The Sleeper adventure bike that everyone overlooks

With so many adventure bikes hitting the market every year, it’s quite easy to overlook a few. Of all motorcycle segments, this is to some extent the busiest and the only segment that is still growing. The motorcycle industry as a whole is actually in something of a slump, but because exploring the wilderness continues to capture the imagination of so many, adventure bike sales remain strong.

As is the case with virtually every industry that involves mass production, China has well and truly arrived at the party. In the past, Chinese motorcycles were ridiculed due to their poor build quality and well-known designs. Over time they have learned from their mistakes and offer a number of attractive products including this exciting middleweight ADV.

In order to provide you with the most current and accurate information, the data used to compile this article was sourced from American metals. While the opinions are ours.

The Kove 800X Rally is the sleeper adventure bike that everyone overlooks

MSRP: $12,999

Simply put, it’s actually not that cheap. In short, that’s why it’s still overlooked. The expectation when buying a Chinese bike is that it will undercut all direct competition, and the 800X Rally simply doesn’t do that. However, it’s cheap for what it is, and if you’re willing to look beyond the initial sticker shock, what you’ll find might surprise you. Unfortunately, it has to contend with some established competitors at the end of the market.

The Yamaha Tenere 700 has the distinction of being one of the first truly off-road capable, lightweight adventure bikes to hit the market. It’s two thousand dollars cheaper than the Kove, but even the famously light Tenere is heavier. It also has 20 hp less than the Kove. That pretty much justifies the price gap, but no matter how you slice it, the Yamaha will still be the safe option.

Another similarly priced alternative comes in the form of the Aprilia Tuareg 660. The Italian is actually cheaper, but like the Tenere it is less powerful and heavier. If you’re willing to consider something a little more street-oriented, then the other Chinese 800 should be on your radar. So far, the CFMoto Ibex 800 E has proven to be a competitive, versatile adventure tourer, and the cheapest of them all.

The 800X Rally has a powerful and reliable engine

Power: 95 hp

Although no one seems to want to admit it, the 800X Rally has a mighty well-known engine. It has the same bore and stroke, the same power, and from the outside it has the same architecture as the now infamous LC8c parallel-twin. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it might be a duck. Or in this case a KTM.

An imperfect motorcycle with a checkered past

From the moment KTM enlisted CFMoto’s help to build these bikes, we all knew what would happen next; we just didn’t think it would happen so quickly. By all accounts, these Chinese-made LC8c engines are actually more reliable than their cam-shredding Austrian counterparts.

However, they are far from perfect and don’t benefit from the same attention to detail when it comes to refueling. The CFMoto 800s also have problems at low revs, but this is exacerbated by the fact that the Rally Pro version uses a cable throttle compared to the ride-by-wire setup on the other bikes (this was designed for ride-by-wire).

The 800X Rally is the lightest bike in its class

To achieve an almost unbelievable dry weight of 364 pounds, Kove made the decision to ditch virtually every modern feature, including the ride-by-wire throttle. It’s a truly minimalist offering, and while it may have a TFT dash, that, along with switchable ABS, is about the only modern feature you’ll find on the 800X Rally.

In many ways this is actually quite refreshing. You take the immensely powerful LC8c and put it in a lightweight dirt bike frame, with accompanying dirt bike suspension – borrowed from the 450 Rally – and what you get is a Baja-ready ADV. It’s a nice concept, but there’s a price to pay for something so dedicated.

The ADV has a Chinese origin

One inescapable truth is the simple fact that building a full-fledged rally engine like this, at a price that is still acceptable to consumers, means making the engine in China. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing in terms of overall product quality, for many there are ethical concerns surrounding virtually everything made there.

However flawed this logic may seem to some of us, it is a legitimate concern, but one that should not be limited to China. Most manufacturers build factories or at least buy some components in the developing world, where labor costs are significantly cheaper. This is the simple reality of any large for-profit company.

The other, less esoteric problem is the simple fact that most people buy adventure bikes for their versatility, and the 800X Rally is not a versatile motorcycle. It’s a real dedicated off-roader. It won’t be the most comfortable traveling companion, and it will be somewhat irritating to drive within the confines of a city with its stock. A reflash can solve that problem, but it certainly won’t make it more comfortable.