Wild winged superbike is a clear indication that China is targeting every echelon of biking
CFMoto’s development of a V4 superbike has been public knowledge for over a year but the bike broke cover at EICMA in near-production form and proved to be more impressive than we could have imagined from a Chinese manufacturer until very recently – with strong performance claims, high levels of technology and styling that avoids the trap of aping established European or Japanese machines.
The company’s V4 project was exposed a couple of years ago when patents for the new engine emerged, and was confirmed at EICMA in 2024 when the engine was presented alongside a sculpture that represented the new bike. The finished machine, dubbed V4 SR-RR, appears to have all the ingredients for success, including that 1000cc four-cylinder engine, claimed to make 210hp, paired to a kerb weight below 200kg to give the potential for a 300km/h-plus top speed.
The engine is said to be Euro5+ emissions compliant, complete with its titanium Akrapovic exhaust, and as a V4 it enters a select group of exotic machines including the Ducati Panigale V4 and Aprilia RSV4 that take inspiration from the near-universal V4 configuration used in MotoGP. It’s a structural part of the bike, too, working alongside a partial chassis to provide strength and keep weight to a minimum.
But the engine isn’t the bike’s most impressive tech. The really jaw-dropping element is the active aerodynamics, with huge front winglets that can independently alter their angle of attack on the move. That means they can modulate the drag-to-downforce ratio by changing pitch together when going in a straight line, likely adopting a steep angle during initial acceleration to hold the front wheel on the ground, and levelling out at higher speed to reduce drag and boost top speed. But they can also move in opposite directions, like the ailerons of an aeroplane, to help pitch the bike into corners and give downforce when leant over.
Although moving aero is not legal in MotoGP, existing WSBK rules permit such devices provided they’re fitted to the standard, homologated production bike.
Also electronically controlled is the semi-active suspension, while the brakes are from Brembo, with CFMoto’s show bike using MotoGP-spec calipers while a running prototype revealed in the company’s press literature – and probably closer to production spec – features Brembo Hypure stoppers.
CFMoto hasn’t confirmed full technical details yet or announced when the finished production version of the bike will be displayed, but going by the current development progress it looks likely to be in dealers in time for the 2027 season.
