What do you search for in an journey bike? A well-rounded one which excels each on and off pavement? steadiness of energy and weight? Excessive-tech options? Good worth to your hard-earned {dollars}? The CFMOTO Ibex 800 E checks all these bins, and some others.
We logged greater than 1,700 miles on our check of a 2025 mannequin (the one modifications for 2026 are colours and graphics), totally on pavement however with a couple of off-road excursions. Beginning at simply $10,299, the Ibex 800 E punches above its weight by way of efficiency, functionality, tech, and commonplace options. Our check bike was outfitted with CFMOTO’s optionally available three-piece aluminum baggage set ($1,699). The panniers connect to the tubular baggage rack that comes commonplace, and the set features a mounting plate for the highest field.
At its coronary heart, the Chinese language-made Ibex 800 E has a 799cc parallel-Twin that makes 94 hp and 57 lb-ft of torque. Due to a partnership between CFMOTO and KTM that goes again greater than a decade, the engine is from the KTM 790 Journey and the Ibex’s bodywork was designed by Kiska, the European agency that has given KTMs their distinctive styling for years.
To present it best-of-both-worlds functionality, the Ibex is provided with tubeless spoked wheels – a 19-inch entrance and a 17-inch rear – wrapped in Michelin Anakee Journey tires. At 6.3 inches on the fork and 5.9 inches on the shock, suspension journey is center of the street for an journey bike, however it permits for a manageable 32.5-inch seat peak. KYB suspension elements embody a totally adjustable inverted fork and preload- and rebound-adjustable rear shock.
What makes the Ibex 800 E such an outlier is the quantity of tech you get at this value level. The throttle-by-wire system allows six trip modes (Sport, Rain, Offroad, Offroad+, All Terrain, and All Terrain+) that modify throttle response, ABS, and traction management. Cornering ABS and TC, wheelie management, cruise management, an up/down quickshifter, radar-enabled collision avoidance methods, tire-pressure monitoring, and a touchscreen 8.8-inch TFT with Bluetooth-enabled Apple CarPlay and CFMOTO’s RideSync are all commonplace tools, together with arduous elements like crash bars, a skid plate, a centerstand, heated grips and seat, auxiliary lights, and handguards.
After some freeway miles and some canyon blasts, we loaded up the bags and headed north to the Monterey Peninsula, taking a mixture of freeways and abandoned backroads to get there. Whole storage capability is 99 liters: 36 liters within the high case (which holds a full-face helmet), 35 liters within the left pannier, and 28 liters in the correct pannier (which loses house because of the exhaust pipe). All three instances are top-loading, lockable, and have waterproof/dustproof seals. In addition they have detachable liners manufactured from black microfiber, which looks like velvet and retains issues from rattling round however creates a light-eating black gap impact inside. The instances have carry handles and arduous plastic corners with strap attachment factors, and the highest case has a again pad for the passenger. It’s high-quality package that’s straightforward to make use of and take away/reattach as wanted.
CFMOTO used to supply two variations of the Ibex 800: the 800 T, much like the E examined right here, and the 800 S, which had cast-aluminum wheels, extra street-oriented tires, and fewer ADV accoutrements. For 2025 and 2026, solely the 800 E is obtainable, and although it’s the extra off-road-worthy model, it nonetheless leans extra towards pavement than filth, like its 80% on-road/20% off-road tires. That makes its number of trip modes a little bit of a headscratcher. Solely two are for avenue driving (Sport and Rain), whereas 4 are for off-pavement circumstances. Along with softening throttle response in comparison with Sport mode, Offroad reduces TC intervention whereas Offroad+ additionally deactivates rear ABS; All Terrain additional softens throttle response, turns off TC, and deactivates rear ABS, whereas All Terrain+ deactivates entrance and rear ABS. Sport mode pairs fast throttle response with low TC intervention. A Touring mode with intermediate throttle response and TC intervention could be a great addition, or a Customized mode that permits the rider to save lots of their most well-liked settings.
Because it seems, Sport is an effective default mode for avenue driving. Throttle response isn’t too aggressive, and permitting a bit of rear-wheel slip is ok. KTM makes use of DKK Dell’Orto digital gasoline injection on the 790 Journey, however CFMOTO makes use of a Bosch EFI system on the Ibex 800 E and fueling is spot-on. The 799cc Twin likes to rev and rewards aggressive riders with loads of rowdiness when known as for, however it cruises alongside simply wonderful within the midrange. The slip/help clutch makes the lever pull mild, however on our check bike the friction zone was slender; the clutch would interact all of the sudden if we weren’t cautious.
On the freeway, the Ibex 800 E is all-day snug with an opulent seat, loads of legroom, first rate wind safety, and the comfort of cruise management. Two knobs permit the windscreen’s peak to be adjusted with out instruments, and airflow was good. The heated grips and seat are a plus on chilly mornings, although at something above the medium setting the seat felt like a scorching plate. We burned almost 40 gallons of gasoline throughout this check and averaged 43.8 mpg, good for 219 miles of vary from the 5-gallon tank.
Radar-assisted security options have change into extra widespread up to now few years however not on bikes that price just some Benjamins over ten grand. The Ibex 800 E has a rear radar that allows blind spot detection, lane altering alert, and rear collision warning. If the system detects a car in your blind spot, it’ll flash a big yellow warning on the TFT show on the identical aspect because the encroaching car. When you’ve got your turnsignal on to maneuver into that very same lane, the TFT will flash crimson and the horn will beep. The primary time this occurred, I used to be caught off-guard and thought one other driver was honking at me. When it occurred once more, I spotted my bike was beeping the horn to warn me, however it felt extra like a impolite gesture to different drivers. Whereas I admire the potential worth of such security options, when working my approach by means of dense site visitors in Los Angeles (after I at all times have my head on a swivel) they grew to become extra annoying than useful. Thankfully, the radar-assisted options will be turned off.
GEAR UP
The Ibex 800 E has what CFMOTO calls an MMI (multi media interface), which integrates the touchscreen show with apps, menus, and buttons on the left switchgear. The show display will be personalized, however there’s virtually an excessive amount of data accessible, and accessing a few of it may be complicated. House owners might want to spend a while with the handbook to be taught all of the ins and outs, and even then some features or data might stay buried as a result of attending to it isn’t intuitive. Additionally, when driving with the digital speedometer on the principle show, a set of nested rings across the speedo pulses in a distracting disco-like method, which we by no means found out find out how to flip off. Whereas the MMI is an enormous step up from earlier CFMOTO fashions we’ve examined, it wants work to make it extra user-friendly.
Exiting the freeway and navigating to winding, sparsely traveled backroads is the place the Ibex actually shines. Its suspension delivers a cushty, responsive trip on easy pavement, tough pavement, and unpaved fireplace roads. The large, upright handlebar lends itself to each sit-down and stand-up driving, and in case you want the latter, the vibration-damping rubber inserts will be faraway from the cleated metallic footpegs. Tipping the scales at 509 lb with a full tank, the Ibex carries its weight pretty excessive, particularly when driving with a passenger or absolutely loaded baggage. It ideas simply into turns and stays composed when surprising dips, cracks, and seams reveal themselves mid-corner.
There are lots of roads in California that may put bikes to the check, and certainly one of our favorites on the Central Coast is Santa Rosa Creek Highway outdoors of Cambria. Pashnit.com charges it 4 out of 4 on its Goat Scale, utilized to roads solely match for goats, and fairly a couple of Rider covers and street checks have been photographed there over time. Simply 16 miles lengthy, it’s a few lane and a half large, has no mustard or mayo traces, and is usually hidden inside the darkish shade of oak bushes. The patched and repaired pavement is in determined want of resurfacing, and it deteriorates extra with every passing 12 months. Some areas have sunk because of the comfortable earth beneath collapsing, whereas different areas have all however washed away throughout heavy winter rains. Santa Rosa Creek Highway could be a nightmare on a low-slung cruiser, however it’s an adrenaline-fueled frolic on an journey bike. Hustling the Ibex 800 E from one finish to the opposite revealed a lot of its virtues: fast acceleration, hit-absorbing suspension, exact steering, grippy tires, robust brakes (up entrance, a pair of J.Juan 4-piston radial calipers squeeze 320mm discs), and the reassurance of cornering ABS and TC.
There may be a lot to love about CFMOTO’s Ibex 800 E. It’s a totally outfitted journey bike with all of the bells, whistles, and extras you might need for a really affordable value. Even with the optionally available baggage included ($11,999), it’s similar to or cheaper than different middleweight journey bikes which might be extra naked bones. Bikes constructed to a value typically drive you to surrender issues within the discount. However the Ibex 800 E has a confirmed engine that delivers stable efficiency, high-quality suspension and brakes, tubeless spoked wheels with good tires, a full suite of digital rider aids, and a protracted listing of helpful options, all backed up by a two-year, unlimited-mileage guarantee. It’s all in, and so are we.
2025 CFMOTO Ibex 800 E
- Base Value: $10,299
- Value as Examined: $11,999 (3-piece baggage set)
- Web site: CFMOTOusa.com
- Guarantee: 2 yrs., unltd. miles
- Engine Kind: Liquid‑cooled, transverse parallel‑Twin, DOHC w/ 4 valves per cyl.
- Displacement: 799cc
- Bore x Stroke: 88 x 65.7mm
- Horsepower: 94 @ 9,000 rpm (manufacturing unit declare)
- Torque: 56.8 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm (manufacturing unit declare)
- Transmission: 6-speed, cable‑actuated moist slip/help clutch
- Last Drive: Chain
- Wheelbase: 60.3 in.
- Rake/Path: 25 levels/4.1 in.
- Seat Top: 32.5 in.
- Moist Weight: 509 lb (manufacturing unit declare, w/o baggage)
- Gas Capability: 5.0 gal.
- Gas Consumption: 43.8 mpg
- Estimated Vary: 219 miles
