Star Wars 2 : Attack of the Clones (Kawasaki ER6-N look-alike @ RM25k)

Okay, so I haven't really turned this bike site into a movie review site; but just bear with me here. There's a new bike in town- and it draws inspiration of its design from the... *drum roll please* ... 2006 - 2011 Kawasaki ER6-N.

The bike is branded as CF Moto, and the model in discussion is the 650NK. Read a first-hand short review @ Lowyat Bike Forum :

Cash price, OTR = RM 25,700 + free HJC ff helmet + free riding jacket






The bike is almost an exact copy of an ER6-n, albeit from an older model. Not gonna give details about those, since you can read that from the many articles in the internet

Like the Migelli, I had only 5 min to look at + 5 min to ride (it's I who is in a hurry)

First impression

The bike is using all chinese parts, including the tyres. CST (Chin Shen Tyres) tyres, with the exact same size and profile as the ones found on a standard ER6-n.

Chain is sourced from a Japanese company

Shocks and forks are from Kayaba (told by the Manager)

Now, what is interesting about this bike? It's surprisingly lightweight. Significantly lighter than an ER6-n, and significantly lower. Newbies will have lots more confidence riding this bike. I was told it weighs around 190+kg. Dunno how the Chinese managed to shave off more than 30kg from an identical ER6-n.

Riding time.

Engine sound is soft. Muffled noise from the exhaust. Was told the you can slip on an Akra or an Arrow there (doubt that those company gonna make one for them at this time. Perhaps another 5 years?)

The bike handles well. Acceleration is as expected. But you can feel it has less torque than an ER6-n (I have a 2012, so can feel the diff). Can't test top speed due to the place (come on lar, in a carnival park)

Clutch feels cheap. I don't know how to describe the feeling, but imagine riding a 10 year old TZM with the clutch cable never replaced. That's how it feels. Soggy. And lots of play.

Chassis is very visible. Red color. Ducati copy? In essence, it has Ducati brain More on that later.



The things underneath the bike seat is flimsy. Not properly secured. Everything moves around and I dread to think that I may lose the battery while doing a super corner or something (see how easily I can pull out the ECU in the next photo).

Overall, the bike finishes is a bit below what is expected. Suffice to say, the brand new bike quality and finishes is no better than what I can have with my brand new Yamaha Ego 125LC a year ago.

Now come the juicy bits

According to the manager, the Power Commander (PC) for this particular bike has been ordered and one can expect an increase of 7 - 9 HP. Price? A reasonable RM 800+. The PC is plug and play as the port is ready on the bike (in the picture, it's the black port beside the ECU)

And remember the Ducati brain? Behold, the ECU of the 650NK:



It's a Ducati! A Ducati ECU. Can't imagine how a Duc ecu ends up in a Chinese bike.

Conclusion - bike looks nice. A competitor to the Blade650 and ER6-n. But I was expecting it to be priced cheaper, as I still have the made-in-china stigma. If the bike is priced below 20k, I'd guess they have a winner.