Some thoughts about the CFMoto 300NK. A friend who has a Z400 as well as a Kawasaki Super Sherpa rode the 300NK. She thought it had a better riding position and was more comfortable than her Z400. She thought it would probably work reasonably well on dirt/gravel. A local dealer had a couple of 300NK's on the showroom floor. Both were marked down. One was less than a Grom. I think those prices probably reflected the rebates CFMoto is offering at this time.
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Kawasaki Ninja 400 vs ZX-4RR vs CFMoto 450ss
- Thread starter klaviator
- Start date
The Ninja 400 came to US market in 2018. The cfm 450 makes more power, but what makes it "way better"?
A word of caution on the kawasaki, the seat position sucks. Major incline that puts you hard against the tank.
The 450ss I rode felt way faster than any Ninja 400 I have ridden. It felt faster than my Versys 650. Maybe it was just my perception but that's how it felt. The engine also had way more character in the way it felt and sounded. IMO CFMoto hit a home run with this engine. When I first rode Ninja 400 I was really impressed with the motor. After riding the 450ss I'm not as impressed. The 450ss motor also felt a lot better than the one in the ZX-4rr although that motor is strangled in stock form and a simple re flash of the ECU would change it dramatically.
As for the Ninja 400. Yes the seat sucks but the basic riding position is pretty good. A seat pad or custom seat would make the ninja pretty comfortable. The bars on the 450ss are so low and far forward that it would probably be hard to fix. The ZX-4rr was the most comfortable of the three.
It's not the seat that sucks, its the position it puts the rider in. If the seat was not inclined (ie the angle of the frame) it would likely be adequate for me.
I choose the motor that has some history of reliability, Z400.
That is a common problem with modern bikes. The seat on my Versys is the same way. A custom seat often fixes that problem. On the Versys the front of the seat can be raised. Maybe the same can be done on the Ninja. A seat cushion can also be modified.
As for reliability, I think the 450ss has been out for 2 or 3 years. I would research it before I would consider buying one.
Right now I'm not looking for a new bike so this is all academic for me.
I stopped by a Honda dealer today. They had a CBR300R.
My first thought was that Honda should take styling lessons from CFMoto as the 300NK is a MUCH better looking bike. I'm just not a fan of flat black bikes. I just looked up the specs on this bike. It is also available in yellow which would look much better. The MSRP is also a thousand more than the CFMoto but I'd guess the difference in OTD price would be a lot more than that, maybe 2 grand.
I sat on the Honda. It was comfortable, about the same as the 300NK. It would be interesting to ride it and see how it compared.
Madmx
Well-known member
I dint think I ll ever get it. Evo to ironhead..xr to drz. I rode a water buffalo and a fz1 with a Dale Wawlkers kit. Had a yosh kitted fzr.. Bit dammit I almost bank on gpx. Reasonable money for a kove..vay. But nah I am hard core big 4..but how much longer. I live on whims..I can have the kove in a week. That shit is play money when a duck super moto mono is discussed or and dealealer mark ups sky rockets a dr650 to 10k! Or a honda cub for 8500 old! Dam! Jeez the new italjet will cost 2x a fse250
Klaviator...get a a ride on a tse250r..I won't plate mine yet due to taxes. Kinda a nice baseline.
I think I could ride the TAT with.the kawi eliminator with low pressure tires. But the big 4 is dated.
Klaviator...get a a ride on a tse250r..I won't plate mine yet due to taxes. Kinda a nice baseline.
I think I could ride the TAT with.the kawi eliminator with low pressure tires. But the big 4 is dated.
The CFMOTO is running a 270° twin, right?
Those twins feel so dang peppy down low. I went to trade a FZ07 in for a Versys 650 LT. Though the engines look to have identical power on paper the 270° twin felt so much stronger.
I know people are getting sick of 270° twins popping up all over now, but for smaller cc bikes it's a great way to make them feel bigger than they are.