Updated CFMoto 450SR gets single-sided swingarm

An uprated version of CFMoto’s new 450SR sports bike will be launched imminently with a single-sided swingarm and improved electronics – bringing it closer to the 2021 SR-C21 concept bike that previewed the model.

The new bike is likely to go by the name 450SR-S, with the extra letter reflecting its improved spec, and it’s expected to be offered as an additional model alongside the more affordable 450SR. The standard 450SR was revealed last April and is due on sale in the UK later this year, with KTM taking over the distribution of CFMoto bikes in this country – a move that’s likely to make the Chinese brand more widely available. However, while it has the recipe to be the most advanced sports bike that CFMoto has yet made, the standard 450SR lacks the single-sided swingarm of the SR-C21 concept – something that’s remedied in the uprated 450SR-S.

The 450SR-S version will probably be introduced as a 2024 model, with an official unveiling later this year, but its appearance and technical details have been leaked via official type-approval documents.

SR-C21 concept from 2021 previewed the new model’s style

The new bike’s appearance gives it a much closer connection to the SR-C21 concept from 2021, which gave the first look at CFMoto’s all-new, 270-degree crank, 449cc parallel twin engine. This 50hp twin is due to spread to multiple models in the next few years including an unfaired 450NK roadster that’s already been spied on test in China.

As well as gaining a single-sided swingarm like the SR-C21, the 450SR-S mimics the concept bike’s black and red colour scheme, although the ‘carbon’ parts on the production model, including its substantial winglets, will be carbon-effect rather than using the real material.

Type-approval documents accompanying the single picture of the 450SR-S reveal that it uses Bosch 10.3 ABS rather than the Bosch 9.1 ABS system of the base bike. That could well be a clue that the higher-spec version will also gain cornering ABS functions, as bikes currently using the Bosch 10.3 system include the KTM 1290 Super Adventure and Ducati Multistrada V4, both featuring IMUs and cornering anti-lock.

The addition of the single-sided swingarm adds a single kilo to the bike’s mass, taking it from 168kg to 169kg ready-to-ride.