Mountain Road Test of the CFMOTO 450SR: Is the 170kg Weight Truly Agile in Handling?

When my friend handed over the bike key, I took a good look around. The actual bike looked more compact than in the pictures, with clean, crisp lines and no flashy or over-the-top design. The first thing I felt when sitting on it was that the 795mm seat height was just right for someone my height, a little over 170cm — both feet could touch the ground easily. The exhaust note when starting it was quite interesting; it wasn’t the loud, attention-grabbing kind but deep and mellow with a hint of crispness.

Mountain roads are full of tight bends and narrow lanes, which demand high agility from a motorcycle. The 450SR performs very steadily in this regard. When entering a bend, the front end points with great precision; with just a little input, the motorcycle obediently follows your intentions. When exiting the bend, the power kicks in immediately once you twist the throttle, with no lag or hesitation at all.

This motorcycle has strong low-end torque. On an uphill hairpin bend, after I shifted into third gear, the engine speed dropped to around 4,000 rpm. Normally, bikes of this displacement might struggle a bit under such conditions. However, the 450SR showed no signs of struggling at all. With a gentle twist of the throttle, the bike surged forward steadily. My friend later told me that a great deal of thought went into the tuning of this engine, and its 270-degree crankshaft angle design delivers significantly better low-end torque performance compared to other bikes in the same class.After riding a few kilometers on a straight road, I also tried accelerating. It wasn't the violent sensation that slams you hard into the seat, but a steady surge of power that makes you feel increasingly energetic as you go. The power peaks at around 9,000 rpm and tapers off beyond that point. The braking performance is also excellent: the front wheel is equipped with a 320mm large disc paired with Brembo calipers, delivering linear braking force that responds precisely to how hard you squeeze the lever. Once, I was going a bit fast on a downhill curve, and even after applying relatively heavy brakes, the bike remained stable with no sign of the rear wheel skidding, and the ABS intervened quite promptly.

This motorcycle is equipped with a 6.2-inch TFT instrument cluster, which is fully functional and supports screen projection for navigation. However, it reflects slightly when exposed to direct sunlight. As the riding posture is designed to be sport-oriented, it can feel a bit tiring after riding dozens of kilometers on mountain roads, though those who prefer an aggressive riding stance will likely find it just right.

Although this motorcycle has a curb weight of only 170 kilograms and is quite light to push around, the CFMOTO 450SR gives me a very down-to-earth impression. It is free of all those flashy gimmicks and simply does a solid job of what a sports bike is supposed to do. The power is adequate, the handling is smooth, and the equipment is decent. Most importantly, its price falls in the range of around 23,000 to 24,000 yuan, which does not put too much financial pressure on young people looking to buy a middle-displacement sports motorcycle.

Or what other cars in the same class do you think are worth a test drive? Share your thoughts in the comments section and let's have a discussion together.