CFMOTO 1000MT-X 2026: The Knockout-Price Adventure Bike Tested

What makes a good bike? Does it have to beat the competition, must it simply never stand out for the wrong reasons, or is it enough if it meets the needs of its rider? The CFMOTO 1000MT-X raises exactly this question, because on paper it offers a hell of a lot of bike for astonishingly little money. To find out how much of that makes it onto the road, our tour leads from Wiener Neustadt via Vienna into the Waldviertel. After around two hours of motorway, almost empty corners between the Waldviertel and Mühlviertel await, along with 100 percent legal gravel roads. In our test quartet, the CFMOTO rides alongside the Honda Africa Twin, Husqvarna Norden 901 and Ducati DesertX. With its 112 hp it's actually the most powerful machine of the bunch. Whether it feels that way is another question.

During the second major heatwave of summer 2026, the Waldviertel is a blessing, and not just climatically. Away from the crowded Alpine passes, thousands of roads wind over wooded hills here. Hardly any traffic, no campervan convoys and rarely a cyclist to get past. You can stop wherever you like and throw yourself into the empty twisties. Our base is the MoHo Drei Hacken in the Yspertal, a traditional establishment with good food, route tips, a helmet cleaning station and Guy Martin photos on the walls. Host Andi has lived for bikes and hospitality for around 25 years, but is now looking for a successor. Anyone with a heart for bikes, guests and cooking might find not only a dreamlike touring region here, but a whole new calling.

In Austria, the 2026 1000MT-X is listed at 11,999 euros. For that you get a liquid-cooled 946 cc parallel twin with 112 hp and 105 Nm, Brembo brakes, a steering damper and fully adjustable KYB suspension. At the rear, the preload can even be conveniently adjusted via a handwheel. The low-slung 22.5-litre tank, 21- and 18-inch wheels and 230 mm of suspension travel at each end show that this isn't an adventure bike in name only. Add to that cruise control, a 6-axis Bosch IMU, cornering ABS, traction control and a massive 8-inch TFT with touch function. The integrated offline 3D navigation and Apple CarPlay are particularly brilliant. Why CFMOTO manages this while Ducati, BMW and the KTM group do without remains a mystery to me.

Sound, gearbox and quickshifter are definitely reminiscent of KTM. Given the not-so-long-ago technical partnership between Mattighofen and CFMoto, and since the KTM 990 engine with 947 cc is almost the same size, there is surely some technical kinship between the engines. This connection has not been confirmed, however. What really matters is how the CFMOTO twin rides. The familiar KTM twins already deliver serious grunt from the midrange between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm. That's not the case with the 1000 MT-X. Instead, the power is initially delivered to the rear wheel rather tamely, even at full throttle. Only from around 6,000 rpm does the engine wake up and suddenly pull hard. There's easily enough power for overtaking and riding pleasure, but that lively, revvy grunt and pull of the Austrian twins is missing. The CFMoto's 112 ponies hide pretty well in the lower half of the rev range.

The restrained midrange also has a pleasant side. The first crack of the throttle at the apex in particular used to be rough and unrefined on some Chinese bikes. There's nothing left of that here. The CFMOTO picks up the throttle smoothly, accelerates cleanly out of the corner and makes it easy for the rider to meter the power. On a normal tour, the late punch therefore hardly bothers. On the contrary, the 1000MT-X feels good-natured and predictable. For 90, perhaps even 99 percent of all road situations, there's enough power on tap. Only those who deliberately wring out the engine while devouring corners, looking for that fat midrange grunt KTM riders love, will wait too long for the music here. That's not bad. It's just less exciting than 112 hp on the spec sheet would lead you to expect.

On the motorway, this relaxed character fits very well. The seating position is upright, as typical for an adventure bike, the upper body stays straight and there's zero pressure on the wrists. The seat height of 875 mm sounds substantial, but the narrow waist helps you get your feet down. The small windscreen adjustment looks simple, but at 1.85 m it takes almost all the wind off my helmet. Only the shoulders still get a little breeze. The wide front protects the rest of the body well, and cruise control and quickshifter make long stages easier. It gets less comfortable in the heat. The low tank helps the centre of gravity but channels engine heat straight onto your shins. You feel it even through heavy-duty touring trousers. In motorcycle jeans in hot city traffic, your shanks will probably get grilled medium rare.

At 222 kg wet weight, the big CFMOTO is no featherweight, but it can legally carry another 243 kg. That's why, combined with a practical luggage system, it takes on the role of pack mule on our tour. The SHAD SH38X side cases can be expanded via a lever and pulled out to what feels like double the width. For the journey there, luggage and rain jacket disappear inside; for day tours, the cases shrink back down and the bike's rear stays pleasantly narrow. The large SH51 top case carries the camera equipment. Since the cases are made of plastic, they don't add unnecessary weight. Of course, a lot of weight far back still affects riding dynamics, which is why the luggage is removed for the more dynamic stages. But as a versatile travel system, this combination is extremely practical.

The wheels are shod with the Metzeler Karoo 4, in my opinion one of the best 50/50 tyres. Its U-shaped knobs bite hard on loose surfaces without needlessly spoiling road riding. On tarmac it rolls surprisingly quietly, lasts reasonably long and turns in without any harsh tipping points. At big lean angles you can of course feel the knobs working, but the limit announces itself clearly. The CFMOTO's smooth power delivery additionally helps with fine throttle control.

But fittingly for the tyres, this test doesn't take place on tarmac alone. Riding with us is an expert, Jakob Weinknecht, who has been riding on loose surfaces in many countries for years and works on navigation hardware, software, smartphone connectivity and a possible revival of the TET Austria. He shows us some sections of this TET. This excursion isn't heavy off-road terrain. But they are legal gravel roads, which you're already grateful for in over-regulated Austria.

The fully adjustable KYB suspension is clearly on the comfortable side. It willingly soaks up bumps and makes normal touring pleasant, but doesn't pass on small impacts with the fine clarity that more expensive components offer. As a result, some front-end feel is missing when riding briskly. The ergonomics reinforce this impression. The handlebar is a touch too high for me, the footpegs a little too far forward. That makes it harder to actively bring the upper body forward. The CFMOTO isn't unwieldy because of this, but it invites gliding rather than blasting. Standing up, it's a positive surprise. The low tank creates space, the position is less touring-oriented than expected and on gravel the bike can be steered cleanly via the pegs. From motorway to the lightest off-road, the package is well thought out.

The biggest gap to the pricier competition lies in the tuning of the rider aids. The three-level traction control intervenes extremely coarsely, even in its lowest setting. On gravel, the power comes in surges, disappears abruptly and kicks back in. That's three leagues below the finely working systems of established manufacturers. On tarmac, too, the intervention is clearly noticeable and can easily unsettle the machine. At least you notice when the tyre is overwhelmed, but that's no proof of quality. The cornering ABS lags less far behind, but also doesn't feel particularly sophisticated and is somewhat overcautious. The quickshifter works in around 90 percent of cases as crisply as you'd expect from KTM. But especially from first to second gear it occasionally chokes completely, briefly cuts power and then picks up again. This needs fine-tuning.

The low price has to be noticeable somewhere, otherwise the established manufacturers would have a real problem. A new Yamaha Ténéré 700 with 73 hp already costs more than the CFMOTO, while adventure bikes with well over 100 hp in Austria often start at around 15,000 to 16,000 euros. In many areas of use, the 1000MT-X achieves what feels like 80 percent of what machines costing 5,000 to 10,000 euros more can do. For relaxed touring riders, comfort, wind protection, payload, features and easily metered power weigh more heavily than the last few percent of precision. But anyone who likes to ride at deep lean angles, use the engine fully and rely on the finest interventions from traction control and ABS will feel the difference. The knockout price is real, but it doesn't simply magic away the competition's years of development.

So what does it take to make a good bike? The answer depends heavily on the rider. If you buy an adventure bike for relaxed cruising, the CFMOTO 1000MT-X gives you a hell of a lot for your money. It rides comfortably over long stages, carries enormous loads, works on twisty roads and cuts a good figure on easy gravel tracks too. The rich features, including Apple CarPlay and offline navigation, set benchmarks in this and even higher price classes. Sporty riders will criticise the late power kick, the passive ergonomics, the less-than-sensitive suspension and above all the coarse control systems. For laid-back riders, the intense engine heat remains the only drawback that can really be a constant annoyance. The CFMOTO isn't perfect. But for 11,999 euros it's an exciting price-breaker that glides rather than blasts and gets an astonishing amount right.