CFMOTO 800MT-X (2025) – Technical Review

If you want an adventure bike that really puts the emphasis on offroad ability over everything else you’d normally make a beeline for your nearest KTM dealer -  but the launch of the CFMOTO 800MT-X might see customers taking a turn in another direction as it promises to match the 790 Adventure, punch-for-punch, with a price tag that’s 20% lower than its Austrian inspiration.

Pros & Cons

2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X - Price & PCP Deals

At £7,999, with dealers already accepting pre-orders ahead of deliveries later in 2025, the 800MT-X looks like a storming bargain on paper compared to the £9,999 RRP of the closely-related KTM 790 Adventure. Both bikes offer a similar package and share the same parallel twin engine design.

However, with some dealers offering brand new 790 Adventures, albeit 2024 models, at as little as £7,899 (and some with 0% finance, too) right now, the CFMOTO’s advantage is eroded, at least for the time being. KTM’s recent introduction of a 4-year warranty on street models, including the 790 Adventure, also means it matches the CFMOTO’s coverage.

Once those current KTM deals are gone, though, the CFMOTO should regain its price advantage.

2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X - Engine & Performance

CFMOTO already makes the 799cc ‘790’ LC8c parallel twin engine on KTM’s behalf and has packed its own version of the motor into the more street-biased 800MT Sport and 800MT Explore models as well as the 800NK naked bike. But with the new 800MT-X it takes on its KTM 790 Adventure cousin head-on.

Despite its shared roots, this is very much CFMOTO’s version of the engine. Yes, the 799cc capacity is the same as KTM’s, as are the 88mm bore and 65.7mm stroke, but the 800MT-X has a fractionally higher 12.7:1 compression ratio (12.5:1 on the 790 Adventure) and different power and torque figures.

Max power, for the Euro5+ compliant version of the engine, is rated at 90hp (67kW) and arrives at 8,250rpm. That’s the same maximum as the street biased 800MT models, but arrives 1000rpm lower in the rev range. The MT-X also has more torque – 63.4lb-ft (86Nm) at 6,500rpm, while the 800MT makes do with 55.3lb-ft and waits until 8000rpm to get there. For comparison the 790 Adventure manages 94hp and 64lb-ft, figures that the MT-X matches only in non-Euro5+ markets where a fractionally beefier version is sold.

There’s ride-by-wire for the throttles and the Bosch traction control system works hand-in-hand with a six-axis IMU that monitors the bike’s pitch, yaw and roll.

A slipper clutch feeds the power to a six-speed transmission that’s coupled to an up/down quickshifter for clutches gearchanges on the move, while for more sedate moments there’s cruise control as standard.

2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X- Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

The chassis itself is, again, not dissimilar to that of the KTM 790 Adventure, with the same steel tube construction and a similar layout. Most notably, the 22.5-litre fuel tank is split into two halves, slung low down on the bike’s flanks to carry the mass of the petrol as low as possible, improving manoeuvrability and giving the impression that the bike is lighter than its real 220kg kerb mass. That figure includes fuel and other fluids – the dry weight is 196kg.

Suspension comes in the form of fat, 48mm upside-down forks (the 790 Adventure, by contrast, uses 43mm units), complete with adjustable compression and rebound damping as well as 20 clicks of preload adjustment. There’s a similar level of adjustability from the rear shock, and each end of the bike has 230mm of suspension travel. That’s 30mm more than the 790 Adventure can boast, and it’s paired with 240mm of ground clearance, again fractionally more than its KTM rival (233mm).

Those figures are for the ‘high seat’ version of the bike. There’s also a ‘low seat’ variant that drops the suspension by 40mm, cutting the same amount from both the ground clearance and the suspension travel at each end (down to 200mm ground clearance and 190mm suspension travel).

The wheels are 21-inches at the front, 18-inches at the rear, shod with 90/90 and 150/70 CST rubber respectively, and the brakes are the same J.Juan components favoured by KTM, with dual 320mm discs and radial calipers at the front, plus a 260mm rotor and two-piston caliper at the back. Cornering ABS from Bosch is standard, assisted by that six-axis IMU, and the bike comes with a steering damper as standard.

2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X - Comfort & Economy

In the ‘high seat’ form that offers the greatest suspension travel and ground clearance, the 800MT-X’s seat measures a lofty 870mm from the ground – 10mm taller than the ‘high’ version of KTM’s 790 Adventure, and 30mm more than the lower seat version of that bike.

The ‘low seat’ variant of the 800MT-X simply slices 40mm from the suspension height rather than changing the actual seat padding or bodywork, so its seat is 830mm tall.

The near-vertical windscreen is adjustable and there are hand guards to protect your fingers from both stray branches and the worst of the wind chill at speed. Comfort should be assured thanks to the roomy riding position that the tall seat, low pegs and wide bars provide, and the long, flattish seat with a built-in luggage rack and hand grips also bodes well for passengers.

We don’t have economy figures yet, but that 22.5 litre fuel tank means you should get plenty of range between fill-ups.

2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X - Equipment

Once aboard you’re faced with a large, 7-inch TFT screen arranged in portrait orientation, with smartphone Bluetooth connectivity via MotoPlay screen mirroring software. An optional T-Box adds further functionality including GPS to monitor the bike’s location, which you can then track via the CFMOTO RIDE app.

Other features include tyre pressure monitoring, standard-fit cruise control, full LED lighting and three riding modes – standard, rain and off-road. There’s even a tyre pump under the seat.

2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X - Rivals

KTM 790 Adventure | Price: £9,999

Read more

Power/Torque

94bhp / 64lb-ft

Weight

203kg

Yamaha Ténéré 700 | Price £10,404

Read more

Power/Torque

72.4bhp / 50.1lb-ft

Weight

208kg

Honda XL750 Transalp | Price: £9,899

Read more

Power/Torque

90.5bhp / 55.3lb-ft

Weight

210kg

2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X - Verdict

Question; what looks like a KTM, sounds like a KTM, and goes like a KTM but it’s not orange… and has a different camshaft? Obviously, it’s this CFMOTO 800MT-X. Now last year we rode the firm’s 800MT model and said this about it, “The 800MT Sport is a good bike, at a genuinely intriguing price, that’s just missing a final coat of development polish. There’s nothing fundamentally amiss anywhere, just a few rough edges, a couple of small irritations and a handful of odd choices. In its favour is its spacious comfort, strong top-end power, and four-year warranty. There are even some specific areas where the 800MT is superior to every other bike in its class, such as standard-fit cruise control and cornering ABS. The fact you can ride away on a 90bhp bike that’s this versatile for just £89 a month, means it’s well worthy of consideration.”

This MT-X model is sharper in appearance, and has a tall, rugged, handsomeness especially in the two-tone blue and grey colour scheme. Undercutting rivals on price is one thing but undercutting on finish quality is different, and from what we know of CFMOTO over the recent five years, that’s not been the case. Of all the so-called ‘new’ manufacturers to grace the UK’s shores with their presence, this one is leading the way.

Hang on, but didn’t KTM and CFMOTO go through a Kim and Kanye style break up recently? Well, KTM and CFMOTO still jointly own and operate a joint venture in China for manufacturing KTM models, and CFMOTO deals with KTM distribution in China, so they remain partners and the engine in the 800MT-X is an 'approved' version of the KTM design. The only split between KTM and CFMOTO is the joint distribution arrangement that they had in Europe. One assumes CFMOTO wasn’t overjoyed with the uncertainty of KTM’s future and wants more direct control over importers.

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2025 CFMOTO 800MT-X - Technical Specification

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