There’s making a statement, then there’s this: a pukka litre sports bike from China that has the potential to cause shivers down the spine of every traditional market leader.
Without a doubt, 2026 is shaping up to be a blockbuster year for sports bike fans, with manufacturers across the board rolling out the kind of boundary-pushing machinery that’ll have us all loitering in dealerships with wallets twitching. But this stellar showing from all is set to be more than a blip, thanks to the teased endeavours of a few others that are destined to throw even more goodies our way. While we’re yet to see where MV’s new five-cylinder engine is destined to find a home, you’d be daft not to bet on a sports bike or two cashing in on the powerplant. In a similar vein, CFMOTO teased us in 2024 with a V4 engine that has since found itself destined for the brand’s tantalising SR-RR. As of yet, a prototype, but one which looks way too advanced to be parked up in the corner of a factory and left to collect dust. This thing is headed our way, and whilst details about it are still scant, a few key bits of insight have been released. Most notably, we now know that at the heart of the model lies an all-new 997cc, 90-degree V4 engine that’s suggested will produce around 210 ponies. Numbers like that put it straight into the top tier of modern superbikes, but it’s the way CFMOTO is shaping the package around that engine that really signals intent. The prototype promises a curb weight below 200kg, and a power-to-weight ratio that dips below 1kg per horsepower when fitted with its racing exhaust kit.
As striking as the engine figures are, it’s the styling that properly stopped showgoers in their tracks, when it broke cover at EICMA ‘25. Aesthetically speaking, the V4 SR-RR has the attitude of a next-gen superbike, dripping with aero surfaces unlike anything else we’ve seen away from MotoGP circles. Its active aerodynamic winglets — a first for CFMOTO — automatically adjust to optimise downforce and stability according to the speed being travelled, giving it a solid advantage over any other winged wonder on the market right now. Whether such tech makes the cut with racing regs is another question, but we’re onboard with the concept. Another bodywork related thing worth shouting about are the braking cooling ducts around the front discs – a nice touch for those that hammer their bikes on track.
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The rest of the design follows the same philosophy: futuristic, aggressive, functional. An LED headlight cluster sits either side of a ram-air intake, feeding that hungry V4. The fuel tank suggests the rider’s well and truly locked into the bike, backed up by the high-rise tail of the seat unit, which follows a similar design to the brand’s 675SR-R. And as for the stacked Akrapovič pipes, they’re nothing short of naughty, in the best kind of way. jut from the right-hand side like something lifted from a MotoGP pitlane.
We’re yet to see what this thing looks like with its clothes of, but it appears that the rear cylinder is used to adjoin both front and rear frame sections, suggesting the V4 is used as a stressed member, similar to the setup on Ducati’s Panigale V4 family. It’s backed up by a chunky, underslung GP-style swingarm. Not great news for those that like to change shocks all too often, but the stability it’ll offer will no doubt outweigh the agro.
We’re left to guess about the electronics on tap, but we’d be amazed if it weren’t to feature electronic suspension, plus a raft of rider aids such as slide control, launch control and all the other top-draw types of tech class leading sports bikes come dripping with these days. Expect multi-level traction control, refined riding modes, advanced ABS, and track-focused performance monitors.
We can’t wait to learn more about this motorcycle, which is undoubtedly a shot across the bows of the traditional sports bike class leaders. This is very much a manifesto – a declaration of where CFMOTO is heading. It sits at the very peak of the SR family yet serves as the foundation for a whole new generation of high-performance models.
Just the other day, I bumped into one of the development riders involved in this project, and while he wasn’t prepared to go on record about his findings, the excitement in his tone suggested this treat is warming up very nicely. When will we see a finished version? That’s a question we can’t answer, but 2027 has got a nice ring to it, and judging by how complete the bike now looks, you’d have to expect it of CFMOTO to strike sooner rather than later.
