CFMOTO 675SS Buyer's Guide

The Machine's Character

The 675SS is a middleweight supersport built around a 674 cc liquid-cooled inline-three. On paper that's 94 hp at 11,000 rpm and 52 lb-ft at 8,250 rpm, carried in a steel trellis frame with an upside-down fork. Wet, it weighs 414 lb (188 kg). The standard equipment is generous. Cornering ABS, traction control and ride modes are all fitted from the factory. So are an up-shift quickshifter, a slipper clutch, a steering damper, a TFT dash with smartphone connectivity and navigation, and tire pressure monitoring. None of that list is an extra. That's the story.

Read the spec sheet as a whole and the brief is clear. Peak torque arrives at 8,250 rpm, well before peak power at 11,000. On paper, this triple is built to pull from the midrange and doesn't need to live at the redline. A compact 55.1 in (1,400 mm) wheelbase, 17-inch rubber (120/70 front, 180/55 rear) and manual suspension adjusters front and rear point to tight, technical roads and the occasional track day, where precision counts for more than a top-speed figure. The standard rider aids give you room to build skill. That's who it's for: you're chasing cleaner lines, not bragging rights. Skill over speed.

Hard Numbers

Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.

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Key specifications
Power	94 hp (70 kW) @ 11,000 rpm
Torque	52 lb-ft (70 Nm) @ 8,250 rpm
Displacement	674 cc
Engine	Inline-three
Cooling	Liquid-cooled
Gearbox	6-speed
Final drive	Chain
Fork	Upside-down (USD)
Front brake	300 mm
Front tire	120/70-17
Rear tire	180/55-17
Wheelbase	55.1 in (1400 mm)
Seat height	31.9 in (810 mm)
Wet weight	414 lb (188 kg)
Fuel capacity	4.0 gal (15 L)

Equipment check

Chassis

Manually Adjustable Front Suspension Standard
Manually Adjustable Rear Suspension Standard
Steering Damper Standard

Connectivity

TFT Display Standard
Smartphone Connectivity Standard

Drivetrain

Quickshifter Standard
Slipper Clutch Standard

Lighting

LED Headlight Standard

Safety

ABS Standard
Cornering ABS Standard
Traction Control Standard
Ride Modes Standard

The Truth on the Street

This picture comes from years of listening: paddock conversations, owners comparing notes at club nights, and the messages riders send me once they've lived with a bike. For the 675SS the pattern is clear. Most of the talk is about the engine, the looks and how much bike the money buys. The complaints are fewer and scattered, and most of them come up at track days.

The triple is the talking point

The engine comes up more than anything else. Riders consistently single out the inline triple for its character. They describe a broad spread of torque that builds into an exciting rush at the top end, and a snarling exhaust note that sets it apart from the parallel-twins it usually gets compared with. The chassis earns almost as much praise. Owners call the bike sharp, light and easy to tip in, settled once it's leaned over mid-corner, and the word flickable keeps coming back.

Exotic looks, rival-beating price

The styling draws a steady stream of comments. Owners point to the winglets, the brake cooling ducts, the boomerang LED headlights and the animated, suspended taillight, and they describe a race-bike look that gets noticed. Value is the other recurring theme. Riders feel the 675SS undercuts its key rivals while still carrying premium equipment such as adjustable suspension and cornering ABS.

Where individual owners find the edges

No single complaint comes up again and again. One rider found the up-only quickshifter jerky or inconsistent under hard acceleration. Riders who take the bike on track raise two points. The low-slung exhaust and limited lean angle can let the pegs or exhaust scrape at deep lean. The ABS also steps in too early under hard, late braking, and cornering ABS can't be fully switched off without a workaround. Away from the track, one owner says the short, steep tail and small passenger pegs make longer two-up trips uncomfortable. Another says CFMOTO still carries a cheap-and-cheerful image next to the Japanese and European brands, and feels that holds back resale value and desirability.

The Expert Benchmark

Where this CFMOTO 675SS pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.

What kind of bike this is — character vs. the class

Razor Line Precision

Braking-Zone Stability

Corner Exit Drive

Track-Ready Electronics

Speed Stability Envelope

Explosive Top-End Rush

Lean-Angle Freedom

Front-End Feedback

Pit-Lane Seriousness

This bike Class average

The shape of the CFMOTO 675SS — numbers and character vs. the average Supersport

Head-to-head: CFMOTO 675SS vs. its rivals

Power

94 hp This bike 95 hp Honda CBR650R E-Clutch 68 hp Kawasaki Ninja 650 82 hp Suzuki GSX-8R 94 hp QJ Motor SRK 800 RR

Torque

52 lb-ft This bike 46 lb-ft Honda CBR650R E-Clutch 47 lb-ft Kawasaki Ninja 650 58 lb-ft Suzuki GSX-8R 55 lb-ft QJ Motor SRK 800 RR

Displacement

674 cc This bike 649 cc Honda CBR650R E-Clutch 649 cc Kawasaki Ninja 650 776 cc Suzuki GSX-8R 778 cc QJ Motor SRK 800 RR

Wet weight

414 lb This bike 465 lb Honda CBR650R E-Clutch 425 lb Kawasaki Ninja 650 452 lb Suzuki GSX-8R 456 lb QJ Motor SRK 800 RR

Seat height

31.9 in This bike 31.9 in Honda CBR650R E-Clutch 31.1 in Kawasaki Ninja 650 31.9 in Suzuki GSX-8R 32.1 in QJ Motor SRK 800 RR

The Handshake Score

Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the 675SS is actually built for.

A scenic view of Angeles Crest Highway winding through rugged Southern California canyon terrain. Rocky mountainsides with golden earth tones frame the asphalt road with tight sweeping curves. Double yellow center line visible, sparse vegetation along the shoulders, clear blue sky with white clouds. Daylight, dry conditions. Iconic location for canyon-road enthusiasts. — Josh Sorenson / Pexels

Best motorcycle for Tail of the Dragon?

For repeat runs on the Dragon, Cherohala and Blue Ridge, this is the best fit here: light, compact and built for precision, with cornering ABS and traction control backing you while you refine your lines.

Made for Tail of the Dragon · Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway

Best motorcycle for Angeles Crest?

A strong match for weekend canyon runs out of LA: compact, with a midrange-focused triple and a sharp chassis. If you're after hyper-naked muscle, though, 94 hp is a different brief.

Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail Scenic Byway · Big Sur Coast Highway

Best motorcycle for Laguna Seca?

A good track day tool if you're building skill, not chasing lap records: adjustable suspension, a slipper clutch, an up-shift quickshifter and cornering ABS all come standard.

Made for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · Barber Motorsports Park · Circuit of The Americas

Alternatives to the CFMOTO 675SS

If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.

Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this CFMOTO 675SS. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.