Kove look to take mid-size adventure sector by storm with ultra-lightweight, dirt-focused twin

Bikes produced in China have, in the past, been associated with questionable quality and indeed some still are. But Chongqing-based brand Kove are hoping to buck this trend by releasing a new 800X Rally parallel-twin adventure bike with a spec sheet that puts it in direct contention with the established competition in the segment.

Having been in the business for just six years, the firm were a zero-to-hero breakout in the 2022 Dakar Rally, with their all-Chinese team making huge waves in the sport by successfully finishing the gruelling event without a single mechanical failure on all three machines entered. 

With a former semi-professional motocrosser running the company, this dirt capability is hardly surprising, with the latest Rally offering first appearing at the back end of 2023 at the Eicma trade show in Milan.

Clearly Kove have pitched the Rally strongly at the off-road end of the adventure bike market, with a decent 270mm of suspension travel at the front and 250mm rear. That’s more bounce than any of its established competitors. 

The bike is powered by a 799cc parallel twin, sharing similar architecture and the same bore and stroke as the KTM-derived unit used by CFMoto in their 800MT. It produces 93.8bhp @ 9000rpm.

Interestingly, this figure is one down on its sister model, the Super Adventure, most likely due to a separate airbox design relating to different tank sizes. Along with the slight power discrepancy, top speed is also reduced due to much shorter gear ratios. 

Dry weight is claimed at 169kg and the seat height is 895mm – even taller than KTM’s 890 Adventure R. Colour options are black and… black, and even the blingy gold wheels of the Super Adventure model are lost. 

The Rally’s spoked rims are different from those fitted to its more road-oriented sibling too, the bike running a narrower rear rim to accommodate a 140-section tyre, eliminating many of the 50/50 offerings on the market but opening up options for serious enduro and rally rubber choices.  

The Rally also loses half its front braking setup by running a single disc at the front. The resulting weight loss sees Kove’s adventure twin lighter than pretty much everything else in its capacity bracket, making it a hot prospect for dirt orientated adventurers. 

Exactly when the new machine will arrive in the UK remains unclear at this time.