There seems to be a war brewing in the 800cc adventure bike segment. First, it was the Europeans with their KTM 790 Adventure, then, BMW’s F 800. For the Japanese, Yamaha came up with the Ténéré 700. The Chinese aren't far behind with the Benelli TRK 800 in development since mid-last year. There's also another contender in the form of CF Moto’s KTM-powered MT800, unveiled last January. This time, another brand from China has wants to join the 800cc adventure bike bandwagon.
Chinese bike brand, Colove, though fairly new in the motorcycle manufacturing business in China is joining the battle. The company announced it is developing the 800X adventure bike. It will be powered by a parallel-twin engine, the same size and configuration as KTM’s LC8. The announcement was made just recently by the company’s founder and CEO, Zhang Xue, through an online event in the nation’s permitted social media site.
Up until recently, the largest engines Colove has built were 500cc. Colove is not talking it slowly, jumping right into 800cc models.
While the engine size is definite, Colove has yet to decide on the final design, or could possibly offer three derivatives. During the presentation, 3 sets of designs were presented. The first bike featured styling similar to Suzuki’s V-Strom 650. The second design looks similar to the Triumph Tiger, sporting a distinctive beak. Finally, the third design option seems inspired by Yamaha’s Ténéré 700. All designs also seemed to be sporting 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels.
Though much of the details have yet to be released, we got word from one of the local industry insiders that if the 800X finally enters production, the Philippines might get the first units as early as next year.
