CFMoto 450SR S (2024) – Technical Review
By Ben Purvis
Has written for dozens of magazines and websites, including most of the world’s biggest bike titles, as well as dabbling in car and technology journalism.
08.02.2024
Price: £6499 | Power: 46.3bhp | Weight: 179kg | Overall BikeSocial Rating: TBA
CFMoto’s new 450SR S might just be exactly the sort of sports bike that’s needed to draw a new generation of motorcyclists into the fold – offering a dose of exotic styling and strong performance at a price that undercuts the worthy-but-dull Honda CBR500R and the much smaller, less powerful Yamaha R3.
And with distribution courtesy of KTM these days, CFMoto is poised to be a more widely available than in the past, making the brand a more viable option when it comes to aftersales support.
Just look at it. Compared to the likes of the CBR500R and Kawasaki Ninja 500 it’s a head-turner
A single-sided swingarm on a small sports bike? What is this, the 1990s?
Upside down forks? Radial Brembos? Curved TFT dash? Winglets? Traction control? The list goes on.
Explaining what a ‘CFMoto’ is
Resale values are an unknown gamble
Review – In Detail
Price & PCP
For and against
Engine & Performance
Handling & Suspension (inc. weight & brakes)
Comfort & Economy
Equipment
Rivals
Verdict
Owner Reviews
Specification
2024 CFMoto 450SR S Price
A year after we first broke the news that CFMoto had a higher-spec version of the 450SR up its corporate sleeve the bike has been given its official Euro debut – and while the specs live up to expectations there’s a pleasant surprise with the price. At £6499 it’s £900 more than the base version but still makes a compelling case for itself in comparison to rivals.
There are few sports bikes in the same performance category that come close to matching the CFMoto’s on-paper specs, and rivals don’t undercut it significantly on price. Kawasaki’s new Ninja 500 is a little cheaper at £5999, but the Honda CBR500R is £6699 and even Yamaha’s little R3 is £6505.
CFMoto has two colour options at launch, ‘Zircon Black’ and ‘Tundra Grey’, both at the same price, and they’ll be in dealers in March.
2024 CFMoto 450SR S Engine & Performance
The 450SR S shares its parallel twin engine with the existing 450SR and 450NK models, but it’s visually the closest machine yet to the original SR C21 concept bike from 2021 that first housed that motor.
With a 270-degree crank to add a bit more character, plus double balance shafts, the DOHC motor clocks in at 449.5cc thanks to a 72mm bore and 55.2mm stroke, giving it an oversquare, rev-happy nature. In some Asian markets the engine is good for 50hp (37kW), but in Europe we have a fractionally detuned variant, at 46.3hp (34.5kW) to slide into the ‘A2’ licence category, which has a 35kW limit.
Peak power arrives at 9,250rpm, which is 750rpm lower than the revs that the standard 450SR needs to arrive at the same maximum output, while torque is unchanged at 39.3Nm (29lb-ft) at 7,750rpm. The difference in the peak revs is likely to be down to the new exhaust system of the 450SR S, which packs its silencer under the engine instead of on the right-hand side to give a clearer view of that single-sided swingarm setup and make rear wheel changes easier and quicker.
The engine drives through a slipper clutch to a six-speed box, as on the standard 450SR, but gains electronic traction control.
Top speed is pegged at 112mph, according to official type-approval documents, which is about right for its power and the fact it’s geared for real-world performance.
2024 CFMoto 450SR S Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight & Brakes)
At 179kg wet, the 450SR S doesn’t pay a weight penalty for its single-sided swingarm and underbelly exhaust – the figure is identical for the standard 450SR. It couldn’t be much lighter, even if CFMoto wanted it to be, without busting 0.2kW-per-kg limit imposed by A2 licence rules.
The frame is the same steel tube design used on the 450SR, and both the SR and SR S have adjustable, 37mm upside-down forks. The rear suspension is where the two models really differ, with the addition of the single-sided swingarm on the 450SR S. That brings with it a different rear wheel design, of course, as well as a new rear brake – increased from 220mm to 240mm and getting a two-piston caliper instead of the standard SR’s single-pot design.
The front brakes are unchanged, with a single 320mm disc and a Brembo M40 radial four-pot caliper. Rivals struggle to come close to matching that spec. There’s ABS, of course, but not of the lean-sensitive variety.
Despite the new rear wheel, the tyre sizes are the same as the standard SR, with a 150/60-17 rear and 110/70-17 front.
2024 CFMoto 450SR S Comfort & Economy
Although not immediately obvious, the 450SR S has a substantially different fairing compared to the standard 450SR. There are additional intakes on the fairing side panels either side of the spectacularly sensible built-in crash bobbins that promise to provide at least a modicum of protection if you drop the bike. The redesign isn’t purely cosmetic, as it helps improve engine cooling, potentially improving rider comfort as well by reducing heat build-up. Although power wheelies aren’t likely to be a major concern, the 450SR S also has redesigned, larger winglets on either side of the fairing.
Other than that, the bike’s ergonomics are much the same as the standard SR, with an identical 795mm seat height – it can be raised or lowered by 10mm with alternate, optional seat pads – and an unchanged 14-litre fuel tank.
That tank promises 300km (186 miles) of range between fill-ups, which equates to around 60mpg.
2024 CFMoto 450SR S Equipment
On board you’re faced with the same 5-inch curved TFT display used on the standard 450SR, which supports navigation projection from your phone and, with the optional T-box, gains a built-in 4G module and 6D position sensor for more sophisticated datalogging and navigation.
There’s a USB socket, of course, but less familiar equipment – particularly at this price point – includes automatic headlights that come on as it gets dark, plus an emergency brake lighting system that flashes the hazards during heavy braking.
2024 CFMoto 450SR S Rivals
Sports bike fans limited to 35Kw under the A2 licence have a growing set of bikes to choose from – particularly if they’re prepared to artificially restrict them – but if we stick to those that naturally fall into the A2 class without compromising a larger-capacity engine, the most obvious alternative are:
Honda CBR500R | Price: £6699
Power/Torque: 47bhp/32lb-ft | Weight: 191kg
Kawasaki Ninja 500 | Price: £5999
Power/Torque: 44.8bhp/31.4lb-ft | Weight: 171kg
Yamaha R3 | Price: £6505
Power/Torque: 41.4bhp/21.8lb-ft | Weight: 169kg
2024 CFMoto 450SR S Verdict
We’ll let you know a verdict when we’ve ridden the 450SR S.
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2024 CFMoto 450SR S - Technical Specification
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