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China bikes CF Moto 650 NK and Benelli BN 600 R in the test

Price hit or China firecrackers?

Their history could not be more different, but their origins are common to the mid-range Nakeds CF Moto 650 NK and Benelli BN 600 R. From China to the German market – once directly, once via Italy. Price hit or China firecrackers?

AT.Be careful, don’t fall into cliches now. China bikes – as obvious as the name for the first two “big” motorcycles from the land of smiles on the German market may be, somehow a rating resonates with them. China bikes sound like cheap at any price, like deficiencies in quality and like copied ideas.

China bikes CF Moto 650 NK and Benelli BN 600 R in the test

Price hit or China firecrackers?

Benelli BN 600 R but two full-fledged mid-range motorcycles in the ring and not a 500 Euro Ebay snapper. Also: a lot has happened since then. As the “workbench of the world”, Chinese manufacturers now supply fully competitive products from smartphones to mid-range cars. So it’s time to take stock.

A plus for ergonomics, a minus for reliability

Enter CF Moto 650 NK. The first motorcycle developed and manufactured entirely in China, which can be purchased from dealers in Germany. 650 cubic in-line twin-cylinder, 61 hp, 4999 euros. The concept, engine and frame construction are suspiciously similar to Kawasaki’s first ER-6n. Kawacopy 650 NK? So be it, test drive.

During a leisurely sniffing out on the Swabian Alb, the drive of the CF Moto 650 NK first appeals. Smooth throttle response from 2000 revs, a wonderfully linear increase in power with a very strong center, plus an over-rev reserve of a good 2000 rpm after the engine has reached its torque and power zenith at 7500 rpm. The fact that the top performance with measured 57 HP is quite manageable for a 650 – free. The clutch works inconspicuously and requires little manual force, the gearbox of the second test machine (more on that later) does its job without any problems and pleases with its practice-oriented gear steps. All in all, a successful drive, the character of which fits the small, manoeuvrable speedster on country roads perfectly.

It continues positively: The seating position on the CF Moto 650 NK is pleasing. The pilot logs upright and comfortably and can look forward to the narrow waist and the successful knee joint. Although the handlebars are quite narrow and slightly cranked, the bottom line is that the ergonomics chapter is a plus. Thanks to the 17-liter fuel drum and moderate consumption (4.5 liters / 100 km), this can also be enjoyed over stages of 350 kilometers.

On the suspension fork and brake on the CF Moto

Let. Subjunctive, mind you. Because real driving pleasure does not really want to set in on the CF Moto 650 NK. The suspension fork and the brake are primarily responsible for this. The former is way too hard. It almost feels like sand instead of oil is pressed through the damper. Responsiveness is a foreign word for the fork, the CF wedges accordingly stubbornly over undulating asphalt and potholes. The brake is hardly better: the effect is still sufficient, with a bold grip you can lock the front wheel. The lack of an ABS would be bearable in view of the low price, but the poor controllability makes decelerating maneuvers halfway accurate a game of chance. A long free travel in the lever with quite high resistance is suddenly followed by a rather doughy pressure point. Braking is no fun like this.

So far it has been a thoroughly sweet and sour experience. A bitter aftertaste mixes with it, however, if you consider the processing quality and reliability of the CF Moto 650 NK. Unsavory weld seams, wobbly clutch levers and worn mirror joints are annoying enough in themselves. But the failure of the first test machine weighs more heavily. It was annoying at first with rubbing brakes and gnarled shiftability, then quit work on the test bench with a stuck coupling rod. After the repair, she allowed herself to take a photo drive, for inexplicable reasons, for 15 minutes during which she did not make a sound. Individual case? Hard to say. Although the replacement machine provided by MotoDoc in Schwabisch Gmund then performed without failures, the subjective impression of quality of the CF Moto gives little hope of a long service life.

Benelli’s chassis is convincing, less engine

In terms of reliability, so much in advance, the Benelli BN 600 R performed confidently. Apart from the rough finish of the cast aluminum frame parts and the handlebar fittings, the Benelli gives a high-quality, solid, durable impression. The four-cylinder was designed in Italy, built in China for the world market, and then made fit again in Italy for the European market with higher-quality chassis components (50 millimeter Marzocchi USD at the front, Sachs strut at the rear) and brakes (Brembo radial) to become. The result: a Benelli for 6790 euros. And even that cannot completely avoid allegations of plagiarism. The frame, the swing arm, the rear – you’ve seen it somewhere. After all, the Benelli Shiver, sorry, BN 600 R, as the first driving report from MOTORRAD (19/2013) showed, does not drive badly at all. Fork and shock absorber (the latter can be adjusted in preload and rebound) respond cleanly and keep up with you even at a brisk pace. The brake is top notch in terms of its effectiveness and controllability. This could be used to rob the country roads in the finest pirate fashion.

Subjunctive again. Because in the exact opposite of the CF Moto, the Benelli BN 600 R is convincing of the chassis, but less of the engine. The first thing you do is allow yourself a big acoustic performance when you start it up. "Phrroowaaaaaarrrr-rrr-rrrr-rrrrrrrrr", it growls loud and hoarse from the large underseat exhaust. That sounds like a trained Doberman. As if the poor man had rabies. “Oh, it dicks!” Immediately warn the synapses. Unfortunately, the all clear can be given in this regard. Although the quad starts rolling with a decent starting torque, it then falls into a deep hole, from which it only finds its way beyond 7000 rpm.

Neat pull on the chain from 9500 turns

A real old school 600. Real music is then from 9500 tours to the limiter. Here the Benelli BN 600 R puts a lot of tension on the chain. Even if the test bench finally attests a solid 90 PS (8 PS over factory specification), the BN 600 R feels lethargic almost everywhere, and is mercilessly canned when it pulls through the much weaker CF Moto. The unspeakably stiff throttle also contributes to this. It doesn’t feel like the throttle is operated, but rather like a bowling ball being pulled out of a bucket of glue. The response behavior also lacks a bit of fine-tuning, a slight jolt from the push mode is followed by a push, especially in the upper speed range. The consumption makes up for it to a certain extent: On the test round, the Italian was content with 4.7 liters.

The seating position was as ambivalent as the engine. “Sport below, tour above”, this is how the ensemble of high footrests, acute knee angles and a wide tank in conjunction with an equally wide, well-positioned handlebar can be summed up. It feels macho, but is uncomfortable in the long run. In contrast, the Benelli BN 600 R’s small windshield is surprisingly effective.

Neither of them are price hit

So what is the bottom line? Two China-Nakeds, whose characters couldn’t be more different. Both with strengths and weaknesses. The CF Moto 650 NK has the more coherent concept (even if that is not completely new), but messes up the execution with inferior chassis components and poor quality. Conversely, the Benelli BN 600 R: engine characteristics, responsiveness and ergonomics leave the possibilities unused that the good chassis would offer. Neither of them are price hit, apart from the poor value given the fierce competition, the loss in value will also be devastating. But in principle they work, the Benelli even more than the CF Moto. So no firecrackers from China either – compared to the Shineray from 2007, that’s a quantum leap. Which brings us back to the question asked at the beginning: Where do Chinese manufacturers currently stand compared to western standards? To put it bluntly, the answer must be: so close and yet so far away.

Data and measured values

44 Pictures

Pictures: China-Bikes CF Moto 650 NK and Benelli BN 600 R in the test

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engine

  Benelli BN 600 R CF Moto 650 NK
type design Four-cylinder four-stroke-
Row motorcycle		 Two-cylinder four-stroke-
In-line engine
injection 4 x Ø 38 mm 2 x Ø 38 mm
coupling Multi-panes-
Oil bath clutch		 Multi-panes-
Oil bath clutch
Boron x stroke      65.0 x 45.2 mm 83.0 x 60.0 mm
Displacement 600 cc 649 cc
compression 11.5: 1 11.3: 1
power 60.0 kW (82 PS)
at 11,500 rpm		 45.0 kW (61 hp)
at 9000 rpm
Torque 52 Nm at 10,500 rpm       56 Nm at 7000 rpm

landing gear

  Benelli BN 600 R CF Moto 650 NK
frame Tubular frame
Steel with screwed
Cast aluminum parts		 Bridge frame
from steel
fork Upside-down fork,
Ø 50 mm		 Telescopic fork,
Ø 41 mm
Brakes front / rear    
Ø 320/240 mm Ø 300/240 mm
bikes 3.50 x 17; 5.50 x 17 3.50 x 17; 4.50 x 17
tires 120/70 ZR 17; 180/55 ZR 17      120/70 ZR 17; 160/60 ZR 17
Tires Metzeler
Sportec M5 Interact		 Continental
RoadAttack 2, front "C"

Dimensions + weight

  Benelli BN 600 R      
CF Moto 650 NK
wheelbase 1430 mm 1415 mm
Steering head angle 66 degrees 65.5 degrees
trailing 98 mm 102 mm
Front / rear suspension travel    
120/123 mm 125/130 mm
Seat height¹ 820 mm 820 mm
Weight with a full tank¹ 228 kg 206 kg
Payload¹ 142 kg 147 kg
Tank capacity / reserve 15.0 / 4.0 liters    17.0 liters
Service intervals 10,000 km 6,000 km
price 6790 euros 4999 euros
Price test motorcycle 6790 euros 4999 euros
Additional costs 325 euros n / A.

MOTORCYCLE readings

Benelli BN 600 R       CF Moto 650 NK
Top speed 203 km / h 180 km / h *
acceleration
0-100 km / h 4.3 sec 5.1 sec
0-140 km / h 7.7 sec 10.1 sec
0-200 km / h 25.1 sec –
Draft
60-100 km / h 5.5 sec 5.2 sec
100-140 km / h 7.1 sec 6.6 sec
140-180 km / h 11.9 sec –
Consumption country road / 100 km 4.7 liters 4.5 liters
Reach country road 319 km 378 km

¹MOTOR WHEEL measurement; * Manufacturer information

Performance measurement.

The power and torque curves underpin the subjective driving impressions. Up to 7500 rpm, the CF Moto 650 NK is sometimes well ahead of the Benelli, which it owes to its slight increase in displacement and the larger individual displacement. A country road engine that is nice to drive. Only at the top does the Benelli gain a lot and clearly outperform the Twin. However, the dents in the torque curve of the BN 600 R are clearly noticeable, as is the achievement of peak performance with the use of the limiter – that’s annoying. What the diagram does not show: The stiff throttle grip and the unpolished response behavior make the Benelli BN 600 R seem quite sluggish.

Power on the crankshaft. Measurements on the Dynojet roller test stand 250, corrected according to 95/1 / EG,
maximum possible deviation ± 5%

MOTORCYCLE test results

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Not quite there yet: The two currently available China-Nakeds presented themselves as thoroughly sweet and sour.

1. Benelli BN 600 R
Chassis okee, engine no. Real fans of the Benelli brand will probably not look at the BN 600 R, but at least the quality is right – and the sound is guaranteed to leave no one indifferent.

2. CF Moto 650 NK
Cheap, but not cheap. The CF Moto 650 NK has very good systems. However, due to chassis weaknesses and dubious quality, we can only advise against it.

Background Benelli and CF Moto

44 Pictures

Pictures: China-Bikes CF Moto 650 NK and Benelli BN 600 R in the test

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Price comparison for used CF Moto 650 NK and Benelli BN 600

1000PS marketplace app

The motorcycles from China are still rare in Germany.

Motorcycles from China live a niche existence with us, with the Benelli BN600 and the CF Moto 650NK that is also the case. There are comparatively few copies available in Germany, but the prices are low. Here is a current overview of the motorcycle market: used CF Moto 650NK and Benelli BN600.

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