CFMOTO 675NK (2026 - ) review

A sporty naked in the modern style, comparisons with the similarly triple-powered Trident 660 end with the engine, the looks more aligned with the angry, aggressive style of the Japanese rivals. If not beautiful it’s at least convincing, and very sporty with its part-cowled rear seat and racer-style front brake ducts. The engineering is a little more down-to-earth, with a steel frame and aluminium swingarm, the NK running a compact wheelbase and sporty geometry with fully-adjustable KYB suspension, steering damper and quickshifter as standard. Fit and finish are some way off that of mainstream rivals. But so is the price, and given the savings few are likely to complain too loudly.

At just shy of 6ft the 675NK felt on the more compact side for me, the reach on the shorter side with the riding position striking a good balance between upright comfort and sporty crouch. It’s also relatively light at just 189kg, this and the size helping it feel very confidence-inspiring and easy to get along with, the shared genes with the 675SR-R clear in the riding position on the bike. From memory I’d say the Trident 660 is a little more relaxed in its riding position, and a Hornet 750 a little more accommodating of taller riders. But the NK puts you in the right physical and mental state for carving the twisties and blasting around town alike.

There are more practical bikes in the CFMoto range, and if you want to tour, carry luggage and have even a degree of weather protection your money will be better spent there. That’s fine, though. The 675NK is all about the raw, minimalist thrills fans of sporty nakeds appreciate, the no-frills build helping it hit that astonishing starting price. And suiting its character down to the ground. Keep your expectations realistic and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed one bit!

CFMoto’s sporting ambitions for this 675cc triple are clear, the 675SR-R it powers already competing in British Super Bikes and now supporting the one-make WCR championship alongside World Superbikes and Supersports. And it’s a feisty little unit, firing up with an angry growl I’d say sounds more Street Triple than Trident if you’re making those inevitable Triumph comparisons. 90 horsepower and 70Nm are competitive numbers, if a little behind the 95 horsepower of many in the class. The lack of weight evens this out, the NK picking up briskly enough but demanding revs on the dial before things get really exciting. Given the noise it makes doing so I had no complaints about that, the quickshifter smooth on upshifts but less keen going the other way. No bother given the crisp throttle and light clutch, blipped downshifts all part of the fun. True, parallel-twins like the Hornet, MT-07 and GSX-8S are perhaps a little more tractable. But the novelty of having more than two cylinders in this day-and-age more than compensates in my book. I’d have liked the brake lever to have adjusted a little closer to the bar, meanwhile, but power from the J.Juan set-up is more than up to the job, ducted disc covers adding a racy little touch.

Light, short in the wheelbase and with reasonably aggressive geometry, the NK is a lively little bike and delightfully flickable on the twisty B-roads I tried it on. I didn’t get to ride it in town but I’d be confident the same qualities would work just as well in this context, too. A steering damper helps calm things down a tad but CFMoto has clearly put the emphasis on fun more than refinement, which will likely delight the target audience of younger riders taking advantage of the price point to score their first proper bike.

The startling starting price is the 675NK’s killer deal over rivals, and even when you’ve added on-the-road costs an equivalent 660 Trident costs half as much again. Or, to put it another way, the equivalent of your first year’s insurance if you’re a younger rider buying it as your first big bike. That’s very appealing, and while the NK encourages what we’ll describe as an enthusiastic riding style its power output and modest weight will be easier on tyres, brakes, chains and other consumables than faster, heavier rivals.

Still early days on how dependable this engine will be, but the fact CFMoto has built it with racing in mind and it’s already racking up podiums in BSB is a plus. Of the Chinese manufacturers hitting the market it’s also one of the more established, with a long manufacturing partnership with KTM. For these reasons if I were pondering a Chinese brand for my next bike I’d be more confident going with CFMoto than some of the others out there.

One area where Chinese bikes compare less favourably with more established brands, CFMoto addressing it with a generous four-year warranty as standard. A shame the service intervals are still so cautious, at just 3,000 miles or annually, especially when Triumph’s equivalent triples go 10,000 miles between checks.

While you can see where cost has been saved in the 675NK’s construction the quality of the cycle parts is impressive at this price, the KYB suspension and J.Juan brakes good to see. The electronics are also impressive, with a crisp TFT display and logical controls. This also runs CFMoto’s T-Box system, which you can pair through your phone for service information, location tracking, over-the-air updates, security geofencing and ride data logging. You get a year’s subscription included, after which you have to pay to use the services if you still want them, which you might want to for the security benefits of having a built-in tracker. If you choose to just stick with the app that includes navigation through your phone, mirrored through the instrument cluster.

If value for money drives your buying decisions more than brand snobbery there’s a lot to like about the CFMoto 675NK, the feisty triple at its heart gifting it both character and performance. True, you can see where money has been saved in the construction and some of the materials, especially when parked alongside mainstream rivals from the likes of Triumph, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and the rest. But the bits that matter – the engine, the suspension, the brakes and the handling – all stand comparison. Which, at this price, is simply astounding.