CFMoto 500SR: The return of the 500cc screamer!

Until the launch of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR this year it looked like the days of smallcapacity, four-cylinder middleweight sportsbikes were in long gone – but now another rival has raised its head above the parapet in the form of the entertaining-looking CFMoto 500SR.

Revealed as a nearproduction prototype, and likely to be given a full launch later this year, the 500SR is the culmination of a three-year project by CFMoto to develop a new multi-cylinder range.

We’ve already shown you the larger three-cylinder 675SR but the CFMoto 500SR is even more impressive. At the moment, CFMoto have only shown a heavily disguised version, covered entirely in a plastic wrap, but like the 675SR it’s clearly designed to fit with the company’s current style with a front end and headlights that look very similar to the parallel twin 450SR sportsbike that hit the UK in 2023.

Through the disguise you can see how the headlights follow a similar shape to those of the 450SR, with hockey stick shaped LED running lights above them, flanked by raised sections that form air guides around the bike’s nose.

Lower down, where the 450SR has small winglets, downturned at the ends, the CFMoto 500SR has much larger ones that curve down and reach halfway down the side panels.

There are intriguing separate sections inset into these vanes, possibly hinting at some sort of adjustable aerodynamics.

The CFMoto 500SR frame looks like a beam design, which would be a departure for CFMoto, with the firm claiming it’s good for more than 143mph.

That sort of performance would align with a power output somewhere in the region of 70 to 80bhp, depending on aerodynamics.

Aero has clearly been a consideration, with MotoGPstyle covers around the dual front brakes and a disc-style rear wheel reminiscent of the KTM Moto3 bike that races in CFMoto colours.

CFMoto 500SR in detail

• The upside-down forks are likely to be KYB units, looking very similar to the ones used on the recently launched, KTM-powered 800NK naked bike
• The bolt-on aerodynamic covers on either side of the rear wheel are unusual on a production bike, but they’re common on Moto3 bikes and have even been tried in MotoGP
• The bars are mounted relatively high, meaning this is likely to be an allrounder for most customers, not an out-and-out
  trackday machine
• The front brakes are radialmounted four-pot calipers, likely sourced from Brembo subsidiary J.Juan
• The four-cylinder engine exhales through a belly-mounted exhaust, keeping a clean look to the rear. A close look shows the pipe is already looking production-ready, complete with a large silencer/catalyst