CFMoto 450MT or Honda CRF300 Rally - Is light always right?

Hi everyone, thank you ALL for the brilliant comments, sorry I can’t answer them individually, so many! But such great reading, Cheers guys! Motoeuro. 👍

I test rode one at the ABR Festival on the Thursday and loved it, I managed to buy one on the Monday by pure luck and collected it 10 days later. It is without doubt a brilliant bike, on road and off, the weight is low down, the ability to get both feet on the floor makes it more reassuring off-road, and on road it is an absolute hoot, even the stock tyres are good, I changed the front sprocket from 14t to 15t, it makes the bike much better on the road and it has so much low down torque it can handle the change. I feel like I am back it the 90s with the price, Right I am off to Blockbusters for a movie.😀

Hi mate, Sam in Australia. I test rode a CFM450 last weekend and I own a crf300 rally. The CFMoto450 was ok, but I don't know what happened to the extra horsepower, it was barely noticeable on road, maybe the extra weight of the CFMoto soaked up most of the extra power, the power felt so close to my standard Honda! The service intervals are so short on the CFMoto too. I find the 300 rally is great off-road, I love the light weight on the trails and the long-range fuel tank, the 12000 km servicing is terrific. It's such a cheap bike to own. Pick it up off the ground a few times and you'll really appreciate the lightness of it. So, for me the Honda is the superior bike to own.

Hello from Norway. I have the 250 Rally. 71000 kms, no issues. The only disadvantage is keeping up with traffic uphill 😅. Croatia, France, the Autobahn, TET Scandinavia. Cheers :)

25 hp is enough for me. Weight is the most important thing for me. I prefer crf300 even it is more expensive. BUT if ı can find a bike who has twin cylinder and lighter than 160 kg wet…. I will buy it immediately without looking at the price

Voge 300 rally sub 4k 🤷‍♂️

CFMoto motorcycles are popular primarily because of their effective marketing, rather than their technical quality. For instance, KTM 790-890 cfmoto egeines. often haveing cam wear issues, which can lead to significant problems. would u buy that risk? In contrast, my 1993 Honda Transalp 600 is a solid machine. It weighs 190 kg, has a V-twin engine that produces 50 horsepower, and exemplifies how motorcycle engineering was once more focused on reliability and performance. but it 31 years old. In my opinion, the motorcycle industry has regressed rather than progressed. Nowadays, there is a greater emphasis on adding gadgets like ABS and fancy digital dashboards, while basic features are sometimes overlooked. My Transalp, for example, doesn't even have a fuel gauge. I bought my Transalp for riding the Trans Euro Trail (TET) and as my primary means of transportation. It’s a testament to a time when motorcycles were designed for genuine riding experiences rather than just flashy features. and build to be look after buy the owner not the dlearship.

The greek magazine "Moto" weight the CFMoto 450 MT. It shows 193.5 kg (wet) !!!

I own a BMW r1200 GSA, a Moto Guzzi V7 and from tomorrow a CFMOTO 450MT. The CRF 300 rally was on the shortlist, but the 40 hp and twin cylinder won me over. I will take it on an 30.000km+ adventure.

as a t7 owner i can say that the 450 mt feels much lighter than 195 kg , it has a low centre of gravity and it feels so much lighter , first time i hoped on 450 i could no belive how light weight it felt (all fluids full ) , in some way it convinced me to sell my t7 and buy an 450 mt but alsi in my country are all sold and some will arrive soon and those are all sold so i will stick to my t7 and continue our bounding :)))

I think the 450 MT is nothing more than a lower budget travel bike (compared to middle weight segment!) capable of carrying luggage up a rocky / gravel Alpine pass. Sure some guys on social media are drifting and jumping but for the average rider it is simply NOT a bike for technical riding. In reality, 80% of "offroading" in Europe is done on doubletracks, wide gravel roads and the odd sandy track. I'm sure it's very capable of that. I'm also sure it has just about enough power to be fun on the gravel, and okay on the road. I'm very sure saving 5000 quid (compared to a T7) goes a long way towards fuel and accomodation for 5 nice long holidays on said bike. Great bike to shake up the market!

Hello there! As a owner of the 450mt I can say it checks all the boxes! But, there is few “buts”. First of all I’m in China, dealership and parts is no problem, pretty much cost nothing to service and repair. Secondly there is no second choice like crf300rally, closets competition is klx 230. We do a lots of mid-range on&off road trips, it’s like 100km highway from where we at, then off-road crossing for another 80km, then go back to highway and 100km home. So for this kind of trip the 450mt is nearly perfect, we wish it could be 15kg lighter, but for now there is no better bike for us. For super long distance road trips the 450 is not the best, the fuel economy went crazy when cruising at 120kph, best cruising speed is about 100kph. Let me know if you have more questions.

The closer Chinese alternative is the Voge 300 rally

I think you need to lay both the 450MT and the T7 over with the bars on a scale and see how much the weight is. Because let's face it, you're not picking the whole bike off of the ground! Then you tell us, which you would prefer to pick up.

I decided to go down the lighter bike route for more focused off-road riding, so have a KTM 690 Enduro. I did look at the Honda and others before making a decision. But the KTM is 6kg lighter than the CRF 300 Rally with an additional 47bhp. I bought it used and so got it for a good price. Whilst I accept you don't need all that power off-road it definitely makes it a more appealing proposition when riding to trails and/or covering distance on it. There is no real 'unicorn' bike but the KTM is pretty close.

If you've got the skills then weight isn't an issue really, and in some ways it's your friend , especially so on the road. I think the modern phenomenon, or maybe its been around for years, who knows, is people just keep hopping from bike to bike, finding excuses to get the next big thing, and hope it solves their own riding inadequacies - which is fair enough, if you aren't Pol Tarres then maybe you would be better off on a lighter bike. Personally I buy what makes me drool in the showroom and stirs the loins on the trail, specs may be important for some but for me it's definitely more about feeling and connection. I'd also add in the big scheme of things the 300 rally is heavy, my CRF450L with a bigger tank and all by bags on for a multi-day trip weighs less than the rally - some of the trips I've done on my 450L would have been exhausting on anything totalling over 145kg, having to keep opening gates and riding very technical sections that require a fair bit of man-handling. As ever with these things, individual needs and preferences will determine what's best 👍

Light is right. I have a DR650 and have been riding it in the trails for the past 3 years. I have NEVER seen one of them big bikes in the trails. Its mostly all for show. AT least in my neck of the woods.

It actually Carrie’s the weight very well, doesn’t even feel as heavy as it is and picking up was easy with no luggage on it. Had mine for 2 months and I love it

I personally ride a heavily modded XR 650 R on the TET, because i love a light and capable bike, that i can ride hard and that is light, but not fragile. But im missing an electric start and fuel injection. The carb caused me to be stranded in france for 2 days a couple of weeks ago and im thinking about switching bikes again soon. The CRF 300 L/Rally could be the right bike for me with a couple of mods, but i was thinking about the CF Moto, Royal Enfield Himalayan, as well as a BMW G 650 Xchallange. For the first time in my life, i dont know, which bike i want to buy next. But to answer your question: In off road bikes, light is definitely always right

You're right about 1 thing, the weight on paper is 1 thing, how it rides/feels/handles is another. But like listening to a politician or someone trying to convince you about something, you need to listen to what they are 'not' saying. I loved my 2013 Triumph Trophy SE but it was so so top heavy compared to a Harley tourer, which actually weighed more. So let's talk about that aspect when it comes to weight. The 450MT, on paper, weighs close to the T7 but everyone knows the T7 is relatively tall and top-heavy, but the 450MT on the other hand carries its weight quite low because it is not top heavy at all - and that's the thing that makes a significant difference - it doesn't 'feel' heavy.