2025 CFMOTO 675SS and 450CL-C first look

August 27, 2024November 1, 2024

CFMOTO has pulled the wraps off its anticipated middleweight three-cylinder sport bike for 2025 and a new, lightweight, 449 cc twin-cylinder cruiser as it continues to expand its motorcycle line in the U.S. market.

The sport bike and cruiser are in addition to the Ibex 450 adventure bike we tested earlier this year and bring the U.S. motorcycle line to 12 models, giving CFMOTO dealers more two-wheel offerings to go alongside the company’s more established ATVs and side-by-sides. The 675SS and 450CL-C represent CFMOTO’s first middleweight sport bike and first cruiser.

With a 674 cc inline-triple engine, the 675SS is the largest sport bike CFMOTO has brought to the U.S. market yet.

2025 CFMOTO 675SS

It’s usually pretty clear what target CFMOTO is aiming at when it introduces a new model.

In the case of the 675SS, however, the displacement first brings to mind a competitor that is no longer around. The 675SS would go head to head with the Triumph Daytona 675, if Triumph were still making it. (Instead it will have to face the contemporary Daytona 660.) I’m not the only Common Tread writer who has put a Daytona 675 in my personal garage, and I can say, as a former owner who sometimes still misses that motorcycle, it’s a good target to aim at.

That original three-cylinder sport bike came out in 2006, however, and it’s now 2024, so the 675SS takes its own route in styling, with aerodynamic bodywork that incorporates winglets, a stubby perch of a tail section, and features such as LED lighting with turn signals integrated into the same unit as the tail light and air scoops on the front brakes.

The drive train follows the expected script, consistent with the old rules of Supersport racing prior to the current Next Generation age, when a 675 cc triple could compete against 600 cc inline fours. The 675SS has a 674 cc triple with four valves per cylinder working through a slipper clutch. A quickshifter is standard, but for upshifts only. The rider can choose between two levels of traction control and Bosch ABS is standard.

One area where the 675SS’s specs diverge from the norm is the 110-section front tire, instead of the usual 120. Of course it may be possible to fit a 120 to the rim, but if not, that might prevent the rider from being able to choose from the wide range of options in the more common size, especially if track-day use is planned. And CFMOTO clearly planned for track use by including a built-in lap timer.

Of course price is one of CFMOTO’s selling points, and at $7,999 the 675SS undercuts less powerful twin-cylinder competitors such as the Kawasaki Ninja 650 ($8,899 with ABS) and it’s less expensive than Triumph’s new version of a three-cylinder sport bike, the Daytona 660 ($9,195). In fact, it’s even $1,000 less than the MSRP for that original three-cylinder sport bike when Triumph introduced it back in 2006, and the political candidates will be quick to remind you (as if you needed reminding) that we’ve had some price inflation since then. The real test will come when we get a chance to ride the new 675SS and find out exactly what you get for that money

2025 CFMOTO 450CL-C

The new 450CL-C adds the first cruiser to CFMOTO’s U.S. lineup to go along with its adventure, sport, and naked bikes. First shown at AIMExpo early this year, its 449 cc parallel-twin engine pits it directly against such competition as the Honda Rebel 500 and the Kawasaki Eliminator. Again, it wasn’t hard to see the target CFMOTO had in mind.

It looks like CFMOTO did a good job of reading the cruiser style manual and getting the all-important looks right (though everyone will have their own opinion, in that regard). The round, 3.5-inch TFT instrument mimics the look of a traditional speedometer (except when you’re looking at the colorful display), the bar-end mirrors look clean, the matte-black, ceramic-coated exhaust is a nice switch from chrome, and features such as the LED lights might keep a few owners from going to the aftermarket. CFMOTO chose to go with the fat-tire look instead of the fat rear and chopperesque front on some cruisers, fitting 16-inch wheels at both ends.