CFMoto 1250NK Scooped

[Hugh Janus]

Back in 2017, CFMoto showed the V.02-NK concept bike powered by a version of KTM’s LC8 engine. New patent drawings show that the partner of the Austrian company is moving forward with the project. (CFMoto/)

More than five years ago in late 2017, CFMoto surprised the world with a stunning concept bike, the V.02-NK, that signposted the company’s ever-closer relationship with KTM by adopting the Austrian firm’s 1,000cc-plus LC8 V-twin engine. Now that project is evolving into a production model that will genuinely rival bikes like KTM’s own 1290 Duke.

A host of new patent applications filed by CFMoto reveal details of the upcoming bike, which is believed to use CFMoto’s own 1,279cc development of the KTM LC8V V-twin engine. The same power unit is already in production for CFMoto’s Chinese-market 1250TR-G tourer, a 141 hp, 655-pound tourer that’s being adopted as the country’s flagship police bike, and features impressive technology including a vast, 12.3-inch TFT dash. For the new naked sport model, likely to be called 1250NK, the engine is likely to be tuned for more outright performance, but even if it remains at the same level as the 1250TR-G, it will be a much lighter machine with greater performance.

Detailed patent images of the forthcoming 1250NK show that it will have many of the details of the concept bike. (CFMoto/)

Visually, the 1250NK is clearly revealed in the patent applications, which relate largely to cosmetic elements including the headlight and tail unit. Although obviously an evolution of the same thinking that led to the V.02-NK concept in 2017, the styling has evolved to become more of a realistic production prospect and to reflect developments in CFMoto’s “family” look. Overall, the 1250NK uses the same styling language as the 800NK that we scooped in December, and which is due to reach production in 2023. The V-shaped headlight is nearly identical to that machine, as is the front fender, which is adorned with a winglet-shaped element above the wheel.

Clearly the LC8 that CFMoto shares with KTM in the Chinese market. (CFMoto/)

Further back, the V-twin engine is a clear contrast to the 800NK’s 799cc parallel twin—also a KTM-based motor borrowed from the 790 Duke—and the 1250NK features several elements that make it stand out as a more exotic, high-end machine. A single-sided swingarm, for instance, is used as a clear nod to the V.02-NK concept, while the tail unit is a more radically shaped design, with an extremely high passenger pad flanked by “floating” wing-shaped panels on either side. These are mirrored toward the front of the bike by scoops that draw air in from either side of the headlight and into a large airbox under the tank. Although the resolution of the pictures is quite low, it’s possible to make out the “NK” logo that’s molded into the plastic between the rider and passenger seats in some of the images.

A front view clearly shows the LC8-based engine in a steel-tube frame. (CFMoto/)

The bike’s frame is a steel-tube design but appears to bolt to alloy castings around the swingarm pivot section. It’s not shared by any other CFMoto model and nor is it borrowed from KTM, despite the close relationship between the two companies. CFMoto, it should be pointed out, is KTM’s partner in China, building engines and complete bikes for KTM via the CFMoto-KTMR2R joint venture, as well as using KTM-based engines in its own 800MT and 1250TR-G.

Detailed view of the tailsection. (CFMoto/)

Seen from the right, the exhaust system follows a similar design to that on KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R Evo, the header from the front cylinder running in an S-shape on the right-hand side of the engine to maintain enough length, while the rear cylinder header runs forward under the left side of the engine before doubling back so the two pipes can join in a single, under-engine collector. The exhaust ends in a single silencer with twin exits on the right-hand side. Seen from the rear, we also get a glimpse of a large TFT instrument panel, much larger than most rivals’ instrument panels and in a portrait orientation. It suggests the 1250NK will, like the 1250TR-G, have some high-end electronics available.

Detailed illustration of the headlight. (CFMoto/)

At the moment, we’re still waiting for CFMoto to officially launch the smaller 800NK—likely to come in the first half of this year—and if the firm follows its recent launch pattern, it’s likely the 1250NK will be previewed with a near-production concept, probably toward the end of 2023 and called something like “NK-C23″ before a production model is launched a few months later. The 800NK was teased as the NK-C22 in 2022 and reaches production soon, while the 450SR (called 450SS in the US market) was the SR-C21 concept in 2021 and became a production model in 2022.

Another image of the V.02-NK concept. (CFMoto/)

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[Buckster]

Too much bike for Pete.