The Aprilia RS 660 gave birth to a new segment in the middleweight class where motorcycles don’t utilize a fire-breathing inline-four mill but make do with twin-cylinder engines. This layout makes these motorcycles a lot more approachable than track-oriented weapons like the Yamaha R6. Yamaha too joined the bandwagon with its latest R7 after killing the iconic R6. And now, CFMoto seems eager to join the party as it recently showcased the SR-C21 Concept. This concept was conceptualized by the Chinese bikemaker’s R&D Europe Modena 40 centre and by the looks of it, it might pose some serious threat to the Italians and Japs alike.
Looks… shaaarp!
It looks sharp as a scalpel and we know that it sounds a little cliché but just look at those sharp edges and lines! Heck, it even gets winglets to add to its overall visual drama. If you see it head-on, it will instantly remind you of the CFMoto 300SR. And that isn’t a bad thing at all because the 300SR is one neat-looking motorcycle. The SR-C21 looks like a 300SR that went to the gym and decided to stay there. What boosts its visual appeal even further is its single-sided swingarm.
Expected specs
While CFMoto hasn’t given out the specifics of its powertrain, the rumour mill suggests that it could make do with KTM’s 799cc parallel-twin engine. CFMoto and KTM are enjoying a rather successful marriage in our beloved neighbouring country and this could turn out to be their latest birthchild. If it indeed utilizes the same engine, it might put down somewhere around 74.7PS and 68Nm.
The concept also features top-drawer cycle parts like a fully adjustable Ohlins fork and a link-type monoshock. Braking is taken care of by dual discs up front with Brembo callipers. CFMoto became a little too ambitious with this concept so they decided to give it MotoGP-style disc brake and calliper cooling covers but its production-spec version will most probably miss out on this.
Could this spawn a KTM RC 790?
Now comes the BIG question. Could this concept also spawn an RC 790 from the house of KTM? We cannot deny the possibility because like we mentioned earlier, CFMoto and KTM’s relationship is very healthy at the moment and their love affair could very well give birth to an RC 790.
KTM doesn’t have any road-going supersport in its portfolio that’s more powerful than the RC 390. The Austrian bikemaker has already showcased its prowess with the track-only, limited-edition RC 8C and we would kill to see a saner, road-going version of that masterpiece.