CFMoto’s V.02 Concept May Become Reality

[Hugh Janus]

CFMoto’s new 1250J police model is said to output 140 hp, making it the most powerful motorcycle to come out of China. (CFMoto/)

Back in late 2017, the Chinese firm CFMoto surprised the motorcycle world with a spectacular concept bike—the awkwardly named V.02 NK—that demonstrated what it believed lay in its future. Now the chances of the concept becoming reality have taken a huge step forward as its engine has hit the streets in China as the basis for the nation’s latest police bike.

When it showed the V.02NK, CFMoto offered few technical details, only suggesting a 1,000cc-plus capacity, but it quickly emerged that the engine was a development of KTM’s LC8 V-twin. CFMoto is already KTM’s partner firm in China; it builds the 200 and 390 Duke models and is due to start manufacturing the 790 Duke and 790 Adventure in a purpose-made plant later this year. However, it hasn’t simply borrowed the existing LC8 engine in either current 1,301cc “1290” form or its earlier iterations. Instead CFMoto has used the basics of the engine to create a purpose-made 1,279cc V-twin that’s certified to make 140 hp in the new CF1250J police bike, which is also destined to be offered as a BMW-rivaling tourer.

That power figure makes it easily the most powerful motorcycle to emerge from China, and one that’s on par with similarly sized tourers from European firms like BMW in terms of performance.

Although in current form it wears police accessories, the CF1250J could easily be the platform for a civilian spin-off. (CFMoto/)

The CF1250J

While the new CF1250J police bike doesn’t look much like the V.02NK concept, its engine is externally virtually identical. Although the layout and general design comes via KTM, the engine’s cases, cylinders, and heads are all noticeably different from any KTM version of the engine and its internal measurements are also unique to CFMoto. Although the firm has yet to make any official statement about the CF1250J, its specifications are revealed in Chinese type-approval documents, which confirm that it makes 140 hp and weighs 655 pounds, with a top speed of 149 mph.

CFMoto’s V.02NK concept from 2017 used the basics of KTM’s LC8 engine to create a purpose-made V-twin. (CFMoto/)

The CF1250J’s existence was first revealed in design patents last year, but now it has hit the streets in real-world police use, showing that its development period is complete and production is underway. Given the vast size of China’s police and security services, if CFMoto has secured the contract to supply the next generation of official bikes, it’s a guarantee of thousands of sales—and enough to largely offset the considerable R&D expense of developing the bike.

CFMoto has previously followed the same pattern with its existing 650cc parallel-twin bikes. A police-spec touring version led the way, becoming the standard motorcycle of China’s government forces, and it led to naked, adventure-sport, and sport-touring derivatives to be sold to the general public.

What we’ve seen of the bike so far flies in the face of stereotypes of substandard, derivative Chinese motorcycles. The firm outsources its styling to Kiska Design, which is part-owned by KTM’s parent firm Pierer Mobility and responsible for the visuals of all KTM’s current offerings. CFMoto has also turned to the West when it comes to parts and technology, outfitting some models with Brembo brakes and Bosch electronics. And on the subject of electronics, videos of the new police bikes on Chinese social media reveal the biggest TFT color instrument display that we’ve yet seen on two wheels.

Production is underway for the Brembo-and-Bosch-equipped CF1250J. It’s destined for use by Chinese police and security services. (CFMoto/)

What Does That Mean For The V.02NK?

Although the concept bike isn’t likely to reach production exactly as it appeared in 2017, the fact that the engine is ready for the limelight means that something similar is sure to be on CFMoto’s mind.

In the firm’s current streetbike range, the naked 650NK is the mainstay model, and that means an unfaired 1250NK built around the new 1,279cc twin is likely to be the first civilian spin-off from the CF1250J.

The police bike’s chassis isn’t easy to make out thanks to its all-enveloping bodywork, but design patents for the machine show a tubular steel frame very similar to that used on KTM’s old-generation (2014–2019) Super Duke. That means it could easily be fitted with a single-sided swingarm, as used on the Super Duke and the V.02NK concept, and wrapped in stripped-back bodywork.

We likely won’t see the V.02NK concept reach production in this form, though a CFMoto naked model based on the new 1,279cc engine is likely. (CFMoto/)

It’s clear that some elements of the V.02NK have been dropped. The concept featured an underseat radiator, for instance, whereas the CF1250J has a conventional front-mounted unit. The unusual rear shock mounting of the concept, which avoided a conventional upper shock bracket on the frame, is also unlikely to reach production.

Since CFMoto already has a worldwide dealer network (although limited in the US), offering ATVs and side-by-sides as well as motorcycles, any bike it develops isn’t likely to be kept for the Chinese market. Whether the firm’s deal with KTM puts any limits on the styles of bike it can create around the new engine or the markets it can sell in remains unknown, but if it follows the pattern set in the existing 650cc range, we should expect the new V-twin to go into a “1250NK” naked bike, surely inspired by the V.02NK, and then into a street-oriented adventure-sport “MT” model and a sport-touring “GT.”

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