CFMoto 450NK Naked on Way

Naked 449cc roadster will go up against Kawasaki Z400.

CFMoto is working on a new 449cc naked roadster based on its 450SS sportbike.CFMoto

Ever since CFMoto launched the 450SS sportbike built around its own all-new 449cc parallel-twin engine it’s been clear that more models would follow using the same mill. Now the first of those has emerged and it’s a naked roadster that promises to be a tempting middleweight bargain.

The upcoming CFMoto 450NK hasn’t been officially revealed yet, but it’s appeared in new Chinese type-approval documents that include a photograph of the bike in complete, showroom-ready form. Unsurprisingly, it shares more than just its engine with the 450SS (which is offered outside the USA as the 450SR), also borrowing the sportbike’s chassis and suspension as well as some of its bodywork. Essentially, where the 450SS is a rival to Kawasaki’s Ninja 400, the 450NK will go up against the Z400.

In terms of performance, the new 450NK mirrors the 450SS. With the same engine—a parallel twin using a 270-degree crankshaft for more charismatic, V-twin-style power delivery—it puts out 50 hp at 9,500 rpm and 28.8 lb.-ft. at 7,600 rpm. Those numbers give a tiny edge over the Kawasaki rivals, which top out at 48 hp at 10,000 rpm and 28 lb.-ft. at 8,000 rpm. In terms of weight, there’s again almost nothing to choose between them; the 450SS weighs a fraction more than the Ninja 400, 370 pounds for the Chinese machine, 366 pounds for the Japanese one, and the new 450NK comes in at 364 pounds, which is the same as the Z400 right down to the decimal point.

Kawasaki’s Z400 will be the 450NK’s direct rival.Kawasaki

On price, the 450SS has a $5,499 MSRP, sliding in a couple of hundred dollars below the comparable, ABS-equipped Ninja 400, and with that in mind we can expect the 450NK to carry a tag of around $5,199, a similar margin below the Z400. However, when you look at the equipment levels, the Chinese bikes start to draw clear. An upside-down fork instead of the Kawasakis’ right-way-up design. A radial, Brembo four-piston front brake caliper and a 320mm rotor instead of an axial two-piston design on a 310mm disc. The CFMoto models also sport a 5-inch color TFT dash where the Kawasakis have analog and monochrome LCD displays.

While the 450NK has the same steel frame and cast aluminum swingarm as the 450SS and carries over the sportbike’s seat and tail bodywork, the visual changes are more extreme than simply stripping the fairing off. CFMoto has redesigned the fuel tank for the NK, with separate body panels cutting into the tank’s shoulders and jutting forward each side of the fork. At the front they’re shaped to conform with the headlight’s design, so the two elements don’t clash when the bars are turned. That headlight is a Y-shaped unit that matches the design language seen on the new, KTM-engined 800NK, and below it sits a distinctive front fender with a V-shaped upper surface, again mimicking the larger bike. On either side there’s a faux-carbon cowl hiding the radiator’s edges while a two-piece belly section wraps around the engine’s oil pan.

The 450NK is visually related to its larger sibling the 800NK.CFMoto

Details given on the Chinese type-approval reveal that the 450NK’s dimensions are generally shared with the 450SS, with the length and wheelbase essentially unchanged, but the NK’s bars are a couple of inches wider than the SS’ and sit substantially higher. The footpegs are also new, mounted lower and further forward than the sportbike’s versions to give a more upright riding position.

Given the timing of the Chinese type-approval, the 450NK is likely to get an official unveiling within the next two or three months, and we’d expect production versions of the bike to start appearing in dealers sometime in 2024.

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