Watch out Triumph | CFMoto set sights on Daytona 660 with new 675SR-R triple cylinder sports bike

This is the CFMoto 675SR-R and it’s set to get a worldwide launch later this year. The 675SR-R isn’t a surprise launch, it was previewed as a disguised prototype a year ago, and the all-new engine took pride of place on their stand at EICMA in Milan last November.

Earlier this year a one-off, near-production example was presented to the Aspar GP team who run CFMoto-branded efforts in Moto2 and Moto3.

But this is the final bike and there’s no denying it’s an appealing package targeting the burgeoning market for affordable middleweights.

Despite the aggressive looks, the 675SR-R isn’t a rival for the likes of Honda’s CBR600RR or Kawasaki’s ZX-6R, the last holdouts of the once-dominant supersport class. Those both carry five-figure prices and track-focused design, distancing them from the heyday of the 600s when the CBR600F topped the charts.

Instead, the new CFMoto is aimed at machines like Honda’s CBR650R, Suzuki’s GSX-8R and the fellow three-cylinder Triumph Daytona 660.

The heart of the bike is, of course, the 674cc triple. Although CFMoto suggested at EICMA last year that it would make over 100bhp, the initial version puts out 94bhp at 10,250rpm – a figure that neatly fits rules for A2-legal bikes, which can have up to 94bhp before being restricted to the 47bhp A2 limit.

The redline doesn’t arrive until 12,300rpm, more than 2000rpm beyond the power peak, suggesting that there are a few more corralled horses that could easily be released to meet the company’s previous performance claim.

The engine has a smaller bore and longer stroke than similarly-sized triples, suggesting its 52lb.ft torque at 8250rpm will be accompanied by a broad spread of grunt.

The frame is chrome-moly steel alloy, with an aluminium swingarm, and at 1400mm the 675SR-R’s wheelbase is shorter than the Daytona 660, CBR650R and GSX-8R but not as aggressively compact as the Aprilia RS660’s 1370mm.

As on many Chinese bikes, the equipment levels are high, including fully adjustable KYB forks and J.Juan four-pot radial brakes hiding behind race-inspired cooling cowls, and there’s a steep 23.7-degree rake hinting at sharp steering.