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The adventure bike you have in the driveway is too tall, too heavy, and has too many cylinders. It's also not fast enough, lacks wind protection, and the gas tank is too small. Oh, you've got tubeless wheels? Good luck with those on the trail. You run tubes? Have fun removing your wheel on the side of the road.
Obviously, you bought the wrong bike — at least according to the comments section on your social media of choice.
In the face of all the conflicting customer feedback, the number of options in the adventure segment has expanded as manufacturers try to create the perfect adventure bike (at least for someone, even if not for you). CFMOTO's newest entry is the Ibex 450, a relative of the 450SS sport bike Ari reviewed favorably. Has the company found the Holy Grail of lightweight adventure bikes? Not exactly, but the Ibex 450 might be the best attempt so far.
Ibex specs
Contradicting opinions aside, there is one group of riders that has categorically been neglected in the adventure world: the vertically challenged. CFMOTO has set the bar high (or low, depending on how you look at it) with a massive range of seat height adjustment. The stock seat height is an already approachable 32.4 inches and, thanks to an alternate shock linkage mounting position, riders can drop down to 31.5 inches without breaking out their wallets or any specialty tools and without sacrificing any of the precious eight inches of suspension travel or 8.7 inches of ground clearance. Don't worry, tall riders, there is a seat for you, too, and it brings the saddle up to 34.25 inches.
Suspension is KYB, and up front offers preload, compression, and rebound damping adjustments while the rear offers preload adjustment via a threaded collar and rebound damping adjustment. With an MSRP of just $6,500, this level of adjustment on the suspension is a very welcome surprise, and isn't matched by any competitors until you step up almost $4,000 to a Yamaha Ténéré 700 — which, by the way, has less rear suspension travel than the humble Ibex 450.
The other stand out feature for this price point? Tubeless spoked wheels in common 18-inch rear and 21-inch front sizes!
Lower than its peers seems to be a universal theme with the Ibex, which isn't always a bad thing. Sure the 449 cc, 270-degree-crank parallel twin won't win any dyno wars with only 44 horsepower and 32.5 foot-pounds of torque, but CFMOTO also claims a dry weight of 386 pounds. Their staff tells us fully fueled up the Ibex 450 sits around 425 pounds, which splits the difference nicely between the lighter single-cylinder options and more substantial middleweights. Electronics are sparse, but well thought out, with 2.0 Channel Bosch ABS that is switchable from the handlebar with a dedicated button (sorry Pol Tarrés, ABS can be turned off at the rear wheel only). Both ends of the bike wear J.Juan braking components and a keen observer will notice only one 320 mm floating rotor tied to a four-pot radial-mount caliper up front.
All of the Ibex's info is brought to you by a very crisp five-inch TFT display and includes a USB-C port to keep all of your devices charged. Our press bikes were completely stock, aside from being equipped with accessory crash bars, which cost another $275 before tax.
Riding the CFMOTO Ibex 450: A rocky start
The global launch for the Ibex 450 took place on the beautiful island of El Nido in the Philippines, and despite being briefed that this would be a largely on-road day, we found dirt early and often. I'd say the ride was about 50/50 between the two, but in CFMOTO's defense, many of the "roads" on our route would be considered two-track trails in my corner of the globe.
Before taking off from the hotel, CFMOTO helped us make adjustments to the handlebar and controls to suit our individual needs. My bike had the tall accessory seat fitted with the linkage in the standard position, putting the Ibex in its tallest trim. I'm five feet, 11 inches tall, and even with this configuration, I was easily able to flat foot the bike, thanks in part to the very soft seat. At 155 pounds, I didn’t have any comfort issues with it, but I could definitely see the seat being a bit too soft for heavier riders. Those above six feet tall might complain about the distance from the seat to pegs.
It didn't take long to find the other shortcomings of the budget bike's standard equipment. Fueling off the bottom, especially in first and second gear, was reminiscent of early fuel-injected bikes and could be a bit unpredictable without slipping the clutch to compensate. CFMOTO prioritized a featherweight clutch pull that is unfortunately at the expense of lever feel, with a narrow engagement zone, but I'll admit it took almost no time to get used to this. Adjustable levers on both sides are a nice touch, but by the end of the ride had a bit more play than I would want for a bike in my garage.
These all were fairly minor complaints that compounded each other, but the CFMOTO's cardinal sin is its front brake. The single rotor offered plenty of stopping power for the bike's modest speeds but calling the brake feel "wooden" might be a compliment. Despite building pressure at the lever very quickly, the brakes didn't seem to do anything until my fingers were halfway to the bar.
As we started off at a slower pace to acclimate to El Nido's traffic laws (or lack thereof), the suspension felt surpisingly harsh and vague at the front. Add it up, and the first few miles on the Ibex 450 did not give a good first impression. Combined with the sweltering heat and humidity, I was worried we were in for a long day, but the only thing more important than a first impression is the last.
Meshing with the Ibex
As the day progressed, I quickly acclimated to the light clutch and quirky fueling, thanks in large part to the excellent ergonomics that helped me slowly forget about the shortcomings that dominated my first moments on the bike. The seating position is extremely neutral and the taller accessory seat's flat profile made it really easy to move around on the bike. The handlebar is wide but not quite as vast as something like my Ducati DesertX at home. Unlike many bikes in the sub-1000 cc adventure world (looking at you, Tiger 900), the Ibex 450 comes with wide and supportive footpegs that were comfortable out of the box for standing all day, and in combination with the soft seat made for an excellent interface to lock into the bike in off-road riding.
Powering the Ibex 450 is an absolute peach of a motor. Other sub-500 cc twins and singles beware. Power delivery is punchy but approachable throughout the rev range and the rich exhaust note offers a level of satisfaction extremely unique to CFMOTO's 450 engine platform. Fueling issues aside, the engine is fantastic, especially mated to the well spaced six-speed gearbox. Rowing through the gears on road was incredibly rewarding and off-road, even from a dead stop, the Ibex happily chugged up hills. The bike was starting to make a good case for itself but it wasn't until we picked up the pace off-road that the Ibex 450 came into its own.
Up until this ride, I'd assumed the suspension was going to be soft and spongy in an attempt to keep the seat height as low as possible and appeal to newer riders in the adventure segment, but (as I mentioned earlier) I was surprised to find how harsh the ride was around town. All it took was a quick left turn onto some open two-track to completely flip the switch. For the first time all day, we had a chance at an open trail with a 30-second gap set between each rider to go as fast as we dared. The second I cracked the throttle, the harshness and vague front end feel disappeared. On all but the largest hard-edged obstacles, the bike was planted and predictable across the sandy beaches, fine silt, and rocky tracks that littered our ride. At a spirited pace, the 450 is happy to change direction with good front end feel and provides plenty of confidence to steer with the rear wheel. The front had a slight tendency to deflect off of obstacles not hit squarely, but this was reminiscent of the way my first-gen KTM 890 Adventure R felt at the low speeds I was capable of early in my off-road riding career a few years ago. And the KTM was more than double the cost of this CFMOTO.
I took a closer look at the suspension on our next break and found there was almost no preload on the rear shock, leading me to believe that the low-speed harshness and vagueness of the front I initially felt was a result of not enough weight on the front end. I'd love to get another crack at the IBEX 450 back home and take the time to properly set up the suspension. There is a large range of adjustment and I think this is an easy fix that would make a big improvement across the board.
I'm not sure if CFMOTO left the 80/20 street-biased CST A4 tires (a Chinese clone of the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR) on the bike to show off just how good the chassis is, but I was very impressed with mechanical grip. I was desperate for more dirt-biased tires, though, once we got to the off-road park, which was primarily composed of deep silt beds with steep hairpin climbs. It wasn't easy for my butt gyroscope to tell if the excellent balance of the motorcycle was a result of a lower center of gravity or just less overall weight than the chunkier Ténérés, Tigers, and DesertXs I've ridden recently, but it was very confidence-inspiring. Unlike so many bikes at this price point, the 450 has the potential to grow with riders and serve them well for much longer as they improve their off-road riding skills.
I'd love to speak more about the bike's wind protection and touring capabilities, but unfortunately, due to the nature of the roads in El Nido, we only saw 65 mph for a few seconds, at most. With that caveat out of the way, I can say confidently that I really appreciated the size and functionality of the windscreen. One-handed adjustments of the sceen are easy enough with a twisting mechanism that locks into place at each detent. I purposely ran the bike at those higher speeds in second and third gear to see how the engine felt at the higher rpms one might experience at interstate speeds and I can report that this engine is very smooth all over the rev range.
That looks like a nice hill to die on…
I'll be the first to admit; I was very skeptical about a Chinese-made motorcycle promising full-size adventure-bike performance on a pint-sized budget. OK, that's not the full truth. I also admit that as someone with a very expensive Italian adventure bike in the garage that cost triple the price of the Ibex 450, I was also worried about the potential for buyer's remorse. As hesitant as I was going into this launch, mile by mile the downright premium looks and playful character of this motorcycle warmed my heart. So much so in fact that I actually began to worry about the comments that might appear below this article because of this motorcycle's Chinese origins.
This is not just a good "entry-level" adventure bike. This is a very good adventure bike that, with a few tweaks, could be a great adventure bike. Just as Ari found that the CFMOTO 450SS not only exceeded expectations, but also competed head to head with the established competition, CFMOTO has set a standard for small-displacement adventure bikes and no one comes close to matching. The combination of low seat height, ground clearance, suspension adjustment, ergonomics, and standard features will hopefully put the fear of God into competing brands.
One of the reasons I like the DesertX in my garage so much is because it's a bike I've been able to grow with as I develop my off-road skills. Because of its excellent chassis and range of suspension adjustment, it's been confidence-inspiring for me to push myself beyond my comfort zone and discover more riding than I ever thought possible. It's also a huge motorcycle with a seat so tall I have to hang my butt off at stop lights, it's expensive to replace broken parts, and as equipped it cost me just shy of $20,000 before taxes.
Is the Ibex 450 a bit rough around the edges? Absolutely. Is it as capable or sophisticated as the DesertX or KTM 890 R that I mentioned previously? Nope. But the fact that I'm drawing comparisons between the Ibex 450 with motorcycles that are two and three times the cost is absolutely bananas.
The Ibex 450 is not "good for a Chinese bike." It is good for a motorcycle. Worried about parts availability and dealer network? There are more than 330 dealers in the United States, as of this year. Don't want to support a Chinese manufacturer? Throw away your iPhone and half the components in your European motorcycle. There will still be people in the comments who don't want to support a Chinese brand for personal or political reasons, and that's fine. The purpose of a motorcycle review is to evaluate the motorcycle, not help you formulate your opinions on geopolitics.
With the Ibex 450, CFMOTO is sending a message to every competitor out there: This is the lightweight adventure bike that customers need.
| 2024 CFMOTO Ibex 450 | |
|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $6,500 |
| Engine | 450 cc, liquid-cooled, eight-valve, parallel twin |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Six-speed, chain |
| Claimed horsepower | 44 @ 8,500 rpm |
| Claimed torque | 32.5 foot-pounds @ 6,250 rpm |
| Frame | Tubular steel |
| Front suspension | KYB 41 mm inverted fork, adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping; 7.9 inches of travel |
| Rear suspension | KYB shock, adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping; 7.9 inches of travel |
| Front brake | Single J.Juan four-piston caliper, 320 mm disc with ABS |
| Rear brake | J.Juan single-piston caliper, 240 mm disc with switchable ABS |
| Wheelbase | 59.25 inches |
| Seat height | 31.5 to 32.4 inches; 34.25 inches with optional seat |
| Fuel capacity | 4.6 gallons |
| Tires | CST A4 90/90R21 front, 140/70R18 rear |
| Claimed weight | 386 pounds dry, 425 wet |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| More info | cfmoto.com |
