Kove 450 Rally review: ultimate unicorn or Chinese crap?︱Cross Training Adventure

http://crosstrainingenduro.com Our Kove 450 Rally review. Three days of testing three Kove Rally bikes on all sorts of terrain. So… the Kove FSE450R. It’s generating a lot of hype. The first models went to social media influencers and they are raving about it. Other riders are saying it’s another cheap Chinese motorbike that will rust, break down or fall apart like earlier Chinese models. Some of the influencers are actually quite well paid so we watch their Kove FSE450R Rally reviews with a big dose of healthy scepticism. Long term reliability? Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. We simply won’t know until there are lots of independent long-term FSE450R reports from owners. The quality certainly looks good from initial inspection. Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. Instead, he decided to create a rally motorbike and send a Chinese team. All three Kove Kove FSE450R bikes finished the race. A lot of Chinese manufacturers are copying the designs of other brands without permission. But it’s good to see the Kove 450 Rally appears to be an original design. Our team did find a few issues with three solid days of riding for this Kove 450R review. More on that later. A quick bit of history. The Kove 450R Rally has been created by a Chinese business man who says he always dreamed of riding in the Dakar race. We aren’t sure about their other models. Kove have an 800cc adventure motorbike that is based on the KTM 790 engine. Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. Copied with permission from KTM? We don’t know. They also have a 500 adventure motorbike which largely copies the Honda CB500X. This is just a rebadged Chinese copy that a pile of manufacturers are rebranding as their own… without permission from Honda to copy the engine. Admittedly the huge fuel capacity of 31 litres is partly responsible. But the Kove still weighs about 145kg without fuel… heavier than a DRZ400. Our test rider, Chuck Harder, assessed the Kove 450R Rally purely from an enduro perspective. Back to the Kove 450R Rally. Many are hoping it is just a high performance enduro motorbike with a rally fairing and big fuel tank. If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids. These guys will be disappointed with the weight and lack of power. The wet weight is actually more than a Suzuki DR650. If you are a dirt rider we highly recommend watching Chuck’s full Kove 450R Rally review. However, that’s not the full story. Our next test rider, Dallas Shannon, assessed the Kove from a dual-sport and adventure riding perspective. Interested in the Kove 450 as a dual sport or lightweight adventure motorbike? See Dallas’ full Kove Rally review. A few things contribute to the Kove’s potential in this respect. The massive 31 litres or 8 gallons fuel capacity. A healthy 1.6L oil capacity for less oil changes. The detuned engine should theoretically last longer. And features such as large radiators, twin radiator fans and an oil cooler should help too. A quick look at the Kove 450R Rally engine. It’s interesting to see you can buy the entire engine for just USD1900… in its original detuned mode. Suspension on the Kove 450R Rally is from Chonquing Yu-an, a Chinese company we have never heard of. Their motto? Reduce shock and become smooth. The suspension certainly works better than the website suggests. It has been set up for Dakar so dirt riders will love it. It is not Kove’s design, they are using the NC450 engine from another Chinese manufacturer but in a higher state of tune. It’s the Zongshen NC450 which Zongshen use in their own hideously ugly RX4 adventure model. Zongshen have also licensed its use in the new Fantic Cabarello. Dual sport riders will probably find it’s too firm and may want softer springs and revalving. Kove have opted from Japanese brakes from Nissin, and Bosch EFI made in Europe. With their focus on reliability it would be interesting to see if they couldn’t find reliable Chinese parts in this respect. What problems did we experience over three days with three Kove 450s? A small oil leak from the oil cooler and also a fuel leak through an overflow pipe. Easily fixed. We suspect we were to blame as we assembled these motorbikes from the crate. There was a small electronic glitch with the speedo and we would get an overheat warning signal when nothing was wrong. And if the motorbike goes on its side there is some kind of cut-off which doesn’t allow the Kove to be restarted immediately. We think the last two issues are very minor glitches that will probably be resolved quickly. What about Kove 450R Rally long-term problems? We simply won’t know for at least year until some owners have high mileage and can provide independent reports.
#kove450rrallyreview #kove450rally

The Kove 450R Rally. It’s generating a lot of hype. The first models went to social media influencers and they are raving about it. Other riders are saying it’s another cheap Chinese motorbike that will rust, break down or fall apart like earlier Chinese models.

Some of the influencers are actually quite well paid so we watch their ‘reviews’ with a big dose of healthy scepticism. Long term reliability? We simply won’t know until there are lots of independent long-term reports from owners. The quality certainly looks good from initial inspection.

Our team did find a few issues with three solid days of riding on three Kove 450 Rally motorbikes. More on that later. A quick bit of history. The Kove 450 has been created by a Chinese business man who says he always dreamed of riding in the Dakar race.

Instead, he decided to create a rally motorbike and send a Chinese team. All three Kove 450s finished the race. A lot of Chinese manufacturers are copying the designs of other brands without permission. But it’s good to see the Kove 450 Rally appears to be an original design.

We aren’t sure about their other models. Kove have an 800cc adventure motorbike that is based on the KTM 790 engine. Copied with permission from KTM? We don’t know. They also have a 500 adventure motorbike which largely copies the Honda CB500X.

This is just a rebadged Chinese copy that a pile of manufacturers are rebranding as their own… without permission from Honda to copy the engine. Back to the Kove 450R Rally. Many are hoping it is just a high performance enduro motorbike with a rally fairing and big fuel tank.

These guys will be disappointed with the weight and lack of power. The wet weight is actually more than a Suzuki DR650. Admittedly the huge fuel capacity of 31 litres is partly responsible. But the Kove still weighs about 145kg without fuel… heavier than a DRZ400.

Our test rider, Chuck Harder, assessed the Kove 450R purely from an enduro perspective. I realized that this bike is not at all what I thought would be. I was expecting this bike to be part of the Enduro category, similar to the CRF450L and the 500EXCF.

This power isn’t even close to either one of those bikes if we’re putting it in the Enduro category. Simply put this thing is a slug! Now keep in mind that I’m coming to this Kove as an Enduro Rider and not an ADV Rider.

Compared to a T7 or an 890 this thing feels light. But compared to a CRF450L or a 500 it’s a pig. The front end was immediately twitchy in the single track. The front end weight bias caused it to over-steer and tuck in corners.

And the tall gearing paired with the lack of power meant that I was in first gear where I would normally be in third gear on my 300. The suspension is really good in the woods. I’ve heard a lot of AD Riders find it very stiff and racy and that makes sense coming

From a dual sport rider’s perspective. But for an average Enduro Rider the suspension is plush enough and holds up well enough to ride aggressively. It is by far the best stock ADV suspension I’ve ever ridden. My preconceived idea about the category this bike is in is absolutely wrong. This is an adventure bike.

It’s not a powerful adventure bike. But it’s not slow either. It’s got enough power. It feels like a Honda 300 Rally on steroids. It also carries a huge amount of fuel which is a game changer. This bike might truly be the Best of Both Worlds.

If you are a dirt rider we highly recommend watching Chuck’s full video. However, that’s not the full story. Our next test rider, Dallas Shannon, assessed the Kove from a dual-sport and adventure riding perspective. When people swing their leg over this motorcycle what happens is they get disappointed in the

First 2 hours on the bike because they think that this race bike is going to have way more power than a say a a 701 or a 690. This does not have that kind of power. There’s always a compromise between power and reliability. Don’t fall for riders’ first impressions.

My first impression was “Oh it’s a bit gutless”. What’s been an issue is getting used to how this motorcycle delivers the power. Let’s talk quickly about where this motorcycle fits. We’re going to talk about this segment which I consider dual-sport. This bike fits in that segment.

And I think it fits uh down here toward the dirt area because it feels like a 450 four stroke. Who’s going to be attracted to this motorcycle? I you’re over here, you’re going to uh not like the stock setup of the suspension and the frame. You’ll appreciate both of these things later.

If you are a dirt biker or dual-sport rider…. if you’re racy or if you had a race background… if you ride fast and you’re you’re an off-road guy or motocross guy you’re going to love it… except the engine. Interested in the Kove 450 as a dual sport or lightweight adventure motorbike?

See Dallas’ full review. A few things contribute to the Kove’s potential in this respect. The massive 31 litres or 8 gallons fuel capacity. A healthy 1.6L oil capacity for less oil changes. The detuned engine should theoretically last longer. And features such as large radiators, twin radiator fans and an oil cooler should help

Too. A quick look at the engine. It is not Kove’s design. They are using the NC450 engine from another Chinese manufacturer, but in a higher state of tune. It’s the Zongshen NC450 which Zongshen use in their own hideously ugly RX4 adventure model. Zongshen have also licensed its use in the new Fantic Cabarello.

It’s interesting to see you can buy the entire engine for just USD1900… in its original detuned mode. Suspension is from Chonquing Yu-an, a Chinese company we have never heard of. Their motto? Reduce shock and become smooth. The suspension certainly works better than the website suggests.

It has been set up for Dakar so dirt riders will love it. Dual sport riders will probably find it’s too firm and may want softer springs and revalving. Kove have opted from Japanese brakes from Nissin, and Bosch EFI made in Europe.

With their focus on reliability it would be interesting to see if they couldn’t find reliable Chinese parts in this respect. What problems did we experience over three days with three Kove 450s? A small oil leak from the oil cooler and also a fuel leak through an overflow pipe. Easily fixed.

We suspect we were to blame as we assembled these motorbikes from the crate. There was a small electronic glitch with the speedo and we would get an overheat warning signal when nothing was wrong. And if the motorbike goes on its side there is some kind of cut-off which doesn’t allow

The Kove to be restarted immediately. We think the last two issues are very minor glitches that will probably be resolved quickly. What about long-term problems? We simply won’t know for at least year until some owners have high mileage and can provide independent reports.

The big concern will be whether Kove has taken shortcuts such as inferior grades of metal for engine components as previous Chinese manufacturers have done. What happens if Kove fails as a brand? Could you end up with a useless hunk of metal if you can’t buy parts?

The good news is you can at least buy the original Zongshen engine in it’s very detuned form. And with luck Kove are using components that are used on other Chinese models. You may not be left stranded if the company goes out of business. Parts availability? Dealer support?

Dealers will be few and far between for a while. I suspect you will be able to order parts from overseas if needed. Only time will tell how things work out. Of course, many riders simply don’t want to buy Chinese products because of political and ethical reasons.

I completely understand some riders don’t want to indirectly support a communist regime. But at least on the ethical side this Kove 450 doesn’t appear to illegally copy other manufacturers. Although I have doubts about some of their other models. So are you chasing the elusive do-everthing unicorn motorbike?

Will the Kove 450R Rally suit you? After a chat with my Canadian cousins, we decided the Kove fits on the enduro-adventure spectrum here. If you want a seriously light unicorn motorbike, you need a serious enduro model and add the required parts and mods.

But the Kove potentially covers quite a lot of the spectrum due to its huge fuel capacity, windscreen, detuned engine and emphasis on reliability (we hope). What do you think? Could it suit you? Dallas and Chuck will provide further insights as they ride the Kove more. Watch out for their vids.