CFMoto 1000MT-X (2026) review, spec, features and details

The long-awaited CFMoto 1000MT-X has finally arrived in the UK, taking the brand into new territory as it launches its largest capacity model to date. While the look and styling of the new machine are close to that of the existing 800MT-X, the new bike boasts more power and torque, yet still undercuts much of the mainstream competition.

To find out how the new bike handles, we spent a day riding one in South Wales, with a morning spent on-road, and the afternoon off-road at the tight and technical Enduro World dirt bike centre.

CFMoto 1000MT-X price vs the rivals

The new MT-X will be landing in UK dealerships priced at £8,699 plus OTR charges. That makes it just £1,700 more than its smaller sibling, the 800MT-X. Comparing that to the competition paints a very positive picture for CFMoto, with it undercutting the base model KTM 790 Adventure by £1,300. It also sees the CFMoto landing a shade under £6,000 less than one of the leaders of the adventure pack, the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro.

While both of the rivals noted above are bikes from long-standing European manufacturers, the old claims levelled at most other Chinese brands are arguably redundant here, thanks to CFMoto’s build quality and European take on Chinese motorcycle manufacturing.

UK buyers will have the options of Aerolite Grey, as ridden on-road, and Tactical Green bikes. For those looking for more touring ability, black and silver aluminium panners are available as an option, as well as heated seats, taller screens and a centre stand.

1000MT-X spec, tech and features

The 1000MT-X is built around a 946.2cc parallel-twin engine, and while the layout might sound familiar on paper, the numbers suggest CFMoto is pitching this bike firmly at the sharper end of the middleweight-adventure market. The liquid-cooled DOHC motor uses an eight-valve head, Bosch EFI and produces 110bhp at 8,500rpm, while torque peaks at 77.4lb ft at 6,250rpm. The internal dimensions are the same as the latest gen 990 LC8c, although that’s about it in terms of engine crossover. 

The six-speed transmission is paired to a wet slipper clutch and a bi-directional quickshifter as standard. Backing up the engine is a Bosch MSE 9.0 electronics package including IMU control.

The chassis setup of the bike is equally high-spec, with a set of fully adjustable 48mm KYB upside-down forks, which are matched to a fully adjustable KYB rear monoshock and aluminium swingarm. CFMoto is also offering two distinct configurations, with the standard bike getting 190mm of suspension travel front and rear and an 830mm seat, while the taller version stretches that to 230mm at both ends and a 870mm perch. Ground clearance jumps from 200mm on the lower bike to 240mm on the taller model, giving riders who are planning harder off-road use a bit more breathing room.

Wheel sizing sticks to established adventure-bike convention, with a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear setup aimed more at genuine dirt capability than road-biased touring. The wheels are shod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR hoops as standard, which again hints at a bike’s balancing act between long-distance tarmac riding with proper loose-surface ability.

Braking hardware comes courtesy of Brembo, with dual 320mm front discs and radial calipers doing the heavy lifting up front, backed up by a 260mm rear disc and single-piston caliper. Alongside the Bosch cornering ABS, you get three-stage traction control and cornering-sensitive rider aids. Add in the slipper clutch and tyre pressure monitoring system, and the spec sheet starts to sound like something from a premium European rival, and not a value-focused disruptor.

Dominating the cockpit is an 8-inch TFT touchscreen display, while full LED lighting is used throughout. There are both USB Type-A and Type-C charging ports onboard with 18W output, and buyers can also add CFMoto’s optional T-Box connectivity system, which unlocks additional functionality, including the bike’s ‘Master’ riding mode.

In total, there are five ride settings available, including the one hidden behind the T-Box system. Riders get Rain, Standard, Off-road and All-terrain modes as standard, with Master mode acting as the more customisable setup for riders wanting to fine-tune electronic intervention levels.

Heated grips and a heated seat are both included, alongside an adjustable windscreen and a low-mounted saddle-style fuel tank, which is designed to centralise mass. Fuel capacity sits at a healthy 22.5 litres too, which should give the bike decent touring range considering the claimed dry weight of 199kg and curb weight of 222kg.

CFMoto 1000MT-X on-road review

The day begins with a morning blast around South Wales, with our lead rider, off-road racer and Dakar finisher Nick Plumb, setting the pace. My first impression of the bike is that it feels extremely roomy. I’m riding the taller bike (870mm seat and 240mm of ground clearance), and while that is making it tricky to get more than a tiptoe on the ground at a halt, it means the lower body ergos are nicely relaxed. 

The quickshifter and gearbox are also standing out in this early, and relatively relaxed, part of the ride. Up and down shifts are clean, and the electronics seem to be able to match the revs nicely at low and mid-speeds. The shifting feel is also much nicer than you’ll find on any other Chinese bike, with the short-throw lever meaning that whether you’re leaning on the quickshifter or not, it’s accurate and direct in both directions.

After around 45 minutes of tight lanes, we finally hit the faster sweeping roads that the Brecon Beacons are famous for, and as the pace begins to rise, the 1000MT-X feels right at home. The engine is very punchy, pulling hard through the rev range and rarely feeling like it ever runs out of puff at the top. Roll on in all but the top two gears and it’ll cleanly dispatch near-motorway speed overtakes with ease, and still have enough revs in hand that you’ll not need an upshift mid-overtake. I spent the road ride in the Standard engine mode, and aside from a slightly choppy throttle feeling coming out of slower corners, the connection between my wrist and the engine feels good.

One thing I could feel was overly cautious traction control, which, even on level two, would be holding back the power out of slower corners. As the grip increased, the electronics would allow more power to the wheel, but it didn’t feel like the most refined actuation. Look, it wasn’t terrible, and there are many far more agricultural systems out there (I’m looking at you, Voge!). It’s also the kind of thing you’ll get used to over time – or you’ll do as I did and just turn the traction control off altogether!

The feel and sound of this engine is the kind of mechanical thrash metal that harks back to its KTM roots. Hammer on the throttle hard and you will be rewarded with a slightly muted bark from the high-level exhaust, and it pops and burbles nicely on the overrun, too. Is it the most characterful engine in the segment? No, but that’ll probably come as no surprise. Is it up there as one of the best all-around engines in the sub-£9,000 adventure space, that’s good for more than just casually schlepping on the motorway, and blends performance and refinement in a usable package? Yes.

The on-road handling of the bike is very good, and it’s got that playful nature that a lot of adventure bikes with long-travel suspension have. It’s soft enough to soak up lumps, bumps and potholes, but not so soft that it wallows through its travel and begins to feel cumbersome. The feedback from the chassis is good, and while it was prone to the odd head shake under hard acceleration, for the most part, it felt controlled and stable.

Its trump card is probably how easy it is to ride fast. Despite the 21-inch front wheel, changes of direction take very little effort, thanks in part to the low centre of gravity and wide bars that provide you with ample leverage. Faster sweeping bends don’t trouble the 1000MT-X either, as it drops into high-speed turns with accuracy and control, holding a line well and remaining composed. It even holds a tight line as you introduce more throttle, not a feat that all 21-inch-shod adventure bikes can achieve.

Part of that is the suspension system, which is soft enough to soak up the rough stuff, yet plush enough not to squat like a dog with diarrhoea when you ask for some throttle. 

Another standout feature is the braking system, which shuns the J.Juan stoppers as found on the 800MT-X in favour of Brembo hardware. That is a very smart move, bringing an increase in braking power and the added bonus of a beautiful lever feel that gave me the confidence and precision to trail brake hard into slower corners.

The comfort offered by the 1000MT-X is good, with only one slight caveat. As mentioned above, the ergonomics are nicely roomy, meaning you shouldn’t end a long day with any aches or pains. The seat, despite being wide and flat, is actually very comfortable, and the pillion perch should be equally accommodating. The only real gripe I had was that the stock screen, even on its tallest setting, directed a rumble of turbulent air directly at the top of my lid. I could just about stoop into a bubble of still air, but it wouldn’t be comfortable for very long. My advice is to bag the taller screen, which is priced at a punchy £130, and will undoubtedly pay dividends on the motorway. 

On the plus side, the screen is fully adjustable out of the box, and it can be altered on the fly with one hand. Which, for some strange reason, is something a lot of manufacturers overlook.

CFMoto 1000MT-X off-road review

For the off-road test of the 1000MT-X, CFMoto selected the labyrinth of trails and obstacles that make up Enduro World, just to the north of Swansea. As you’d expect for an enduro practice venue, it was tight, technical and challenging, but it doesn’t seem that there was anything that the CFMoto couldn’t do – in the right hands.

We started off with a short loop around the kids' track and then ventured out into the wider, more challenging sections of the venue. Riding the stock bike on stock Pirelli hoops was eye-opening, not least because it seemed to handle the deep sand, gravel and larger rocks with equal aplomb. The low centre of gravity the bike has, thanks in part to the low-slung fuel tank, gives it the same kind of easy-going riding dynamic that the parallel twin-cylinder KTM Adventure models built their name on. I was using the All Terrain riding mode for this element of the launch, with the traction control turned off. I’d also dropped down onto the low version of the bike, and the ergonomics that were making it comfortable on the road were doing good things on the trails. 

In particular, I liked the way there was nothing to hamper my movement when I transitioned from sitting to standing, and once I was up on pegs, the bars felt perfectly placed, meaning I could ride in a relaxed and comfortable manner. It’s hard to gauge how responsive the handling was here, as, if I’m being honest, the tight and technical nature of the venue was highlighting my incredibly mediocre off-road riding ability. Chuck in the hottest day since hell left its oven door open, and I really wasn’t in the best place to be exploring the limits of a 200+ kg adventure bike.

So instead of trying (badly) to be a hero, I focused on the things I could test out. Steep climbs and drops are the first things on that list. There are loads at Enduro World, and they were no issue for the bike, and a great chance to test out the off-road ABS and the torque.

The CFMoto produces more peak torque than both the 790, and 890 KTM Adventure, making steep first gear climbs a walk in the park, whether you full throttle it in a roost of dust or take a more controlled and restrained approach. You will need the traction control totally switched off for this, obviously, as even in the All Terrain model with the TC dialled down to level two, you’ll still get more intervention than is required to make it up steep slopes safely.

And of course, what goes up must come down. Thankfully, one of KTM’s strong suits has always been its off-road electronics, in particular, its off-road ABS, which has always been particularly intuitive. While I’m aware that most of the Austrian zeroes and ones will have long since escaped the ECU, CFMoto seems to have picked up some tricks, as it’s equally as good as the system fitted to the latest-generation KTM models. You can safely lean on the front ABS while descending steep slopes, and the system will allow just enough front wheel rotation to prevent the front from washing out or tucking, all without allowing all the pressure to escape the lever. 

If anything, the off-road ride on the bike was more frustrating than anything else. Off-road press launch rides tend to cater for all riders, whereas Enduro World seemed to be a place that would highlight lesser riders' flaws and only begin to be anything near ‘fun’ when your riding ability is at the top end of the off-road riding envelope. Credit really needs to be heaped on the new CFMoto, as it made it through, round, up and over everything that was placed in front of it – even when I was the person at the controls!

CFMoto 1000MT-X verdict

CFMoto has long held the reputation as the Chinese bike brand that stands out from the crowd of budget scooter makers and cut-and-paste copycats. And it’s not happened by chance. The technical partnership with KTM and the design centre in Italy both help CFMoto to feel more like a European manufacturer, and that’s a statement that was ringing in my ears for every mile on the new bike. This thing is so far ahead of the competition from China that it’s almost impossible to compare it to them. 

You can only really benchmark this bike against other bikes from Europe and Japan, and when you do, it stands up on its own two wheels as a nailed-on option – and not just because it's a few thousand quid cheaper than most of the competition. 

While the price will undoubtedly grab the headlines, the 1000MT-X never feels like a bike that’s been built down to a number. Yes, the value proposition is huge, but what really matters is that the fundamentals of this thing are solid. The engine is strong, the chassis is sorted, the electronics are largely well judged, and crucially, it feels like a motorcycle that’s been developed by people who actually understand how adventure bikes are ridden. On the road it’s quick, comfortable and genuinely entertaining, while off-road it has enough balance, control and capability to back up the rugged styling.

It’s not flawless. The throttle response at lower speeds could do with a touch more refinement, the traction control can feel overprotective, and taller riders will probably want to budget for the accessory screen. But those are relatively small criticisms in the grand scheme of things, especially when you consider what CFMoto is delivering for under nine grand.

More importantly, the 1000MT-X doesn’t feel like a “good Chinese bike”. It just feels like a good adventure bike, full stop. That’s a significant shift, not only for CFMoto, but for the wider market too. Because if established European and Japanese brands thought Chinese manufacturers would stay confined to the bargain basement end of the sector, bikes like this suggest that things are beginning to change.

Images and video credit: Woodcote Events / Full Gas Creative

CFMoto 1000MT-X spec and features