Kove is a fairly new Chinese motorcycle manufacturer that first made its global debut at EICMA 2022. The brand had lofty ambitions of entering the global market, and had a pretty interesting lineup of bikes on display. On top of that, the brand proved it has what it takes to go racing, by fielding three bikes in the 2023 Dakar Rally. The brand is also set to compete in the 2023 SSP300.
With all that on the table, chances are great that Kove will be a name we’ll be hearing of much more often. The brand has also recently unveiled its newest naked streetfighter model, the Cobra 321. As the name suggests, the bike is packing a 321cc engine, more specifically, a parallel-twin unit that bears an uncanny resemblance to that of the Yamaha R3 and MT-03. Indeed, chances are great that Kove is using some sort of reverse-engineered version of that engine.
As for claimed performance, Kove says the bike produces 40 horsepower and 20 lb-ft of torque. The engine is housed in a steel tubular frame and connected to a six-speed manual transmission. An interesting feature is definitely the single-sided swingarm, a styling element usually reserved for bigger, more expensive models. Other features include a fully digital instrument cluster with a particularly racy design. There’s also full-LED lighting, aggressive bodywork, and loud, eccentric colorways to give the bike a youthful and energetic character.
The Cobra 321’s underpinnings are fairly commonplace for this category of naked bikes. It rolls on 17-inch tires front and rear, with the front tire measuring 110/70, and the rear at 150/60. It also gets inverted front forks, sans any adjustability, as well as a rear monoshock that can be adjusted for preload. The Cobra 321 comes to a stop with front and rear disc brakes equipped with ABS.
At present, Kove operates only in China, as well as a few key markets in Asia via partnerships with other manufacturers. However, given its plans for global expansion, as well as the fact that the Cobra 321 follows a similar formula for entry-level naked bikes in other markets, chances are we could soon see this bike in the European and Asian markets, too. In such case, it would go head-to-head with the likes of the Yamaha MT-03, Kawasaki Z400, and KTM 390 Duke.
