Since the decline of the Supersport 600 began, sports cars have been limited to the superbike segment and little else, such as some 125s or atrocities like the Kawasaki H2. Then, little by little, A2 users saw some models come onto the market with a fairly sporty touch, such as the radical KTM RC390 or the new Aprilia RS457. Interesting mounts, but still a far cry from those of the 600. Basically, it never intended to take the place left by these motorcycles, some of which have survived for a while and others are coming back to market, which has a strong nostalgic touch for many.
It is said that the market has matured and therefore, together with the various economic and insurance vicissitudes with crazy, sometimes absurd prices, sports shoes have lost weight in the annual results. In addition to the low sales figures, emissions regulations made these sports cars less profitable. The latter are more accurate than maturity, along with prices and various crises to justify the demise of super sports, since the maturity of the market does not seem to be a real reason, because if so, why are the sports returning? ? be fashionable? In reality, sneakers have never gone out of fashion, they have just been partially adapted – transformed nakedfor example – or they became significantly more expensive.
The adaptation to the market will bring back the “small” sports cars and, in addition, bring a concept that we did not have in Europe: the 400 cubic centimeter and four-cylinder sports cars. A type of motorcycle that was successful in Japan – for regulatory reasons – and had engines with more than 15,000 revolutions. In fact, these bikes are already on the rise, with the Kawasaki ZX-4R at the forefront, followed by the Kove 450 RR – whose aesthetic is clearly inspired by the Ducati Panigale. Two more than interesting models with a power of more than 70 hp – the green model has almost 80 hp – and this will undoubtedly be the first in an interesting segment that already has a new member: the CFMOTO 500SR.
CFMOTO wants to take on the world and the latest launches are the best example, which is further reinforced by the new sport confirmed by the brand itself but still in the future. A motorcycle that, like the one mentioned above, has a limited displacement engine distributed over four cylinders and seasoned with a fairly sporty touch. The data in this regard is limited, but officially it is said that it can reach 230 km/h and will have forged aluminum pistons. Everything else is pure speculation, such as the power rating, which should be around 80 or 90 hp – like the Supersports of the 90s, no less.
An interesting detail is that we know quite a bit about its design and also other topics thanks to some images that the brand itself has published of the motorcycle, albeit with camouflage, in the purest automotive style. Camouflage, by the way, which always allows us to see a detail – because the brand wants us to see it under all circumstances. Therefore, it appears that it will have a double-beam chassis, an inverted fork with thick bars and a relatively simple rear swingarm. We cannot say anything about possible regulations.
Some details are interesting, such as the rear tire cover or the parts attached to the front brake discs with a presumably aerodynamic function. We don’t know if both elements will go into production, but here they cannot hide the radially anchored front brake calipers. On the other hand, the dome has quite small dimensions and in the profile view, the curves of the tank and how compact the whole thing appears are noticeable. It also gives the impression that there are aerodynamic elements at the front that follow current trends. The semi-handlebar is placed above the seat post and there is no seat for a hypothetical passenger, although given the short and high tail it is almost better to exclude this possibility, although the production version certainly offers this option.
We can’t ignore the similarities with the CFMOTO 450SR. The front, for example, has very similar shapes at the level of the headlight and the dome, although on the 500SR it appears to be lower and closer to the steering wheel. The handlebar halves are – at first glance – placed in an almost identical position and the tank-seat-tail assembly has a certain airiness in terms of shapes and volume. Details, however, are logical since they are models of the same brand.
In addition to the 500SR, CFMOTO also presented a sports car with a 675 cc three-cylinder engine, similar to the Triumph Daytona 675, of which they also showed a camouflaged prototype that, as expected, looks “fatter”. A motorcycle that should be a direct competitor to the Kawasaki ZX-6R and the Honda CBR 600 RR.
It is possible that CFMOTO will use the EICMA celebration to announce the production model, which is scheduled to hit stores in 2024, although without confirming exact dates yet. It is expected that marketing will initially begin in China and then expand to Europe and the USA.
The development presented by this Chinese company is very remarkable, there are even rumors of a superbike with a V4 engine and more than 200 horsepower currently in development. But there’s a trick to it all, because without KTM’s help everything could have been different, right? It was a great success for CFMOTO to sign a contract with the Austrian.
