There was a time when middleweight sportbikes were the bikes to beat. Think back to the golden era of screaming inline-fours from Japan, where 400cc and 600cc machines revved to the moon and taught a whole generation what performance riding felt like. They were sharp, light, and just accessible enough that you didn’t need superbike money or skill to enjoy them. That formula never really went away, but it did fade as twins took over the entry-level space and liter bikes grabbed the spotlight.
But then, seemingly out of nowhere, a Chinese company by the name of CFMoto steps in, and honestly, it’s been on a roll lately. The brand has gone from being seen as a budget alternative to a serious global player in a pretty short span of time. It’s not just pumping out small displacement commuters anymore. It’s building legit performance machines, backed by solid engineering and partnerships that actually mean something. You see it in bikes like the 450SR and the 675SR-R, both of which have already proven the brand can play in different parts of the sportbike spectrum.
