Smart-looking Chinese bikes are becoming like London buses – lots of them appear all the time, and they’re pretty cheap and efficient. There is less chance of being stabbed on one, though. Probably. Alan Dowds tells us more…
Anyway, here’s another one: the Kove 800 X Rally. It’s got an 800cc parallel twin engine which seems to share the foundations of the KTM 790/890 LC8c engines (it has the same bore and stroke as the 799cc version), presumably reworked for the Kove brand’s needs. That’s no bad thing: the KTM motor was great fun, and if they have sorted the reliability problems that have been widely publicised, it should make for a sweet machine.
The motor makes 95bhp, good for this sector, and it lives in a dirt-biased chassis that includes a 21” front rim, long travel fully-adjustable suspension and tough engine bars and sump guard. There’s no rear footpegs either: this is a hardcore off-road adventure tool, it seems.
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Kerb weight is a very commendable 176kg (wet, with five litres of fuel), there’s a 20-litre fuel tank, and it comes in teal or gold. It’s got plenty of useful kit like USB sockets, TFT colour dash, traction control, smartphone app – and is priced very well at just £8700. Should be a LOT more fun than a London bus we reckon. www.kovemoto.com
