This Is The KTM 790 ADV’s Chinese Cousin

CF Moto showcased the 800MT at the recently held Shanghai Auto Show 2021. Positioned as CF Moto’s mid-size ADV offering, the 800MT is the manufacturer’s largest-capacity bike till date, and it’s based on the KTM 790 Adventure (CF Moto assembles KTM bikes for the Asian market) with the same 799cc LC8 parallel twin making approximately 96PS and 78Nm. Besides it also gets the usual gamut of tech, such as a 7-inch TFT display as well as heated grips and seats. Riding aids include throttle-by-wire, traction control, cruise control, and cornering ABS courtesy a six-axis IMU.

Sibling Rivalry

Though the 800MT’s frame and chassis setup is essentially a tweaked version of what’s already on the KTM, it does bring in components such as KYB suspension and J.Juan radial callipers into the mix. Visually, CF Moto has tried to disassociate the 800MT from the 790 Adventure’s lithe design, with a squarer front end sporting slit-like dual LED headlights and a taller flyscreen. However, the resemblance is clear in the bike’s overall silhouette, especially with the way the fuel tank swoops into the rider’s seat. 

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The 800NK will be available in two guises: a touring variant featuring cast alloy wheels shod with road-biased rubber, and an off-road variant with wire-spoke wheels and knobby tyres, a bash plate, auxiliary lights, and metal brush guards. 

One major difference, however, is that while the 790 Adventure got a set of side-slung fuel storage units, the 800NK does not get this feature. This is especially puzzling, considering they were not just an auxiliary storage option but also indispensable in terms of mass centralisation, no doubt helping the 790 Adv’s off-road chops, a parameter where the 800NK might have a hard time proving itself. However, that’s something we’ll be able to comment on only after we get our mitts on the 800MT.

Will it Get Here?

CF Moto has recently (re)opened its Indian innings with the BS6 300NK and might soon launch the BS6-ready 650NK as well. However, we doubt it’ll launch the 800MT in India, at least not in the near future. As and when the 800MT does get here, though, we expect it to retail in the Rs 11-12 lakh (ex-showroom) bracket and compete with the likes of the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport and the BMW F 850 GS.