Radical style gives way to more conventional appearance
Kove’s 800X is one of a growing army of large-capacity Chinese bikes that have surprised reviewers with their competence and quality, and now it looks like a next-generation version is on the way after type-approval documents revealed a restyled model.
The original hasn’t been around for long, but we’re getting increasingly used to the idea that Chinese brands don’t follow the rigid upgrade schedules of their Japanese and European rivals, instead pushing ahead with changes as soon as possible in response to customer feedback.
This time around, it looks like the idea isn’t to make major mechanical alterations but to give the 800X a new look, ditching the distinctive style of the original in favour of a version that’s more in line with expectations in the intended market segment.
Currently, the 800X stands out with side-by-side, projector-style lights tucked deep beneath a furrowed brow for an aggressive look that wouldn’t be confused with many rivals, but perhaps the feedback suggests that it’s a step too far, as the new design is much more generic. Kove followed a similar path with the four-cylinder 450RR sportbike, which was originally shown with an aggressively angular appearance unlike anything else on the market but rapidly reskinned into a more conventional style in the face of reticence from buyers.
The new look isn’t bad by any means. The headlight is swapped for a stacked pair of LEDs behind a clear cover that’s aligned with the windscreen, giving the appearance of an all-Perspex front face — a look already adopted by several Dakar-inspired machines from rival brands. The vertical lights make for a narrower nose that, in turn, makes the sides appear to bulge out more, and Kove has added a high-mounted front mudguard, even though this appears to be the ‘Pro’ model that currently uses a hugger-style front fender. At the moment, only the most extreme off-road ‘Rally’ version has a high mudguard, but it also has a more aggressive wheel-and-tyre combination and a single, lightweight front brake disc instead of the road-oriented dual discs and four-pot radial Taisko brake calipers of the Pro, which are seen on this new variant.
The white, blue and red colour scheme paired with gold wheel rims hints strongly at Honda’s Africa Twin, again making this model less distinctive than the current version.
The rear bodywork appears unchanged, but there’s a new bash plate design below the engine, and all the front panels are revised.
Mechanically, it’s largely the same as before, with a 71 kW, 799cc parallel twin that’s nearly identical to KTM’s LC8c unit, sharing the same internal dimensions as well as a similar external appearance. That’s bolted to a steel frame, again unaltered, with fully adjustable KYB suspension at each end. Weight rises a fraction, from 190kg to 194kg compared to the existing ‘Pro’ model, but Kove might well be changing the model hierarchy as well as the styling. The current 800X comes in ‘Touring’, ‘Pro’ and ‘Rally’ forms, but this version wears an ‘Adventure’ badge while also sporting the letters ‘X-GY’ on its side decals.
