Better late than never, right? We’ve finally got around to testing a Chinese bike, here at Team Throttle. That you can no longer ignore Chinese motorcycles is hardly news. Neither is the fact that they still have plenty of stereotypes to shake off. Poor quality. Designs borrowed from the big boys. Resale values that make you shiver. But how much truth is in all that? To find out, I spent a weekend in Luxembourg with the CFMoto Ibex 950.

CFMoto isn’t an unknown name in the motorcycle world anymore. The brand really started making waves internationally through its partnership with KTM. From 2017 onwards, that relationship evolved into a two-way exchange of technology and engine concepts, with CFMoto also taking on production of several KTM models.

To underline its ambitions, CFMoto became a sponsor in the Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships in 2022. Just two years later, in 2024, they celebrated their first world title in the smallest class.

The Ibex 950 is CFMoto’s latest addition to the already well-stocked adventure class. Let’s talk about the price first, because there’s simply no getting around it. With a pricetag starting at $12,499, this bike offers a seriously affordable alternative to established names such as the Africa Twin, Tiger 900 Rally, 900 GS and KTM’s 890 Adventure.

Read that number again. That’s under nine grand for a big adventure bike with Brembo brakes, KYB suspension, Pirelli tyres, cruise control, heated grips and seat, multiple riding modes, connectivity, TPMS and Apple CarPlay.

If you want, you can add three properly decent aluminium pannier, complete with wonderfully soft inner liners, for $1,699. But other than that, there’s very little left to tick on the options list. Basically, the Ibex 950 comes loaded. At that price, surely it has to be a terrible bike, right?

Well, a walk around the bike doesn’t exactly confirm that thought. Nothing looks or feels cheap. The bodywork fits together nicely, the materials feel solid, not a single cable appears to be out of place and even the bolts seem of a decent quality.

The bike’s off-road intentions are clear enough too, with a high front mudguard and a rally-inspired windscreen and tower. The cockpit looks ultra clean, while the LED lighting gives the whole thing a rather slick appearance.

The low-slung tank will look familiar to anyone who knows the KTM 890 Adventure, although they’re considerably less pronounced on the CFMoto. 

As I head off for the weekend, a few things become apparent almost immediately. For starters, the windscreen sits surprisingly far forward, and the 8-inch TFT display is absolutely massive.

For the first of my two major frustrations with this bike, the little windscreen is to blame. You can easily adjust it on the move using the rotary controls, but no matter which position I try, I simply can’t get rid of the turbulence above 55 mph. Below that speed, it’s perfectly manageable in the lowest position. My upper body sits nicely out of the wind, while my legs are even better protected thanks to the bike’s wide stance.

The vertically mounted TFT display is excellent. It’s a touchscreen up to 20 mph, and the screen itself is crisp and easy to read, even when riding standing up. The menu structure and controls, on the other hand, are anything but intuitive. Getting from one menu to another often requires combinations that make very little sense. The connectivity screen seems to be an obligatory stopover more often than not, while some buttons have dual functions that I still hadn’t fully mastered after three days. Frustration number two: check.

The buttons themselves are not to blame. They’re easy to operate and feel almost premium. Much like the rest of the bike, actually. The 946.2cc parallel twin produces 113 hp and 77.5 LB-FT of torque, and delivers its power remarkably smoothly throughout the rev range. There are no nasty surprises, and the throttle response is only slightly jerky at low revs in first and second gear.

The fully adjustable KYB suspension does an excellent job of soaking up bumps while keeping the bike firmly on the chosen line. The Pirelli STR rubber offers very good grip on dry tarmac, but that isn’t breaking news, and the Brembo brakes provide plenty of stopping power with excellent feel and control.

And then there are the aluminium panniers fitted to my test bike. These are properly premium kit. They’re incredibly easy to mount and remove, and the inside has a soft lining that protects your belongings and stops them rattling around.

If I had to be very critical, I’d have to mention the quickshifter. You can shift both up and down without rolling off the throttle, but there’s very little feedback through the lever. Silky-smooth shifting is nice and all, but once it becomes so vague that you’re left wondering whether you actually changed gear, it’s a different story.

Connectivity normally falls firmly into my ‘couldn’t care less’ category, but I can’t ignore it on this CFMoto. It’s everywhere. Pairing the app is ridiculously easy (eat your heart out, Ducati) and updates are installed over the air. You can change settings through the app, and Apple CarPlay works exceptionally well.

There’s still some work to do, though. The app’s interface is confusing, and Android Auto isn’t supported yet. No doubt CFMoto is working hard behind the scenes to polish the software. The hardware, at least, is already looking very solid.

Conclusion

What sticks with me most after a long weekend on the CFMoto Ibex 950 is just how easy it is to ride. By the end of a full day on the road, there was barely a hint of fatigue. The excellent riding position, strong yet highly controllable engine, comfortable suspension and confidence-inspiring brakes make spending hours on this bike an absolute pleasure. The windscreen turbulence and the maddening menu structure quickly faded into the background as first-day annoyances. And all of this comes at an astonishingly low price. This bike is quite something indeed.

Disclaimer: We tested the European version of the Ibex 950, which is called the 1000MT-X. Other than a different name it’s the same bike 😉

Pros

+ Price
+ Excellent touring bike
+ The whole package just works

Cons

– Windscreen turbulence
– Confusing menu structure
– No Android Auto (at the time of test)

Tech specs

ENGINE

ENGINE: Liquid-cooled parallel twin, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valve
DISPLACEMENT: 946cc
BORE X STROKE: 92.5mm x 70.4mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 13.5:1
MAX POWER: 112 hp @ 8,500 rpm
MAX TORQUE: 77.5 LB-FT @ 6,250 rpm
FUEL SYSTEM: Bosch® EFI, 46mm (x2) throttle body
TRANSIMISSION: 6-speed, wet, multi-plate, slipper clutch
FINAL DRIVE: 525 X-Ring chain, 16/45

CHASSIS

FRAME: Tubular steel frame
FRONT SUSPENSION: 48mm KYB USD fork, pre-load, rebound & compression adjustable; 9.1” travel
REAR SUSPENSION: KYB single shock, pre-load, rebound & compression adjustable; 9.1” travel
FRONT BRAKE: Dual 320mm Floating Discs with Radial Mount Brembo® m4.32 4-Piston Calipers
REAR BRAKE: Single 260mm Disc with Brembo® Single-Piston P2.34 Floating Caliper
ABS: ABS, dual channel
FRONT TIRE: 90/90-21 (Pirelli® Scorpion Rally STR)
REAR TIRE: 150/70 R18 (Pirelli® Scorpion Rally STR)

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT

LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT: 89.8” x 36.9” x 58.1”
WHEELBASE: 60.2”
SEAT HEIGHT: 34.3”
GROUND CLEARANCE: 9.4”
RAKE: 26.4°
TRAIL: 4.1”
DRY WEIGHT: 440 lbs.
CURB WEIGHT: 489 lbs.
FUEL CAPACITY: 5.9 gal.

OTHER

WARRANTY: 2 years
COLORS: Tactical Green, Nebula Black
ADDITIONAL FEATURES: All LED lighting; 8” TFT screen, electronic throttle, multiple ride modes, cruise control, bi-directional quick shifter, TPMS, motorcycle stability control, 22-click steering damper, adjustable windscreen, USB type-a and type-c, skid plate, handguards, heated seat, heated grips