KOVE 450 RALLY & 800X ADVENTURE
And the Chinese assault on the global ADV market keeps on coming, with Kove Moto another brand to grab its time in the limelight at the EICMA show in Italy late last year.
Kove’s 450R Rally bike has been around for a few seasons now, but the Chinese brand is clearly ramping up its efforts for 2024 and is now pushing its dual 450cc rally machines into international markets, including the USA.
The Kove 450R Rally is available in a ‘standard’ variant, and a higher-spec ‘race’ version for competition use. It was the race version that scored a 100 per cent finish rate in the 2023 Dakar Rally, with three bikes raced by Kove’s Chinese factory team. Kove has since signed American rally ace Mason Klein to its team to contest the 2024 Dakar Rally and it’s sure to be interesting to see how he performs.
The standard Kove 450R Rally is powered by a twin-cam, 499cc, water-cooled, single-cylinder engine that produces 54hp and is fed by a Bosch EFI system. It runs 21/18inch wheels with switchable ABS and its fully adjustable suspension delivers 300mm wheel travel front and rear. Fuel capacity is 31 litres via dual front and single rear tanks.
In America the 450R Rally is priced just under US$9,000, which equates directly to $13,500 in Australian currency.
Kove also showed off its 800X Super Adventure at EICMA, and it too drew plenty of attention. It’s powered by an 800cc twin-cylinder engine that puts out 95hp at 9,000rpm, and it appears to share plenty in common with the KTM 790 motor that’s now produced by CFMOTO. Kove claims the new 800X weighs in at just 165kg dry, giving the bike a serious power-to-weight ratio.
While there’s no official word on these Kove bikes making it to Australia, rest assured Kove is pushing hard to sell its bikes into more international markets … so stay tuned!