We went to the presentation of the brand new Kove 450 Rally. This is one of the hottest motorcycles of the moment and one that is causing the most talk in the off-road world, promising to shake up the adventure motorcycle segment.
Why? Apart from the fact that it costs €10,100 (turnkey price), the arguments are so many and so appealing that it’s hard to ask: Why not? Haters will say it’s Chinese, and of course it’s a subject that’s on the table, but before we talk about its characteristics we mustn’t forget that six bikes from this brand went to the last Dakar – considered by many to be the toughest in the last 10 years – and all of them finished the race, three of them without any problems. And as you know, the Dakar is that spectacular race to expose all the motorcycles’ faults!
STRONG ARGUMENTS
But what’s all the fuss about this Chinese bike? Well, it’s registered, you can ride it with an A2 license, it has three fuel tanks (29 liters in total), 42 hp of power, it weighs 155 kg with 90% of the fluids, and then there are the typical details of a Rally bike. It has 6 quick-release pins to remove the front fairings, the seat comes out in the quickest way and gives immediate access to the battery and air filter, the sump protection is in carbon and the whole construction is designed to be solid, efficient and as practical as possible.
SUSPENSIONS
This bike taught me something about suspension. They’re Yuan, do you know them? No? Neither did I… During the presentation they explained why. Firstly, because it’s a big manufacturer in Asia and we’re used to the usual brands in our little Europe. Then, the Kove people wanted specific features in their suspensions and when they went knocking on the door of the big manufacturers, the answer was that they could only choose from the products they had in their catalog. Not satisfied with this response, Kove decided to go with Yuan (who accepted the challenge and made a custom front suspension and rear shock) and in terms of function and efficiency they are on a par with any of the best on the market, such as KYB, Showa, WP and others! The bike feels like a limpet… and we hardly had to adjust anything. They are fully adjustable in terms of spring preload, extension and compression and are a marvel, certainly the most positive point (of the many) that this bike has. And in terms of durability? We have no idea, but our fingers are crossed that they’ll thrive as well as they do now.
BUILD QUALITY
When we got up close to the bike, the first thing we all did was basically tap the plastics to see if they were weak. And what was everyone’s surprise? They’re not. Like everything else, at first glance it seems to be of good quality, and I hope I don’t regret writing this, but in the cockpit, for example, the brake and clutch levers, throttle and gear selector are very solid and look like they’ve passed the stringent Japanese tests!
ON THE GO
The riding position is natural, it feels like you already know it and everything is in place as it should be. The seat is long, flat and relatively narrow, with very good hardness and comfort. Although we spend most of our time standing up, this shape of seat is ideal for all positions, whether you’re accelerating hard, rolling comfortably or for those panic brakes at the very back.
ENGINE AND KITS
This is a single-cylinder engine which, being a single-cylinder, has its issues like all the others. In this base version, it comes with 42 cc of power and 35Nm of torque, but Kove offers two kits that include a power plant that increases the power to 40kw and 52 horsepower. The average person will think this is enough, but many people will want more power. Kove offers two kits, the ‘Factory’ which for €1,000 includes the power plant, full exhaust and air filter, and the ‘Factory Full’ kit which for €7,000 includes all the rally equipment, power plant, steering damper, and full exhaust.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This bike has entered the market and everyone is watching and skeptical about it! But given what I’ve just said, the arguments are very strong. In the short term, there are always things to improve (as with any other bike), such as the fact that it doesn’t have hand protectors, or the menu has some strange English translations, but nothing that any other competing bike doesn’t have. Speaking of competition, the Yamaha Ténéré should take care of itself, as should the KTM 450. This bike practically opens up a new segment. Let the future tell us about its reliability!