The Honda Africa Twin has long since established itself as one of the leading adventure motorcycles within the industry. It offers an impeccable reliability record, more comfort than just about any other ADV on the market, and enough modern features to keep most riders satisfied. It also offers an unrivaled dealer network and the peace of mind you get with virtually any Honda product. Understandably, it is a hard bike to ignore, but it isn’t exactly cheap. While competitively priced when compared to its direct rivals, there is one bike that makes it look pretty expensive. The only catch is that it doesn’t come from any of the established brands.
The Adventure-Touring Segment Is Jam-Packed With Great Options
BMW has dominated the adventure-touring space for literal decades with the full-sized GS, but it is the smaller F 900 GS Adventure that offers the most value these days. Although technically a middleweight bike, it is positioned to take on the more budget-friendly full-sized Japanese bikes in terms of size and weight. While there is no disputing its travel potential, ticking just a couple of options boxes will inflate the price substantially.
For just a few hundred more dollars, the MV Agusta Enduro Veloce offers immense bang for the buck. Fully kitted with panniers as well as crash protection and a long list of electronic features. It represents a clear show of intent from the exclusive Italian brand, but it is still a bike from an exclusive Italian brand, and it simply won’t be cheap to run. The bike in question certainly has the potential to be cheaper to run, and with an MSRP of just over $10k, it is most certainly a lot cheaper to buy.
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The CFMoto Ibex 800 E Quietly Wins Against The Africa Twin
MSRP: $10,299
That brings us to the CFMoto Ibex 800 E. In terms of specification, this sits between the base model Africa Twin and the Adventure Sports ES model. The only thing missing is the electronic suspension, but for this price, it is pretty hard to be critical. CFMoto has come out swinging with a host of great motorcycles that undercut the competition. It isn’t a case of the brand “dumping” these bikes either. They are simply built on a budget, and with the volume of motorcycles being built, the economies of scale bring the price right down. On paper, the Ibex looks like an unbeatable bargain.
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The Ibex 800 E Has A Potent Parallel-Twin Designed In Austria
Power: 94 Horsepower
In an effort to keep production costs down, KTM enlisted the help of CFMoto to build the 790 parallel-twin. Naturally, this deal allowed CFMoto to also make use of the engine, and apparently also build it for other Chinese brands. Right from the very beginning, this seemed like a strange move, because KTM already had an arrangement with Bajaj, who manufacture all the smaller KTM street bikes. Predictably, the relationship soured the moment Bajaj took full control of the company, but it feels as though CFMoto was the big winner in this particular deal, now armed with a sophisticated – not to mention potent – parallel-twin. Unfortunately for CFmoto, this is an engine with a reputation.
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The Cheese-Cam Debacle
When an engine has an entire website dedicated to it, then you know something has to be up. The LC8c was a problem child right from the very beginning, with several minor issues and niggles. For any model in its first year of production, this is to be expected, and KTM resolved everything quickly, or so it seemed. Once bikes started accumulating higher mileage, cams started failing. KTM has since come out and admitted that there was an oil starvation issue, and claimed to have fixed the issue before production in China even began. So far, the Chinese-built 790s seem to be doing OK, but we will only know for sure once these bikes have accumulated more miles. Either way, we would still highly recommend getting an extended warranty for added peace of mind.
The Ibex 800 E Is A Feature-Rich ADV
The Ibex isn’t just feature-rich; it is a smorgasbord of modern motorcycle technology. You get cornering ABS, lean-sensitive traction control, ride modes, cruise control, a quickshifter, and a big TFT dash with Apple CarPlay. In terms of physical features, you get a radar-based blind spot monitor, an adjustable windshield, crash protection, luggage racks, spotlights, adjustable KYB suspension, and a steering stabilizer. No hidden costs, nothing left optional, everything is standard. In terms of comfort and features, it doesn’t just beat the Africa Twin, it honestly takes the fight to the more expensive Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES. But, in the real world, you always get what you pay for.
The Real Cost
Anyone who has ever owned a Chinese smartphone will actually have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the Ibex. While the specs all look fantastic, it never seems to perform quite as well as you might expect, and it just feels cheap. The CFMoto Ibex 800E is a bike that has been built on a budget, and the moment you get on it, you will immediately be greeted by plastics and buttons that just don’t feel like they belong on a motorcycle that costs over $10k. If you were to get on one of those Africa Twins after riding this, the gulf in quality is only exacerbated.
The fuel is also a little off at low revs, which is not ideal if you plan on taking the bike off-road. This is not an issue that is unique to CFMoto, with several manufacturers struggling with the lean targets set by emissions regulators. But fixing it would require an ECU reflash or a piggyback fuel controller, both of which would void your all-important warranty.
While the Ibex might have the Africa Twin’s number in terms of overall value, there is still a lot of risk involved in the purchase. Only the individual buyer will be able to decide if the risk is worth the potential reward. Odds are, you will get a bike that is perfectly reliable. But, there will always be that nagging feeling that “this might be the ride when it finally lets me down.”
Sources: CFMoto, failedcams.com