CF Moto 450 MT Suspension Information & Upgrades

Under 10 thousand dollarydoos, with factory KYB adjustable suspension!? These cheap little adventure bikes have features you normally only see at twice the price. Yes, corners have been cut, but our parts un-cut them.

The MT has a big colourful multifunction display, Bosch ABS & Traction Control, a torquey 450cc twin cylinder that sounds nice... this modern offroader gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

Even the stock Kayaba suspension is above expectations for this price point and is closely related to the setup on the Ducati Desert-X & Aprilia Tuareg. Apart from excessive brake dive, ride quality is decent up front, but the rear is only really acceptable for tarmac due to being over-sprung & under-damped. Both ends are adjustable, but the clickers don't adjust the dampers enough to solve problems. You can't expect perfection on the cheap - so there's still plenty of room for improvement.

Unfortunately, despite having less than 2,000 kms on our motorbike's odometer, we observed some early wear on both the chrome fork inner tubes & shock anodizing so we'll be keeping an eye on future customer bikes and finding solutions to increase durability.

CFMoto 450MT Forks

KYB 41mm split-function forks with 200mm of travel: rebound adjustment in the left leg & compression adjustment in the right leg. Preload can be tuned on the caps too (30mm installed with 15mm adjustability).

We've developed a fork upgrade kit which addresses the braking droop & bulks out the dampening for more adventurous riding - plus it makes those adjusters far more responsive - giving real noticeable differences for each click. It's an evolution of our proven DesertX & Tuareg sets, so has a lot of data & experience behind it, despite being brand new.

Stock springs are progressives which start at 3.0 and rise to 4.8 N/mm, but we offer a range of linear rates in Hi-Calibre's 19-105 series springs. Progressive rate fork springs often feel unpredictable to dirt riders pushing hard - the change isn't just for simplicity sake - you want to see a bump & already know exactly how hard it is going to hit, something which gets skewed about by progression.

We noticed high breakaway friction on the factory oil & dust seals, showing noticeable drag on the dyno, so we recommend a switch to performance SKF parts for better response.

CFMoto 450MT Shock

KYB 40mm bore Rear Monotube Coilover Shock Absorber with a horizontal mounted piggyback bladder reservoir. They're good components, but not developed enough for rough Australian trails. A clicker tunes reb damping but not comp, so we are making a rebound separator valve based kit to help give more balanced tuning results - stay tuned to this station.

There is a wide variety of rates available in HiCalibre's 20-048 series Shock Springs to fit all sorts of rider weights. Pre-load is tuned between 7 & 20mm with castellated ring nuts using an unusual M50x2 thread.

For those wanting instant bolt-on performance improvement, Tractive have two fully-rebuildable aftermarket shocks ready, both of which come with hydraulic spring preload adjustment for quick tool-free changes when carrying luggage or a pillion passenger. The X-Cite series shocks are lighter on the wallet and best suited for mixed terrain or light off-roading, featuring a single clicker that tunes comp & reb damping together. The X-Treme series dampers are for riders who need full control, ready for loaded adventure touring & aggressive demanding high-speed technical terrain. It features advanced PDS bottoming control & increased valving - with separate adjusters for rebound, high speed compression & low speed compression.

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