Cycle News Staff | May 1, 2023
We first took notice of the Kove Rally bikes during the 2023 Dakar Rally. We talked about it during the Cycle News Dakar Rally Daily Podcast.
We were impressed with the handling and overall performance of the Kove FSE 450R Rally. It looks as if it’s built well, too.
Photography by Jesse Ziegler
The Chinese brand Kove Moto had three riders competing at the Dakar Rally. All three riders, all rookies, finished the grueling 14 stages. Before that, we hadn’t heard of this desert weapon with its good looks and a mysterious origin. It turns out this bike was introduced in September of 2022 and went straight to Dakar. Bold.
The Dakar Rally is not an easy test to pass. It’s over 5000 miles of special tests and liaison jaunts through the brutal Saudi Arabian desert with minimal maintenance available without massive penalties outside of oil changes, oil filters, air filters and fresh tires. Racers run the gamut of riding conditions from dark to dark nearly every day. And this year’s race was full of water-logged routes and massive sand dune stages. Finishing the race is a dream for many people, and it surely gives this bike street cred off the road. And after riding it, we can quickly see how it pulled off the finishes.
The Kove FSE 450R Rally is pretty and is well protected. A slick carbon-fiber skid plate guards several vital components.
Kove Moto was founded in 2017 by a former motocross racer and currently sells 17 models of ADV, street and off-road machines, including two versions of the Rally bike. The brand sold over 20,000 bikes globally in 2021, with 75% sold in China. The Kove FSE 450R Rally bikes are being imported to the U.S. by Utah-based USA Motortoys, which also imports the GPX Moto line of off-road motorcycles. A first batch of 70 of these Rally models (reportedly all spoken for, sorry!) is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. in June at $8999. There will be a full-on race version, as well. It will be fitted with a carbon-fiber road book tower (instead of the standard’s digital display), mousse bibs, rally map, titanium exhaust, Scotts Performance steering damper, skid plate, water tank (a Dakar Rally requirement), and a few fasteners that are titanium instead of stainless steel on the body work. The race model will sell for $13,999.
The 450R Rally is designed and manufactured by Kove, but the 448.9cc single-cylinder motor is produced by fellow Chinese company Zongshen. Zongshen pumps out over a million motorcycle engines a year. For this motor, Kove worked with Zongshen to develop the higher-performance twin-cam version of an existing powerplant (the lower end had been used in other bikes for several years), which includes a six-speed transmission, counterbalancer, fuel injection and a multi-disc wet clutch with cable actuation. The motorcycle also has a healthy 1.8-liter oil capacity (about 40% more oil than a typical 450 off-road bike on the market) with an oil cooler, which extends the oil change intervals to 3000 miles and suggested valve clearance check to 5000 miles. It also utilizes large radiators and fans on both sides. The motor produces a claimed 51 horsepower, putting it in the range of other 450 off-road bikes.
The Chinese Yuan suspension performs well. It soaks up rolling sand whoops with surprising comfort and predictability.
On the chassis side, the 450R Rally utilizes a steel frame and aluminum swingarm that Kove makes in-house. The fork and link-mounted shock, which provide 12 inches of travel front and rear, are manufactured by Yuan, another Chinese brand. There will be an optional short-travel version of the bike with 10 inches of travel and a lower seat height, which is claimed to be 38 inches with the standard model. The standard model also has 12 inches of ground clearance. A nice-looking carbon fiber skid plate protects the bottom of the frame, fuel tanks, oil cooler and low-routed exhaust header.
The bike has three fuel tanks for a total of eight gallons. Estimates put the range at more than 300 miles. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to verify this claim.
The seat and controls are all traditional for an off-road bike, but the standard TFT dash is more like what you will find on most ADV bikes. It shows speed, trip, fuel level, average speed, rpm and other items as you would expect on an ADV or street-going motorcycle, as well as the ability to turn off the standard ABS (unfortunately, you need to turn it off every time you turn the key off and back on). It even includes a USB charging port. The brakes are dual-piston calipers front and rear with no name-brand markings. While talking about controls, the 450R Rally comes standard with some nice, oversized footpegs.
The standard TFT dash is comparable to what you find on most ADV bikes.
It has LED headlights, turn signals, a brake light, a horn and a license-plate bracket. Kove is in the process of getting the bike homologated for street use, but the first batch is being imported as off-road-only machines.
We do not know what tires will be mounted when they arrive, but our test model had Motoz Tractionator Desert H/T tires for our quick test.
2023 Kove FSE 450R Rally Review | How is the ride?
The USA Motortoys crew met us in Page, Arizona, during the U.S. Hard Enduro Grinding Stone race, with two of the Kove FSE 450R Rally bikes for us to try out. (Two of the same model.) We spent a couple of hours riding them in diverse terrain, including a lot of sand, some hard-packed dirt roads, and a short spin on the highway. We didn’t get to live with them or work on them, which is going to be the true test of these bikes in the U.S. market, but we can say up front that, performance-wise, this is a very fun and capable bike that seems to have the necessary equipment (and Dakar Rally finishing results) to indicate some decent durability.
VIDEO | First Ride On The New Kove FSE 450R Rally
Kove Rally
Classifying the Kove FSE 450R Rally with anything currently available isn’t easy. It is clearly designed to be a rally race bike and it looks like one. And it’s even an accomplished one. But it surprisingly doesn’t quite run like one. It’s just less aggressive than we thought it would be, but it still rips pretty well. This means it can be used as a more off-road-capable, lighter-weight ADV bike or a long-range off-road bike. We asked if the team at Dakar had modified bikes or other bikes disguised as Kove models, and the USA Motortoys team told us they were nearly identical bikes to the ones we’re riding. They told us the race bikes have a high-performance exhaust, steering stabilizer (which our test bikes already had brackets for), and navigational equipment. That’s it.
The 448.9cc single-cylinder DOHC motor, specially built for the Kove Rally, is manufactured by Chinese company Zongshen.
The overall ergonomics, seat, and even seat height feel neutral and comfortable, except for the bar risers under the rubber-mounted bar clamps. They are just too high but can be easily removed. The U.S. importer says it doesn’t know if the risers will be standard equipment. So, no foul there. We rode the standard 12-inch-travel bikes, and the claimed 38-inch seat height feels lower than that. Getting your leg over the seat isn’t a struggle. The motorcycle sits comfortably for average-height test riders (approximately 5’10”). The oversized footpegs feel great.
Again, the motor is not overly exciting. Still, it is powerful enough to ride through deep sand and up soft hills. The fuel injection mapping is good and predictable but not as precise as a modern-day MX or off-road competition bike. The Kove has a more utilitarian attitude when it comes to power delivery; it prefers high rpms to make fun power but not so much to be irritating or difficult to manipulate in slower terrain. Power is soft down low, so you will use the clutch a lot in deep sand.
Clutch pull is reasonable, and we experienced no overheating or fading issues with the cable-actuated clutch during our short test ride.
Fit and finish looks pretty darn good to us.
The six-speed transmission provides plenty of range and allows the bike to comfortably cruise at 80 mph on the highway. Kove says the bike will tap out at 105 mph. We’ll just have to trust them on that one.
The Yuan suspension components, which, to the eye, are very similar looking as some of the more popular units from Japan, are set up well from the factory. The ride is very plush overall, comfortable at high speeds in the sand and hard-pack dirt and is surprisingly stable over the sand whoops. Bottoming resistance is impressive, too. We tried to bash the Kove’s suspension into submission, but the Yuan’s soaked it all up quite well with room to spare. We suspect they will work just as good with a full load of fuel, too. We rode the bike with only four gallons on board, not the full eight.
The Kove’s power is not overly exciting but is strong enough to get you through deep sand and up soft hills.
We don’t know how many people need a true rally race bike, but if you do, the affordable Kove FSE 450R Rally should fit the bill and, perhaps best of all, be easier to get your hands on than the pricier Austrian versions. The KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas Rally Replica bikes are technically available to buy, but they will set you back significantly more than the Kove’s $8999 MSRP—that is if you can find one, import it, and get it registered. The Kove, however, is going to be an easier entry point into this part of the world. If you’re concerned about parts, Kove says that, while dealers will be limited for a while, parts are available through its U.S. importer.
Suppose you don’t plan to race but want a capable long-distance desert or dirt-road-exploring bike without having to invest in aftermarket fuel tanks and the like on a standard enduro bike, then the Kove FSE 450R Rally just might be a great option for you. CN
2023 Kove FSE 450R Rally Specifications
| MSRP: |
$8999 |
| Engine Type: |
4-stroke, single cylinder |
| Valvetrain: |
4-valve, DOHC |
| Cooling system: |
Liquid |
| Displacement |
448.9cc |
| Bore x Stroke |
94.5 x 64mm |
| Starting System |
Electric |
| Fueling |
Bosch EFI |
| Transmission |
6-speed |
| Clutch: |
Wet multi-disc with cable actuation |
| Frame: |
Steel |
| Front Suspension |
Yuan, 49mm fully adjustable inverted |
| Rear Suspension |
Yuan, fully adjustable single shock with linkage system |
| Front-Wheel Travel |
12.0 in. |
| Rear-Wheel Travel |
12.0 in. |
| Front Wheel |
21 in. |
| Rear Wheel |
18 in. |
| Front Tire: |
90/90 x 21 in. |
| Rear Tire: |
140/80 x 18 in. |
| Front Brake |
Single disc with dual-piston caliper, ABS |
| Rear Brake |
Single disc with dual-piston caliper, ABS |
| Seat Height |
38.0 in. |
| Ground Clearance |
12.0 in. |
| Wheelbase: |
58.0 in. |
| Fuel Capacity: |
8.0 gal. |
| Oil Capacity: |
1.8 liters. Recommended oil change every 2000 – 3000 miles; valve clearance check every 5000 miles |
| Weight (dry, claimed): |
320 lbs. |
