CFMoto to join hands with AMW Motorcycles; could launch 8 models in India

Chinese brand CFMoto would partner with Bangalore based AMW Motorcycles to participate in the Indian market. CFMoto would bring products via the CKD route and assemble them at AMW Motorcycles’ facility in Hyderabad. Local assembly would enable the brand to price the products competitively.

Also read: CFMoto 250NK: All you need to know

AMW Motorcycles’ website lists CFMoto’s products – the 250NK, 400NK, 650NK naked roadsters and 650MT tourer. The company’s Facebook page lists (screenshot below) even more models. Apart from the motorcycles listed on the company’s website, the social account names 300NK, 400GT, 650GT and 650TK in its products column.

Camouflaged test mules of CFMoto’s 250NK, 650NK and 650MT have already been spotted on Indian roads in recent times. The quarter-litre 250NK naked roadster would compete against the KTM 250 Duke while the 650NK would lock horns with the likes of Benelli 600i and Kawasaki Z650. The 650MT tourer would be placed against the likes of Kawasaki Versys 650, Benelli TRK 502 and the likes.

Mechanical specifications on the 250NK include a 249.2 cc, single cylinder, Liquid cooled, 4-valve, DOHC engine that makes 26.5 PS of power at 9,000 rpm and 22 Nm of peak torque at 7,500 rpm. The 650NK, on the other hand, use a 649.3cc, 2-cylinder inline, 8-valve, liquid cooled, DOHC engine with Bosch EFI system that delivers 61.1 PS of maximum power at 9,000 rpm and 56 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. The 649.3cc -cylinder inline, 8-valve, liquid cooled, DOHC motor on the 650MT is tuned for 70.7 PS at 8,750 rpm and 62 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. All three models feature a six-speed gearbox.

Currently, the engines are BS-IV compliant, but we expect CFMoto to launch the motorcycles with a BS-VI motor.

Apart from motorcycles, AMW Motorcycles would also bring ATV and Side-By-Side vehicles from CFMoto to the Indian market although those would be limited to track use only and could not be driven on public roads. The upcoming products are also listed on AMW Motorcycles’ website.

CFMoto had tried to grab a share of the Indian market earlier with Eider Motors, but things didn’t go according to the plans. The company is expected to make another attempt to introduce its products in India in the second half of 2019.

Also read: CFMoto 650NK spied in India; video footage captures the exhaust note

Regular followers of the automobile industry would know that the Chinese brand had entered into a joint venture with KTM AG in October 2017 to expand its market presence in China and built its LC8 series engines. The joint venture is called CFMoto-KTMR2R, and CF Moto holds the majority stake.