Small screamer | Four-cylinder Kove 450RR sportsbike to produce 69.7bhp at 13,000rpm

[weeksy]

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new ... ove-450rr/



Conversations with representatives for the brand during the show suggest we could see the bike come to the UK in 2025 as a race-only package, with the firm already selling various models in our market – including a 799cc parallel twin 800X adventure bike family.


Kove 450RR exhaust headers
There are currently five Kove dealers across the UK, however the plan is to double this in the next 12 months. Kawasaki’s A2 licence friendly 399cc four-cylinder ZX-4RR is the only natural rival to the 450RR and can also be purchased as a race only package to compete in the British Superteen Championship.

Unlike the 76bhp Japanese machine, which costs £8699 in road-legal trim, the Kove produces a smaller claimed 69.7bhp at 13,000rpm, and 28.8lb.ft of torque at 9000rpm.

Kove 450RR front brake caliper
It’s also fed by a 14-litre fuel tank and is said to be capable of a top speed of 136.6mph – hauling a suggested kerb weight of 165kg in the process.

As you’d expect from a track-biased sportsbike, you get racy looks, clip-ons under the top yoke, and 17in rims at both ends. The Italian display bike was also shod with tubeless Maxxis tyres, which could be replaced with alternatives from most mainstream brands, if preferred.

Kove 450RR colour TFT dash
The 41mm upside down forks are said to offer full adjustment – with 110mm of travel available. These lead down to a pair of floating front discs with four-piston radial calipers, and ABS.

At the back end, there’s just 49mm of movement, with the monoshock again being fully adjustable. Here, there’s a 220mm single disc, and one-piston caliper, again equipped with ABS functionality. Seat height is adjustable between 780 and 795mm.

[Supermofo]

That sounds like a literal scream, would love a go on one.

[Ian]

Another Chinese brand.

"Powered by our two state-of-the-art factories in Chongqing and Chengdu"

[weeksy]

Another Chinese brand.

"Powered by our two state-of-the-art factories in Chongqing and Chengdu"

Right ? And the problem there ?

If the EU/Japanese/etc are not making these bikes, then surely it's a good thing that someone is ?

[Skub]

The Chinese are coming. Maybe.
I've heard folk draw parallels between the Brit bike/Jap bike transition and the emerging Chinese bikes,but there are big differences.

The British bike industry was at ease in Zion and very much resting on it's laurels. Their arrogance and increasingly outdated model range was surpassed by the Japanese and they genuinely moved the game on,to the present time.

The big four from Japan are not on their knees and pumping out rubbish,they are still the benchmark and what the Chinese need to beat,or at least compete. Time will tell how successful that will be for them.

I'm not seeing any gamechangers from China,maybe the days of gamechangers are over and it's just improving gadgets?

Perhaps they are all marking time to see what way the electric bike thing will go?

[KungFooBob]

Looks better in red, like a baby Panigale.

[weeksy]

The Chinese are coming. Maybe.
I've heard folk draw parallels between the Brit bike/Jap bike transition and the emerging Chinese bikes,but there are big differences.

The British bike industry was at ease in Zion and very much resting on it's laurels. Their arrogance and increasingly outdated model range was surpassed by the Japanese and they genuinely moved the game on,to the present time.

The big four from Japan are not on their knees and pumping out rubbish,they are still the benchmark and what the Chinese need to beat,or at least compete. Time will tell how successful that will be for them.

I'm not seeing any gamechangers from China,maybe the days of gamechangers are over and it's just improving gadgets?

Perhaps they are all marking time to see what way the electric bike thing will go?

I don't think Gamechangers really exist in most/any parts of the world now, they're all the same with slight tweaks that maybe gives someone an advantage for a few months.

[A_morti]

49mm of rear suspension travel appears to be a typo, but not in the good way.

https://www.kovemoto.com/index.php?c=show&id=73
Suspension travel
Front: 117mm/Rear: 40mm

To be honest, I can't imagine that being ridable on the road? I mean, it's not far off being a hardtail, I can't think of any other bike with *such* limited suspension.

Apart from that, it looks great and that's an interesting engine size/power output. However, it'll be harder to ride those 75 horses than the ones in a CP2 bike, while burning probably 40% more fuel, if my anecdotal experience comparing 4 vs 2 cylinder bikes of similar output is anything to go by.

[Skub]

I don't think Gamechangers really exist in most/any parts of the world now, they're all the same with slight tweaks that maybe gives someone an advantage for a few months.

Yeah,kinda the same with everything now. We are old,jaded,cynical,easily bored and very hard to impress. The mystery in almost everything is now gone,be it the creation of films,music or vehicles.

Imagine the potential insanity in how we'd amuse ourselves if we lived a thousand years.

[weeksy]

I don't think Gamechangers really exist in most/any parts of the world now, they're all the same with slight tweaks that maybe gives someone an advantage for a few months.

Yeah,kinda the same with everything now. We are old,jaded,cynical,easily bored and very hard to impress. The mystery in almost everything is now gone,be it the creation of films,music or vehicles.

Imagine the potential insanity in how we'd amuse ourselves if we lived a thousand years.

You know Hunger Games was a prequel to society yeah

[A_morti]

Another Chinese brand.

"Powered by our two state-of-the-art factories in Chongqing and Chengdu"

You know Yamaha make bikes in Chongqing too? Nothing wrong with the location, only how we think of it.

The big four from Japan are not on their knees and pumping out rubbish, they are still the benchmark

They are still the benchmark, but with "Japanese" bikes now being made in Thailand, Indonesia, and China among other places, I'd say it's time to stop turning noses up at Chinese brands as a matter of principle, and start looking at the bikes/brands on their merits.

[Ian]

Another Chinese brand.

"Powered by our two state-of-the-art factories in Chongqing and Chengdu"

You know Yamaha make bikes in Chongqing too? Nothing wrong with the location, only how we think of it.

It was an observation, don't assume it was a judgement.

A few years ago we didn't take Chinese bikes seriously, they've been getting serious for some time now.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I had a 30 year old FZR400 that made 60bhp when it left the factory in 1990, so a 2025 450cc bike making 70bhp isn't impressive, but it should be reliable, all of the Japanese 400s I had were.

[A_morti]

I had a 30 year old FZR400 that made 60bhp when it left the factory in 1990, so a 2025 450cc bike making 70bhp isn't impressive, but it should be reliable, all of the Japanese 400s I had were.

Lovely bikes, but shall we take bets on whether that FZR would have met Euro 5 emissions?

[Buckaroo]

I don't think Gamechangers really exist in most/any parts of the world now, they're all the same with slight tweaks that maybe gives someone an advantage for a few months.

Yeah,kinda the same with everything now. We are old,jaded,cynical,easily bored and very hard to impress. The mystery in almost everything is now gone,be it the creation of films,music or vehicles.

Imagine the potential insanity in how we'd amuse ourselves if we lived a thousand years.

Hence Roger Waters album: Amused to death..... So true.

We need to get serious again

[KungFooBob]

The JDM 400's weren't built to make big power, they were built to hit the Japanese license limit bang on at 60bhp.

I've heard stories of 90bhp FZR400RR race bikes with ram air.

Modern 600's are leaving the factory with almost 120bhp, a new 400 should be making 80bhp with my man maths.

[A_morti]

a new 400 should be making 80bhp with my man maths.

The zx4r claims 77hp. Close enough.

I'm still stuck on 40mm rear suspension travel. That's about the same as a Harley Sportster S, and even on a bike where that's almost normal, it's considered definingly bad.

[ChrisW]

I'm still stuck on 40mm rear suspension travel.

It's very odd. I wonder if the rear travel quoted is mistakenly quoted the same as the front, ie. suspension stroke rather than axle movement?

[Mr. Dazzle]

The swingarm looks dead wee and nesh.

The rest doesn't.

[ChrisW]

Swingarm looks a bit better on the non-drive side