When I was growing up in a field in Tyrone with only a broken stick to play with, Japan meant cheap tin toys for Christmas which broke by Boxing Day.
Then the Honda CB750 arrived in 1969 and changed the world, not to mention hammering a very large nail into the coffin of British bike manufacturers already on death’s door thanks to uninspired management and bolshy unions.
I can’t understand why my parents didn’t buy me one for passing my 11-Plus, but at least the Vindec bicycle they did buy me sounded like a CB750 with the help of a clothes peg and a playing card in the spokes.
Anyway, where was I before I interrupted myself? Ah yes, walking up to the CFMOTO 700CL-X and thinking that it could be the Chinese equivalent of the CB750.
You see, a few years ago Chinese bikes had a reputation for being cheap, but not so cheerful when they started to rust to pieces.
But CFMOTO has been around since 1989, originally sold as WK in the UK, and in 2013 it buddied up with KTM to build Dukes for the huge Chinese market.
The CL-X isn’t even its biggest bike – that’s the CF1250, a 1278cc well-equipped V-twin used by the Chinese police when they need to rush off and stop folks watching Lady Gaga and Peppa Pig, both of whom are banned in China for depravity. Quite right, too. You should see what those two get up to together when they think no one’s looking.
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The CL-X certainly looks very solid, with good welds, nice finish and decent switchgear made by BMW – although the indicator switch felt slightly flimsy – and the engine is the well-proven one from the Kawasaki Z650.
So far, so positive.
The riding position is upright and neutral, the mirrors decent and the smallish screen gives you speed, gear, time and fuel level.
I think there’s also a tacho, but since the figures are about the size of a gnat’s unnmentionables, I couldn’t be sure.
There are only two riding modes, Eco and Sport, but unless you’re married to a polar bear, I wouldn’t bother with Eco, since it makes progress as languid as a slug on opium.
In Sport it’s satisfyingly lusty, with 74bhp urging on a lightweight 196kg of machine, accompanied by a rather glorious snarl from the exhaust, but the real joy of this bike is the handling.
With that light weight and the high, wide bars, it’s absolutely brilliant, making this one of those bikes you feel instantly at home on as you fling it around bends with gay abandon.
The six-speed gearbox is firm rather than slick, but entirely fine, and although there’s only one disc up front, with the bike weighing relatively little, it’s more than adequate.
The nicely firm suspension suited the bike even though I’m heavier than the average rider, although the rear preload is adjustable if you’re really hefty or want more weight on the front end.
So what a great little bike! Yes, yes, I know 700cc is hardly little, but the bike is so light and agile it felt little.
The only minor complaint was that I needed to get off that firm seat for a break after an hour, but then after an hour on most bikes, you want to get off and stretch your legs anyway. Or at my age, unstretch your bladder.
The version I rode was the Heritage, and there’s also a Sport version with lower clip-on handlebars and 17in wheels instead of 18in front and 17in rear.
As I said, the early concern with Chinese bikes was long-term durability, but CFMOTO is so confident of the quality of this machine that it comes with a four-year warranty.
So not only is it a joy to ride, but I predict it’ll be around for a few Boxing Days to come.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if I can get this clockwork Banzai! train set working again.
* Test bike supplied by Davy’s Bikes of Bangor, davysbikes.com
Happy birthday, Beemer!
BMW turns 100 in 2023 and a rather splendid book to mark the occasion is out by Scottish bike journalist Alan Dowds on November 22.
Alan’s been writing about bikes since 1994, has ridden every BMW launched since then, and knows his stuff.
And it shows – the book is superbly written, backed up by sumptuous photos from the first R32 to the S1000RR superbike and gorgeous R18 cruiser.
Ewan and Charley don’t get a mention because there was so much else to write about, but they get enough publicity anyway.
At £41.40, it’s not cheap, but an absolute must for any Beemer owner – and any other biker with an interest in this fascinating history – and worth it for 240 pages and 300 great images.
