Chinese motorcycle manufacturer Kove is a very new player in the game, having first set foot on the global market in 2022. However, its fledgling status in the industry has done little to affect the speed at which the brand has been rolling out new models. We previously talked about its 450cc rally replica, and now, Kove ventures into the mid-size ADV segment with the launch of its 800X Adventure.
The middleweight ADV segment has been growing in popularity in recent years thanks in part to the success of big players like the KTM 790 and 890 Adventure, Yamaha Tenere 700, and Aprilia Tuareg 660. Much more recently, brands like Benelli and CFMoto revealed their own interpretations of the ideal middleweight adventure machine. Now, Kove has done the same, following pretty much the same formula as its counterparts. The new 800X range of adventure bikes is particularly off-road focused, without forgetting about the touring amenities that make an adventure bike and adventure bike.
At the heart of this new adventure bike is a 799cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, parallel-twin engine. It bears similar architecture to what we find in the CFMoto 800MT (Ibex 800 in the US market), and as such, also the KTM 790 series of engines. In the Kove 800X Adventure, it churns out a healthy 96.5 horsepower and 80 Nm (59 pound-feet) of torque, and has a claimed top speed of 210 kilometers per hour (130 miles per hour).
Suspension duties are handled by some pretty long-travel hardware from Chinese brand Yu-An, with 210 millimeters of wheel travel and 245 millimeters of ground clearance. Like most adventure-enduros, it gets a 21-18 wheel combo, and rolls on CST off-road spec tires. Braking duties are handled by twin 310 mm rotors up front and a single rotor at the back. Interestingly, the bike has a slipper clutch, dual-channel ABS traction control, and even a steering damper all as standard.
From a styling perspective, the new Kove 800X Adventure gets a design that’s clearly rally-inspired, complete with LED lights, crashbars, an aluminum belly pan, and a full-color TFT display.
In total, Kove offers three iterations of the 800X Adventure – Standard, Pro, and Rally. The Standard version has the specs listed above, however, for riders looking for a blend of on and off-road performance, there’s the Kove 800X Adventure Pro. This more premium model offers adjustable suspension from KYB with slightly longer travel of 240 mm and an increased ground clearance of 275 mm. Meanwhile, the Rally version takes things up a notch, also with suspension from KYB, but this time increased to 270 mm of travel up front and 250 mm of travel at the rear. Ground clearance on the rally is an impressive 293 mm.
When it comes to pricing and availability, Kove has announced that in Italy, the 800X Adventure will carry a price tag of 8,990 euros ($9,783 USD) for the standard model, and 9,790 euros, approximately $10,653 USD, for the Pro version. The Rally model is expected to arrive in fall 2024, and will carry a much more premium price tag of 12,980 euros, or about $14,125 USD.
