I own one, fantastic bike. The motor is amazing except the engine heat can get to you on warm days in traffic. The low beam is pretty ordinary, I made it better by adjusting it down I plan on fitting aux lights soon to improve my seen ability. Handling and suspension is very good but too soft, hoping to to get that sorted when my local suspension shops get some experience with these. For an 800 fuel economy is pretty dam good and combined with a decent sized tank I get a very useable range of around 400km. As you say the engine, quick shifter, electronics package and fully adjustable quality suspernsion make it an excellent value proposition. For my money it is beeter value than the t7, and transalp and suzukis reputation for reliability put ahead of the aprilia for me. For me it's a keeper.
@@podunkman2709 I found a little bit buzzy around 5k but not too bad. Then again my other bikes are a 1980 SR500, a 2007 dr 650, and a 1989 k100rs (now that's smooth).
Love my 800DE and agree with all your comments on what’s great and what needs improvement. Your vids were one of the reasons I bought it. Enjoy your CFMoto! 🤘🏽
Just bought one a couple weeks ago after reviewing some of your videos and researching. It's a phenomenal bike as you mentioned, super stoked to hit some trails and tour!
Thank you for great episodes and nice riding. Its a great bike, had mine for a year now and im very happy, performs well for my type of riding. The motor is lovely, power delivery is spot on. Cheers from Sweden.
Excellent review. Your videos were amazing, I am still impressed by how you rode the 800DE. I am loving my 800DE, and I agree with all your points. For my use case, the 800DE is almost a perfect bike.
Love my 800De - I have the full Arrow exhaust/air box stage 2 (just the plate/filter) with a tune. Its a Monster from where it was stock. Getting 87HP/63-65Ft Lbs to the back wheel now. The torque is well noticeable in the mid range now. I agree with you with the suspension, I am 225LBS and in another year I will most likely swap the springs out. I mainly use mine for Commuting/Touring with some offroad (mostly dirt roads/easier ATV Trails). Overall one of the best bang for buck ADV bikes I think out there. I even chose this over the 1000 just because the P twin felt a little more rowdy. I will miss your videos on this one as it helped me a lot with mine and how I built it. Good luck on the 450 content.
Love your work Curtis. I did similar and went from a V-Strom 1050XT to a CFmoto 450MT and haven't looked back. Very keen to see your take on the new bike.
@onthebackwheel the 450MT is a very accomplished bike for what it is. I've done 4500 kms on it in about 5 months. Have done a 15T countershaft sprocket which I prefer. Time will tell, but so far love it. Great offroad. Balanced chassis. It just "fits" Will be doing some camping over summer off the bike which is where the 1050XT excelled. We shall see dude.
Well done Curtis, I got the black one a month ago, I had watched all your videos so high seat, bark busters, HP crash bars, b&b plate and a sweet Yoshi are all on. Motoz ready to go on after I finish running it in. You really helped me confirm my choice of bike. All the best with the next one.
15:20 It's because of your reviews myself and my buddy bought one each. You can get a rear preload adjuster mount from Hessler racing in Germany . Agreed the best engine in its class. I'm about 100kg and six foot 1 and the suspension bottoms out off road at times. All I have left to do is upgrade the suspension and fit more aggressive tyres and my ride is complete.
Hey crazy man Curtis, so sad to see it go! I've watched you from day 1 on the V-Strom (actually, when you had the KLR branch killing moment) & I always commented that if you couldn't kill it, nobody could. You didn't. A testament to both your skill & the build quality of the Suzuki! It's robust & rugged! All good things come to a change, but your capabilities & the 450MT will be absolutely worth watching. Will you be putting it through the same torture test as the Suzuki did? Can't wait! Thanks & Cheers 🤙
As I have mentioned, I am sad that you're selling the 800DE and would like to see the evolution of upgrades through the years. Like what has been done with the DR650. The DE is so underrated because people get caught up on the weight but have never ridden one. When you're a regular guy running a YT channel, you can't keep them all. Hopefully, you will get up to 100k subs so you can keep more long-term bikes in the stable. I'm so glad you mentioned the Talp is road focused and needs a lot to make it off road worthy. I'm a Honda fanboy but a Talp hater lol.
I own the bike and, like everyone here, I agree with everything. Same mods, same needs. I think that they can shave some kilos from the tail and the front. God the light is awful. Love my bike. Like you, i dropped it pretty hard on and offroad. She took it like a champ. She is really a Desert Express.
Great long term review....my dealer was pushing hard to get me to trade the DR in for one.....to old for that size.....looking at the himmie 450 or the Moto 450....not here yet, but accepting orders. Looking forward to your testing. Garth
15,000 miles on a 23. Have done nothing but ride it. It gets oil change, air filter, and tires every 3000miles. I ride it pretty hard compared to most and it's close to valves and spark plugs- so I'll report back with the findings in a month
Awesome review! I’m considering getting this one or the AT1100 standard. Hows the engine heat in this one? The heat onnthe Tuareg is unbearable to me during summer :s
The heat is better than the Tuareg for sure. Some people have complained about it on the 800, but I haven't found it to be an issue. I did a comparison between the 1100 and 800 if you're interested
I have experimented with the wind protection. I had a long MRA Vario screen with a spoiler on top. Gave me buffetting, but somewhat tolerable. The OEM touring screen is much worse, unusable. Went back to stock (small one) in the end, and a mate did the same journey and went back to the small one after experimenting. I am 6 foot 3 (193cm), my mate is a bit shorter. I use the Hepco & Becker handguards. Very sturdy, they took some hits without problem. The Hepco & Becker crash bars bent in one of the crashes, they are now closer to the tank on the right side compared to the left side. But I guess they are supposed to bend instead of transmit the force of the impact to the frame. Will have to replace them. And at the same time, add aux lights, because the original light is abysmal in the dark when riding turns.
I'm strongly considering this and at7 for next year. For some reason I'm really drawn to the t7 and find myself defending wanting it alot lol I'm in northern Alberta Canada, terrible roads in general so an adv bike makes air of sense. A well as endless fire rides and atv trails. I'm positive I'll love either bike. But I think the Strom makes more sense as it'll be an everyday bike, as well as doing a could longer trips each year. I'm a C hair over 6 feet and fluctuate between 260-270 lbs. I know the t7 will need suspension work, but your the first to suggest the same for this bike. I think I'd they made a Tenere 900 it'd be a sweet spot for me, maybe modify the Tracer platform a bit.
If you go for the world raid it has the suspension, but at your weight you'll be changing springs on any bike. Tiger 900 could be worth a look, it's a good thing
@@onthebackwheel Sadly we dont get the world raid in Canada :( But I think you're right about the suspension, At least for mid sized bikes, tiger 1200 has a max weight cap of a stagerring 496 lbs!
@@onthebackwheel oh I love my vstrom 800de.. also looking in the cfmoto 450mt as a smaller adventure bike to add to the stable for some of tougher tracks we have here in the US
Shame that the 2025 CFMoto800MT-X is still a while away, would have been good for you to ride it back-to-back with the 800DE. I saw some specs that the 800MT-X was 214kg (no luggage), that's lighter than the 800 DE. Ah well, all in good time. Looking forward to your impressions on the 450MT.
We purchased our bikes about the same time. Everything you said about the 800 is spot on. Suzuki reliability is legendary. I'm keeping mine. All the best with the new steed.
Turn 13 Motorsports airbox swap, full exhaust, 2wheel dyno works ECU flash, and you'll have 93 horsepower without any "signing off up top". Truly, the restriction is the factory intake system. Fueling and throttle maps can always been cleaned up as factory is nowhere near ideal or perfect.
@@onthebackwheel The art of tuning. Getting stuff working much better without opening up the engine. Would be more fun on the GSX bikes due to much less weight.
You will miss it mate will be get bloke to make aluminium sub frame and lower engine cradle and change out the lower fork area so it can have a proper front gard and trim it down will be interesting to see how many decades it will go before wanting a rebuild
Haven't seen an issue. 6700 miles on it. Dad has a repair manual, page 5B-15 Using (3) 1.5V batteries in series, It guides you through what the GP sensor voltage values should be. Can you confirm the QS setting is set "on?"
Or there could be other criteria that is not allowing the QS feature to function. Bent shift lever, broken wire, just some thought. Hope ya get it resolved. G/L! 🤜🤛
I own one, fantastic bike. The motor is amazing except the engine heat can get to you on warm days in traffic. The low beam is pretty ordinary, I made it better by adjusting it down I plan on fitting aux lights soon to improve my seen ability. Handling and suspension is very good but too soft, hoping to to get that sorted when my local suspension shops get some experience with these. For an 800 fuel economy is pretty dam good and combined with a decent sized tank I get a very useable range of around 400km. As you say the engine, quick shifter, electronics package and fully adjustable quality suspernsion make it an excellent value proposition. For my money it is beeter value than the t7, and transalp and suzukis reputation for reliability put ahead of the aprilia for me. For me it's a keeper.
You know I never found the engine heat to be a problem. Others definitely mention it though
...and TERRIBLE high frequency vibrations.
Would a cat delete get rid of the engine heat issue you think? I've heard the heat is due to the cat and tuning for Euro 5 emissions.
@@Gilbertmk2 it would certainly help
@@podunkman2709 I found a little bit buzzy around 5k but not too bad. Then again my other bikes are a 1980 SR500, a 2007 dr 650, and a 1989 k100rs (now that's smooth).
Love my 800DE and agree with all your comments on what’s great and what needs improvement. Your vids were one of the reasons I bought it. Enjoy your CFMoto! 🤘🏽
Just bought one a couple weeks ago after reviewing some of your videos and researching. It's a phenomenal bike as you mentioned, super stoked to hit some trails and tour!
Thank you for great episodes and nice riding. Its a great bike, had mine for a year now and im very happy, performs well for my type of riding. The motor is lovely, power delivery is spot on. Cheers from Sweden.
Excellent review. Your videos were amazing, I am still impressed by how you rode the 800DE. I am loving my 800DE, and I agree with all your points. For my use case, the 800DE is almost a perfect bike.
Thanks mate. Glad to hear you're enjoying the big 800
E la SE?
Love my 800De - I have the full Arrow exhaust/air box stage 2 (just the plate/filter) with a tune. Its a Monster from where it was stock. Getting 87HP/63-65Ft Lbs to the back wheel now. The torque is well noticeable in the mid range now. I agree with you with the suspension, I am 225LBS and in another year I will most likely swap the springs out. I mainly use mine for Commuting/Touring with some offroad (mostly dirt roads/easier ATV Trails). Overall one of the best bang for buck ADV bikes I think out there. I even chose this over the 1000 just because the P twin felt a little more rowdy.
I will miss your videos on this one as it helped me a lot with mine and how I built it. Good luck on the 450 content.
Sounds like it's an animal now 😁. Thanks for watching mate, hope you stick around
E la SE?
@zudosmg What tyres you using on the DE?
@@DaddyBiker_Reviews Dunlop Trailmax Mission
Love your work Curtis.
I did similar and went from a V-Strom 1050XT to a CFmoto 450MT and haven't looked back.
Very keen to see your take on the new bike.
That's an interesting change. How are you finding it?
@onthebackwheel the 450MT is a very accomplished bike for what it is.
I've done 4500 kms on it in about 5 months.
Have done a 15T countershaft sprocket which I prefer.
Time will tell, but so far love it.
Great offroad. Balanced chassis. It just "fits"
Will be doing some camping over summer off the bike which is where the 1050XT excelled. We shall see dude.
@TheSar sounds like I'm in for a treat
Love my 2023 800DE. So smooth. Thank you for the great V-Strom vidileost
Thanks for watching!
Well done Curtis, I got the black one a month ago, I had watched all your videos so high seat, bark busters, HP crash bars, b&b plate and a sweet Yoshi are all on. Motoz ready to go on after I finish running it in. You really helped me confirm my choice of bike.
All the best with the next one.
Cheers mate, hope you're enjoying it. Such a solid bike
I love my 800de. It's definitely a forever bike for me.
Glad to hear you're liking it
Great review. Looking forward to more content.
Thanks!
15:20 It's because of your reviews myself and my buddy bought one each. You can get a rear preload adjuster mount from Hessler racing in Germany . Agreed the best engine in its class. I'm about 100kg and six foot 1 and the suspension bottoms out off road at times. All I have left to do is upgrade the suspension and fit more aggressive tyres and my ride is complete.
You won't know yourself when you've done the tyres mate, night and day
Seriously considering this bike. So many options!!!
Good time to buy bikes
Hey crazy man Curtis, so sad to see it go! I've watched you from day 1 on the V-Strom (actually, when you had the KLR branch killing moment) & I always commented that if you couldn't kill it, nobody could. You didn't. A testament to both your skill & the build quality of the Suzuki! It's robust & rugged!
All good things come to a change, but your capabilities & the 450MT will be absolutely worth watching.
Will you be putting it through the same torture test as the Suzuki did?
Can't wait!
Thanks & Cheers 🤙
I did the spring upgrade from hessler rally. Love the bike and that made a huge difference for off road performance!!
Nice! He does some serious gear, glad to hear it is legit
As I have mentioned, I am sad that you're selling the 800DE and would like to see the evolution of upgrades through the years. Like what has been done with the DR650. The DE is so underrated because people get caught up on the weight but have never ridden one. When you're a regular guy running a YT channel, you can't keep them all. Hopefully, you will get up to 100k subs so you can keep more long-term bikes in the stable. I'm so glad you mentioned the Talp is road focused and needs a lot to make it off road worthy. I'm a Honda fanboy but a Talp hater lol.
You’ll absolutely love the cfmoto 450mt, I bought one earlier in the year and can’t fault it at all! Can’t wait to see your opinion of it mate
That's good to hear mate. Picked it up today and certainly looks the part
Good stuff Curtis, will be interested to see how living with the CF Moto looks, dealership access, parts availability, dependability.
Valid point, not sure on parts 😬
I own the bike and, like everyone here, I agree with everything.
Same mods, same needs.
I think that they can shave some kilos from the tail and the front.
God the light is awful.
Love my bike. Like you, i dropped it pretty hard on and offroad. She took it like a champ. She is really a Desert Express.
Great long term review....my dealer was pushing hard to get me to trade the DR in for one.....to old for that size.....looking at the himmie 450 or the Moto 450....not here yet, but accepting orders. Looking forward to your testing. Garth
i'd like to try the R.E. model for touring on bitumen and gravel
No doubt it's a good thing
The 800RE screen is larger and bolts right up, no mods needed.
Good to knowe mate
15,000 miles on a 23. Have done nothing but ride it. It gets oil change, air filter, and tires every 3000miles.
I ride it pretty hard compared to most and it's close to valves and spark plugs- so I'll report back with the findings in a month
Interested to hear about the valves. Bet they are spot on
Awesome review! I’m considering getting this one or the AT1100 standard.
Hows the engine heat in this one? The heat onnthe Tuareg is unbearable to me during summer :s
The heat is better than the Tuareg for sure. Some people have complained about it on the 800, but I haven't found it to be an issue. I did a comparison between the 1100 and 800 if you're interested
Curtis, you forgot to say how good it looks.
Bit of a mixed bag IMO 😬
Fantastic! :D
Thanks!
I have experimented with the wind protection. I had a long MRA Vario screen with a spoiler on top. Gave me buffetting, but somewhat tolerable. The OEM touring screen is much worse, unusable. Went back to stock (small one) in the end, and a mate did the same journey and went back to the small one after experimenting. I am 6 foot 3 (193cm), my mate is a bit shorter.
I use the Hepco & Becker handguards. Very sturdy, they took some hits without problem. The Hepco & Becker crash bars bent in one of the crashes, they are now closer to the tank on the right side compared to the left side. But I guess they are supposed to bend instead of transmit the force of the impact to the frame. Will have to replace them. And at the same time, add aux lights, because the original light is abysmal in the dark when riding turns.
Nice one Curtis.
Thanks mate
What is it like to pick up compared to the 3rd gen klr650?
Little bit heavier
Sweet bike, i am considering it as stable mate to my 500exc..... But the question is, is it worth the price of 2 RE Himalayan 450s!??!
Yeah I'd much prefer one over a Himalayan. You can get one lots cheaper than full price now too
Really think the type of riding you like to do would be more suited towards a drz or any dirt bike in general
Yeah it probably does. Well, Tuareg at least. I've got the klx now to do silly stuff on
Good long term review. Have you tried the Karoo 4s?
Cheers. Only on a friend's BMW 900 on the street and they felt good. I'm going to test it on the dirt soon but can't give anymore than that sorry
What are the tyres?
Motoz dualventure tube tyre front and Motoz Rallz rear
I'm strongly considering this and at7 for next year. For some reason I'm really drawn to the t7 and find myself defending wanting it alot lol I'm in northern Alberta Canada, terrible roads in general so an adv bike makes air of sense. A well as endless fire rides and atv trails. I'm positive I'll love either bike. But I think the Strom makes more sense as it'll be an everyday bike, as well as doing a could longer trips each year. I'm a C hair over 6 feet and fluctuate between 260-270 lbs. I know the t7 will need suspension work, but your the first to suggest the same for this bike.
I think I'd they made a Tenere 900 it'd be a sweet spot for me, maybe modify the Tracer platform a bit.
If you go for the world raid it has the suspension, but at your weight you'll be changing springs on any bike. Tiger 900 could be worth a look, it's a good thing
@@onthebackwheel Sadly we dont get the world raid in Canada :( But I think you're right about the suspension, At least for mid sized bikes, tiger 1200 has a max weight cap of a stagerring 496 lbs!
I agree with your thoughts on suspension but i cannot seem to find any upgrade springs for it.. any suggestions Curtis?
Gday mate. I believe Eibach and Hyper pro do springs
@@onthebackwheelthanks I'll check it out also looking forward to your reviews on cfmoto 450
@@gabrielkopp2036 thanks mate, enjoy the 800
@@onthebackwheel oh I love my vstrom 800de.. also looking in the cfmoto 450mt as a smaller adventure bike to add to the stable for some of tougher tracks we have here in the US
Thanks. Have you ridden it at high temperatures? If yes, any issues with high engine heat? Others have raised this as a drawback on this bike.
It is very hot where I live and I never found it to be an issue compared to other bikes
@@onthebackwheel , thanks a lot.
I don’t know how anyone rides dirt with a pillion. They would have to transform themselves to static weight when I stand up on the pegs?
Basic roads fine, anything else is awful
Shame that the 2025 CFMoto800MT-X is still a while away, would have been good for you to ride it back-to-back with the 800DE. I saw some specs that the 800MT-X was 214kg (no luggage), that's lighter than the 800 DE. Ah well, all in good time. Looking forward to your impressions on the 450MT.
I am VERY keen to ride that one. We'll see when it comes out where I'm at
the high seat is comfortable?firm or plush enough?
It's fantastic. Comfortable and plush but firm enough for bigger rides
We purchased our bikes about the same time. Everything you said about the 800 is spot on. Suzuki reliability is legendary. I'm keeping mine. All the best with the new steed.
Enjoy mate, no doubt it will treat you well for years to come
Turn 13 Motorsports airbox swap, full exhaust, 2wheel dyno works ECU flash, and you'll have 93 horsepower without any "signing off up top". Truly, the restriction is the factory intake system. Fueling and throttle maps can always been cleaned up as factory is nowhere near ideal or perfect.
Sounds like a lot of fun
@@onthebackwheel The art of tuning. Getting stuff working much better without opening up the engine.
Would be more fun on the GSX bikes due to much less weight.
GB Racing make engine covers for it. They are very well proven!
You will miss it mate will be get bloke to make aluminium sub frame and lower engine cradle and change out the lower fork area so it can have a proper front gard and trim it down will be interesting to see how many decades it will go before wanting a rebuild
Should last years and years you'd think
big OEM windscreen is pretty meh. Givi makes an airflow for this now, its incredible.
Good information. Most people seem to think the OEM is awful
My quickshifter quit working after 200miles anyone else have this problem?
Haven't seen an issue. 6700 miles on it.
Dad has a repair manual, page 5B-15
Using (3) 1.5V batteries in series, It guides you through what the GP sensor voltage values should be.
Can you confirm the QS setting is set "on?"
Or there could be other criteria that is not allowing the QS feature to function. Bent shift lever, broken wire, just some thought.
Hope ya get it resolved. G/L!
🤜🤛
@@Scoot7827 the QS is on in the menu screen and it indicates it’s on on my Home Screen. I’m gonna take it into the shop. Thank you!!!
Heavy!..try a 1050DE for size. Good review though.
Hehe yes, they are a good unit
can you say over 500 pounds?🤢 even if it’s a great bike ridiculously heavy for what it’s used for.
its just so damn ugly
Some days I think it looks great, others...A tail tidy makes a big difference. Some changes on Suzukis end certainly wouldn't hurt
@@onthebackwheel ive had 4 earlier vstroms 650s and 1000s but i couldnt buy this model--- as good as it is, great reviews mate
Very ugly bike.
It ain't winning no beauty awards