto Ibex 800 E because it makes the price-versus-equipment argument unusually difficult to ignore. At a base of $10,299, it sits in a part of the market where buyers usually expect compromises, yet the standard specification reads more like an options list from a considerably more expensive motorcycle. A 799cc engine is paired with fully adjustable suspension, riding modes, heated grips, heated seats, radar, and some other goodies from the accessories section, but bolted on to the bike straight from the showroom. The CFMoto is not cheap because it is missing something. In fact, the company has concentrated on giving buyers everything that matters and then some, but at an affordable price point.
The Ibex’s Parallel-Twin Is Built for Flexibility
At the heart of the Ibex 800 E is a 799cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine which produces 94 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 56.8 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm. These numbers place it comfortably in the territory for more serious off-road work. There is the high-revving nature to blast through dirt roads and highways with relative ease, but the torque also arrives and peaks lower in the rev range to tackle more serious, technical trails.
CFMoto has also given the bike a total of six riding modes: Sport, Rain, Off-Road, Off-Road Plus, All Terrain and All Terrain Plus. It gives you six completely different personalities to choose from and select for your specific purpose in that instance. The company’s proprietary slipper clutch technology adds a bit of usability when the gear changes become more frequent in the dirt, while cruise control makes highway cruising far less tiring.
Fully Adjustable Suspension Starts Off The Premium Goodies
The chassis is the place where the Ibex starts to give you that expensive feeling. Up front sits a fully adjustable KYB upside-down fork with 6.3 inches of travel; at the rear is a KYB single shock with 5.9 inches of travel, with preload and rebound adjustment. ADVs handle a bunch of awkward roads. They need enough movement for broken pavement and gravel, but they also remain composed at highway speeds. The Ibex’s adjustability allows you to account for luggage and passenger weight as well while customizing for the terrain instead of accepting whatever factory compromise was chosen.
Braking duties are handled by J.Juan calipers on both sides. The front radially mounted 4-piston units clamp down on two 320mm floating discs while the rear single-piston floating caliper grips a 260mm disc. The compact parallel-twin engine is also a stressed member on the Ibex’s frame, lightening the bike and giving it very compact dimensions. The seat sits 32.5 inches high, and the ground clearance measures 7.5 inches. A 60.3-inch wheelbase allows for better stability on a heavier 547-pound bike. It’s a sensible sprinkling of numbers, and it doesn’t scream excess, but it definitely isn’t under-equipped either.
Technology Is Where The Value Argument Gets Serious
The Ibex 800 E has the proportions of a modern adventure motorcycle. The bodywork creates a substantial touring silhouette, with a tall adjustable windscreen, LED lighting, and integrated fog lamps. Additionally, crash guards, a skid plate, a center stand, hand guards, and cross-spoke tubeless wheels all become part of the standard package.
As far as tech goes, CFMoto fits the Ibex 800 E with an 8-inch TFT display as its centerpiece. It gets Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity, CFMoto RideSync, and tire-pressure monitoring integrated into the system. We’ve already told you about the six ride modes. There’s cruise control, heated grips, heated seats, bidirectional quickshifter, switchable ABS and traction control. But the highlight of the standard tech is the radar-based rear blind-spot detection. This isn’t something you see on any other bike in this class, bolstering that expensive illusion.
The CFMoto Ibex 800 E Gives You That $20,000 Feeling
The CFMoto Ibex 800 E makes a compelling case that adventure bikes don’t really have to command luxury bike prices. The 799cc parallel-twin provides enough performance for serious touring, while the adjustable suspension, 19-inch front wheel, and standard protective hardware give it the chops for rougher roads. Then the electronics pile on for creature comfort. Starting at $10,299, the specification sheet is hard to overlook. Accessories need to be purchased, but it reduces the final price by a significant amount when compared to the big European boys.
Source: CFMoto USA
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