2024-on Kove 510X review | A2-compliant adventurer boasting brand-name parts and sub-£6k price tag!

Chinese firm Kove may have only existed since 2017, but in that short time they’ve quickly established themselves as one to watch in the adventure world. They’ve entered the Dakar twice, built a road-legal 450 Rally bike on the back of it, then recently launched their first ‘big’ bike: the Ténéré-troubling 800X. But that’s not the only new Kove landing this year. There’s also this 510X – an A2-compliant middleweight adventurer boasting brand-name parts and a sub-£6000 price tag.

However, the 510X is very different to Kove’s 450 Rally and 800X. Here the off-road ambition is minimal – this is a road bike first and foremost. With its smaller wheel sizes, shorter suspension travel and surprisingly hefty size, it’s an adventure bike with a small ‘a’. Think Honda NX500 or Benelli TRK502X, not CFMoto 450MT or Royal Enfield Himalayan.

And it’s a heck of a first effort. Yes, it’s a touch raw in places, but the 510X is comfortable, substantial, and offers an extremely tempting spec for under £6k. The lack of UK dealers will inevitably be a sticking point, as will concerns about stepping into the unknown with a fledgling brand. But all these issues just need a little time to solve.

If nothing else, the 510X should light a fire under the seats of established manufacturers. If they don’t up their game to stay ahead, firms like Kove will very soon be breathing down their necks.

• Related: Get the look! Check out MCN's round up of adventure gear here.

Beneath the bodywork is a steel diamond frame, with a welded-on rear subframe and an aluminium swingarm. The rest of the 510X’s chassis boasts a bunch of recognisable brand names: Nissin brake calipers; KYB suspension; Metzeler Tourance tyres. All offer a reassuring sense of familiarity, important when a new manufacturer is still establishing itself.

First impressions are that the Kove is physically larger than you’d expect a 500 to be. Seat height is a manageable 820mm, but the 20-litre tank rises up wide and tall, while the handlebar sets hands high and a surprisingly long reach away. You definitely sit inside the 510X, not on top of it, though there’s decent wind protection from the broad bodywork and two-position adjustable screen.

Accompanying the size is a sense of heft. Kove claim a kerb weight of 206kg, but MCN’s digital scales reveal a true 215kg. On the move it’s at least well-balanced, with predictable steering on its 19in/17in wheels, and impressive ride quality from the fully adjustable suspension. Brakes have been set friendly rather than fierce, with a very gentle initial bite, needing a firm squeeze.

The 510X is powered by a Zongshen-built 498cc parallel twin – and, no, it’s not a clone of Honda’s CB500 engine. The Kove’s motor is conventional in its design (four-valve heads, twin cams, 180-degree crank), but bore and stroke (72 x 61.2mm) are very different to the Honda.

This is a motor with a revvy character: peak torque of 33lb·ft comes up at 7000rpm; the A2-approved 47bhp lands at 8500rpm; and the rev limiter strikes slightly beyond 9000rpm. Not much goes on below 6000rpm, so on really twisty backroads you occasionally find yourself needing to shift down from third to second so you can drive meaningfully out of tighter turns. Still, keep things spinning and the Kove zings along happily enough.

Combined with its light clutch and slick gearbox the motor is generally pretty well-mannered, though there are a couple of rough edges. The throttle response can feel hiccupy, particularly on the transition from shut to open in lower gears.

There are two riding modes (Sport and Eco) but little difference between them – with a cable throttle, instead of ride-by-wire, switching modes can only really alter ignition timing. It’s a slightly buzzy engine at speed too. In top gear 75mph comes at 6000rpm, accompanied with just enough high-frequency tingles to blur mirrors and, after a while, fingers too.

Fuel economy is a measured 54mpg – good, if not quite as frugal as the likes of Honda’s NX500. Still, with a 20-litre fuel tank, that’s enough to last roughly 200 miles between fill-ups.

Kove has only existed for a few years, and only just arrived in the UK, meaning we’ve got nothing in the way of previous customer experience to go on when it comes to reliability. On the face of it, the 510X looks pretty well-built, and the use of familiar brands lends some confidence.

That said, we did experience faults with the 510X’s tyre pressure and temperature sensors throughout our test, the dash displaying a series of warning messages for both ‘abnormal tyre temperature’ and missing tyre pressure information. It didn’t affect the riding experience at all, but it’s not a great first impression.

The 510X comes with a 24-month warranty. That’s fair enough; it’s the same as Honda offer on their new motorcycles. But perhaps it’s also something of a missed opportunity for Kove. A longer warranty is arguably even more important for a brand that’s in its infancy, demonstrating faith in the product and helping to offset fears some riders may have about taking a step into the unknown.

Key to the Kove’s appeal is its £5999 price tag. The 510X’s most high-profile rival is Honda’s NX500, currently priced at £6829. But that’s just for the base-model Honda – add on the accessories that come as standard on the Kove, to compare like-with-like, and the NX’s price climbs to over £7500. That makes the Kove look pretty tempting value.

Another Chinese-made alternative adventurer is Benelli’s TRK502X. Officially it’s £6299, but at the minute it’s on offer for £5999 and even includes free three-piece Givi hard luggage to sweeten the deal.

It’s also definitely worth a look at CFMoto’s impressive 450MT, which undercuts the Kove at just £5699. It’s slightly smaller, slimmer and lighter than the 510X, and with its 21/18in wheels it clearly offers a lot more in the way of off-road ability.

If you’re considering finance, an example PCP quote (correct as of August 2024) for the 510X starts with a £1498.75 deposit, followed by 35 monthly payments of just £79.90. At the end there’s an optional final payment of £2736 if you want to keep the bike. That’s all assuming you ride 4000 miles per year, with an APR of 9.9%. Check out MCN Compare for an up to date insurance quote.

The 510X comes with a centrestand, handguards, engine bars, cross-spoke wheels and a metal skid plate all included as standard. There’s even both 12-volt and USB power sockets in the cockpit. That’s a solid list of kit which is all thrown in as standard.

The dash is a modern 5-inch colour TFT display, with slightly different graphics in Sport and Eco modes. Words and numbers are pretty tiny though – older eyes will be begging for a larger font size, or a bifocal visor. The dash should also display tyre pressure and temperature information, though our bike spent much of its time displaying tyre sensor error messages.

Rider aids are, unsurprisingly, pretty minimal. There are the two modestly-different riding modes mentioned above, and the ABS is switchable (both on, rear-only or both off), but there’s no traction control – something that is included on Honda’s NX500.

The switchgear feels a little cheap and plasticky, but it does have a subtle blue backlight. It’s a small but welcome touch: plenty of bikes costing three or four times as much don’t offer backlit switchgear.

There’s no word on 510X accessories yet, so if you want heated grips, hard luggage or anything that’s not included on the bike as standard, you’ll need to find a solution from the aftermarket.

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