VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P103
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 equip
-
ment (and Dakar Rally finishing
results) to indicate some decent
durability.
Classifying the Kove FSE
450R Rally with anything cur
-
rently 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 overall ergonomics, seat,
and even seat height feel neu
-
tral 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
(Right) The 448.9cc
single-cylinder
DOHC motor,
specially built for
the Kove Rally, is
manufactured by
Chinese company
Zongshen. (Bottom
right) Fit and finish
looks pretty darn
good to us.
