- 6 months ago
The 2025 CFMoto Ibex 450 is a lightweight adventure bike that’s proving it can do far more than its spec sheet suggests. After a first ride review in the Philippines, we’ve now put the Ibex through a full spectrum of real-world ADV testing here in the U.S.—from highway miles to dirt trails to legit enduro terrain. With excellent suspension, approachable power, and a low seat height, the Ibex 450 offers middleweight comfort and capability at a price that undercuts the competition. In this video, we find out if CFMoto’s most promising ADV yet can truly punch above its class.
Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/cfmoto-ibex-450-review/
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6CLI74xvMBFLDOC1tQaCOQ
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld
Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/cfmoto-ibex-450-review/
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6CLI74xvMBFLDOC1tQaCOQ
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld
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SportsTranscript
00:00This is the CFMoto IBEX 450, and today I'm going to see how much abuse this thing can take.
00:06This IBEX 450, also known as the MT450 in the rest of the world, is a 449cc liquid-cooled parallel twin adventure bike, and it's only $6,500 bucks.
00:34About a month ago, we tested the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 in the same scenario, and everybody was asking about this motorcycle.
00:42So, here we are. We're going to put it to the test today. We're going to ramp up the difficulty starting on the street.
00:48Then we're going to go to gravel roads, dirt roads, two-track, single-track, sandwashes, and we're even going to ride some enduro.
00:55If you like what we're doing here with this series, let us know and help us name it.
00:59Come up with a name of what we should call this exact test, and then let us know what other bikes you'd like to see in this test.
01:06And finally, we'd really love it if you guys subscribe.
01:08An important aspect of adventure biking is on-road comfort and handling.
01:24Sitting on this thing, it seems pretty comfortable, but we're going to get on the road and see how it handles.
01:28Overall, great little street bike. The engine, it's really fun.
01:52It has a nice little bit of torque down at the bottom, and then it really comes on on top.
01:57It likes to be revved, but it has a rush right after about 5,500, 6,000 RPM up to the red line is near 9.
02:06It just kind of like builds really hard at like 6. It's pretty cool.
02:09But down low, you can lug it around the corners, and it's totally fine.
02:12The handling is really great. It's up on its nose a little bit. It feels like it turns on its nose.
02:18But then when you get into the powder out of the corner, it settles in, and it kind of squats a little bit,
02:23and then it shoots out of the corner really nice.
02:25The way the suspension action is on the street really complements the power on the bike.
02:30Tires are actually really nice on the street.
02:33They're 50-50-ish tires, I would call them. They're CST Ambrose A4s.
02:39They're basically very similar to a Pirelli STR Rally, and they work great.
02:43Handling on it is really nice. Light turn-in. Bars are wide enough to really have some nice leverage on the bike.
02:52Ergonomics, pretty roomy. Seat, maybe, I would like it a little bit taller, especially with moto boots.
02:58I think if you were wearing normal riding shoes, you wouldn't be as noticeable,
03:01but when you have the extra height of a riding boot underneath you,
03:05you do notice that you could use a tad more seat height.
03:08The tank looks really wide when you're sitting on it, but it doesn't get in the way.
03:12Seat's comfortable. The adjustable windscreen, really great, easy to operate. It makes a difference.
03:18Only criticism I have on this bike on the street is the front brake is a tad wooden.
03:24If you're pushing it hard into a corner, you start to feel like you're lacking a little bit of power.
03:29I run that. Excellent on the road. Can't wait to get in the dirt.
03:32Okay, so here we are at our testing gravel road.
03:41This road has got just a little bit of gravel on top of a washboardy base.
03:46It's a great road for testing predictability of slides and stuff like that.
03:50I expect this thing is going to be pretty decent here.
03:53It's light, it's got some wide bars, and it has some decent tires on it.
03:57So we're going to go slide around and see how it does.
03:59All right, that's the end of the gravel road section.
04:14This thing is really fun on the gravel road.
04:16The tires are pretty good. You can trust them.
04:18You can trust the front because it seems to really put a lot of weight on the front end,
04:21which helps with front end traction.
04:23Tire, you can lean it over. You don't lose it off the side of the knob.
04:26The suspension on that works pretty well. It soaked up the washboard really nice.
04:31It kind of made a lot of train noise, but in terms of drive, it didn't hurt it.
04:36Overall, really good.
04:38Only complaint, the gearing on it is very short, I think, to enhance the power feeling of the bike.
04:43So second gear is too low for a lot of corners, and third gear, you're carrying a lot of speed.
04:48So a lot of those corners we were on, we were riding between the two gears.
04:52But other than that, awesome on gravel roads.
04:55Okay, now we're off to MotoVentures.
04:57We're going to do dirt road, two-track, single-track, sand washes, and some Enduro.
05:10All right, we made it out to Anza, California, and MotoVentures.
05:13This place is great for the testing we do, but it's also a great place to come and learn adventure bikes.
05:18If you're interested in learning to ride better off-road, give them a call.
05:22So this is our dirt road, two-track section.
05:25This adds bumps, rocks, some sandy corners.
05:28It's a bit more technical than the gravel we hit before.
05:31If the gravel is any indication, this bike, the IBEX 450, should do really well on this stuff.
05:37So, let's go find out.
05:38All right.
05:56First thing I noticed in the sandy corners, you start to find the limitations of these tires,
06:03which they're very, very similar to Pirelli STRs, where they're wonderful on the road.
06:10They're pretty good on gravel because of the shape of the tire, but there's not a lot of side knob.
06:14So once you start really pushing the bike over in the corner, you lose the front.
06:19So it's already starting to kind of push in the front, but the suspension action is great.
06:24It's easy to flick side to side.
06:26The power is easy to manage.
06:27We've got an off-road mode, which is really nice.
06:30You just hold down this ABS button.
06:32It turns off the TC and turns off the rear ABS.
06:35The power delivery is really nice.
06:37The short gearing on the road is a little bothersome, and maybe in the gravel, it's a little bothersome.
06:43Here, it actually works pretty good.
06:44I can ride around in second and third gear the whole time if you never get down into first gear.
06:49Shifting, though, a bit notchy, especially off-road when you're really moving your feet around along the foot pegs,
06:54and you're kicking at the lever quickly.
06:57Sometimes you miss a shift, or it just feels clunky.
07:03Hey, here's another interesting thing that I forgot about.
07:06When you're riding off-road, those get out of the way.
07:12Now we won't hit tricky.
07:14Standing up on the bike, it's actually pretty good.
07:19The bars we originally got them were down a lot lower, and it was hard to get forward on the bike.
07:23Pick the bars up, nice when you're standing up.
07:26Tank is a tiny bit wide.
07:27It's not super wide.
07:29It's just you kind of notice it.
07:30It pushes on your knee braces or your knee pads.
07:34Coming from sitting to standing is not difficult.
07:36It's a little low to seat, but it's not too low to wear.
07:40It's a lot of work to get up and down, up and down, up and down.
07:42It has the kind of same ergos like a Tenere, 890 Adventure, which is a good thing.
07:49It's really good.
07:49Okay, so that's it for the off-road and two-track selection.
07:56The suspension on this thing is pretty darn good.
07:59It's got easier travel front and rear.
08:01The front is fully adjustable for preload, compression, and rebound, but the back is only
08:05adjustable for preload and rebound.
08:08But it is great.
08:09It's a little bit pogo-y when you really push it to its limits.
08:13Hitting through some of these whoops that we hit and jumping off top of the hill and
08:16jumping the motocross track.
08:18That's so far beyond what this bike is designed to do, and it can do it.
08:22Overall off-road, really good.
08:24The bars are nice and wide.
08:25You can push the bike around with your knees.
08:27The tank is slightly light, like I said.
08:28The ABS works great, but the front ABS in the dirt is really good.
08:34I'm really surprised.
08:35Even when it kicks in, it slows you down.
08:37Next, we're going to hit single track and the sand wash.
08:41If we make it through all that stuff, then we'll go ride some Enduro.
08:58All right, on the single track, it does great.
09:02It's got a lot of weight on the front tire, so it turns.
09:04It goes right where you need it to be.
09:06Really, really good.
09:07The suspension is awesome.
09:09Really, really good.
09:10Overall, great off-road bike, even for single track.
09:14Passing great, absolutely.
09:15Now it's time to go hit the sand wash.
09:21All right, we're at the start of the sand wash.
09:24It is dry, it is deep, and it is soft.
09:27So, we're going to see how it goes.
09:29I have a feeling that it's going to be a little tough, because this thing has a lot of weight
09:33on its nose.
09:34That's what makes it turn so good in the dirt and other sections.
09:37It might hamper here in the sand wash.
09:39Let's find out.
09:42The sand is deep.
09:44Whoa.
09:45Oh my goodness.
09:57It's chewed up.
10:00Hi-hoo.
10:07All right, sand wash test done and dusted.
10:09It made it through.
10:10Barely.
10:11Front end likes the knife.
10:12There's a lot of weight on the front, so it knifes around.
10:14And this is very soft sand.
10:16This is extreme.
10:17So, if you can make it through this, you can make it through muff stuff.
10:20I'll give it a passing grade.
10:21Okay.
10:22All the tests are done, except for hard enduro.
10:25Well, it's really mild enduro, because these are adventure bikes.
10:28But, we're going to go down.
10:29We're going to do this gnarly hill climb.
10:31If we get past that, we're going to go to where the Himalayan managed to match last time.
10:35Okay.
10:35Here we go.
10:36We're going to get a better start at this.
10:51All right.
10:52Here we go.
10:54Up a little bit.
10:55Come on, baby.
11:07Just a reminder, we're still on straight pressures on these knobbies.
11:28So, I kind of made it a little easier on myself.
11:31But, it made it.
11:33That was some pushing.
11:34As you can tell, I'm having heavy breathing.
11:37Okay.
11:53This was the final boss last time.
11:56Let's see if the Ibex can get past where the Himalayan didn't.
12:02First gear?
12:03Second gear?
12:04Probably second gear.
12:05Gearing is really low on this thing.
12:08All right.
12:08Here we go.
12:16Woo!
12:17Okay.
12:18More speed.
12:20But, I'm going to clear the rock.
12:22Okay.
12:22Do it again.
12:23First gear, too.
12:25Second gear is too tall.
12:26That's why lighter weight 80V bites are good.
12:34But, even on the scales, full tank of gas with all these accessories on it, 448 pounds.
12:41Not exactly a light weight.
12:43But, lighter weight, I guess.
12:49Take two.
12:49Come on, baby.
12:56I don't know.
12:58This thing got pretty chewed up.
12:59This thing got pretty chewed up.
12:59I'm there.
13:18I got it.
13:20I got it.
13:21Yeah, that's farther than the...
13:29It's just too soft.
13:49That's it.
13:49All right.
13:54Two of them.
13:56Near the same spot.
14:00This one did better.
14:03But, in the time we were here last, somebody dug this out and filled it with really soft dirt.
14:11So, it's even harder.
14:12But, it was wanting to find traction.
14:14It was wheeling.
14:15And, I don't know if it was the same condition as last time it would have made it.
14:19We'll call it there.
14:20That's it.
14:21But, for $6,499, the Ibex 450 has no business being as good as it is.
14:28Engine, way torqueier than I thought it would be for a parallel twin.
14:32And, it makes a lot of power on top but it still has grunt on the bottom and that was proved
14:35right here why it was grabbing traction and trying to get up this hard spot.
14:38But, it makes it manageable.
14:40It makes it easy to ride and it makes it less intimidating.
14:42And, that is really what you want when you get in trouble on an adventure bike.
14:46It is a, I would call it like a 7.8 size adventure bike.
14:51It is almost the same size as any middle weight adventure bike.
14:55The suspension is unbelievable.
14:57The fully adjustable KYB fork, KYB shock, could use compression adjustment just to round it out.
15:04But, at the price, you can't complain.
15:08I'm really amazed.
15:10I'm pretty much speechless right now.
15:12Now, we gotta get this thing unstuck.
15:14But, while we do that, please like, comment, subscribe, and I know you got comments.
15:18You are going to tell me how bad I am at climbing the hill.
15:20Do it.
15:21Put it down in the comments.
15:22We will see you next time.
15:23Woohoo!
15:24That's awesome.
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