CFMOTO is a Chinese carmaker founded in 1989, now part of CFMOTO Holdings. The cars themselves are another matter: across 1 VIN prefixes on record they came off lines in 1 country — China 100%. 17 models are tracked here (2022–2026). Reliable? yes, and comfortably so — 4.4 out of 5 across 17 rated models, though the spread between model years is far wider than the badge suggests (every model ranked →).
Who makes CFMOTO
CFMOTO Group (Zhejiang CFMOTO Power Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese motorcycle, ATV, side-by-side and personal watercraft manufacturer headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Founded in 1989 by Lai Guogui as a small motorcycle parts manufacturer, CFMOTO grew into China's largest exporter of off-road and motorcycle products and a major player in the global mid-displacement motorcycle market. CFMOTO is a strategic technology partner of KTM AG (Pierer Mobility): KTM's 790cc and 890cc parallel-twin engines are built by CFMOTO under license, and CFMOTO produces select KTM small-displacement motorcycles for global markets. CFMOTO's own brand lineup includes the 250 NK, 450 NK and 800 NK street motorcycles, the 800 MT adventure-tourer, the 700 CL-X retro-roadster and the Papio retro-mini. CFMOTO ATVs and UForce/ZForce side-by-sides compete with Polaris RZR, Can-Am Maverick and Yamaha YXZ. CFMOTO trades on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under 603129. The brand sells in the US through CFMOTO Powersports Inc. (Plymouth, Minnesota), with motorcycle and ATV/UTV sales growing rapidly since 2018. Recall data for every CFMOTO VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any CFMOTO VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.
Lai Guogui founded CFMOTO in 1989 as a small motorcycle component manufacturer in Hangzhou. The company's early focus on engine manufacturing for Chinese OEMs evolved into complete motorcycle production. The 2013 strategic partnership with KTM AG provided technology transfer that enabled CFMOTO to develop modern liquid-cooled motorcycles competitive with Japanese brands. The 2017 launch of CFMOTO Powersports in the US market accelerated North American growth.
| Item | CFMOTO |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founded by | Lai Guogui |
| Headquarters | Hangzhou, China |
| Owned by | CFMOTO Holdings |
| Slogan | «Adventure that begins» |
| Assembled in | 1 countries |
Technology it is known for: KTM-CFMOTO joint engineering, CV-Tech CVT (ATVs/UTVs), Bosch fuel injection, Marzocchi suspension (premium), CFMOTO Connect telematics.
This page covers CFMOTO Group (the Chinese motorcycle and ATV manufacturer) — not CF Industries (the unrelated American fertilizer company) or any other CF-prefix trademarks.
Where CFMOTO cars are actually built
A badge says where a company is registered, not where its cars were bolted together. The first three characters of any VIN — the world manufacturer identifier — say the second thing, and that is what we counted: 13 vehicles on record, 1 distinct manufacturer codes.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | LCE | 2023–2025 |
Read your own: the first character is the region, the first three together identify the plant's manufacturer. A CFMOTO beginning LCE was assembled in China.
All CFMOTO models 17
Every CFMOTO model we track, grouped by body type. Click any model for its VIN decoder, recalls, MPG, safety and ForCar Reliability Score — broken down by year.
CFMOTO Motorcycles 17
| Model | Years | Recalls | Complaints | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFMOTO UFORCE | 2022–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 675SS | 2025–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO ZFORCE | 2022–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 450SS | 2023–2026 | 2 | 5 | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO CFORCE | 2022–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO IBEX | 2025–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO Papio | 2023–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 300SS | 2023–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO IBEX800 | 2023–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 300NK | 2023–2026 | 1 | 1 | — | 3.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 800NK | 2023–2026 | 1 | 4 | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 700CL-X | 2023–2025 | 1 | 1 | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 650NK | 2023–2025 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 450NK | 2024–2026 | 2 | 3 | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 450CL | 2025–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 675NK | 2025–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| CFMOTO 650 ADVentura | 2023–2025 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
CFMOTO by the numbers
What the federal records say about the marque. Each line links to the full breakdown by model and year.
| Topic | CFMOTO | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 7 campaigns | Most recalled: Structure |
| Owner complaints | 14+ filed | Most reported: 450SS |
Compare model years like a dealer does.
- Full research report on any model year
- Market chart: how this model holds value
- Exact values with mileage adjustment
- Price-drop alerts on the trims you're watching
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Get a CFMOTO window sticker by VIN
Recreate any CFMOTO's original Monroney label — MSRP, factory options, EPA MPG and safety — free from the VIN.
CFMOTO window stickers →How to read a CFMOTO VIN
Every CFMOTO built since 1981 carries a unique 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It encodes where and when the vehicle was made, its engine and body — here's what each part means:
- WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a CFMOTO and the country it was built in (real CFMOTO codes below).
- VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
- Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
- Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
- Plant (11) — which factory assembled it.
- Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
- ChinaLCE
The remaining digits — engine (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard. To decode a VIN number position by position, including the year-code table and where to find the number, use our free tool.
Who owns CFMOTO, and what you get
CFMOTO belongs to CFMOTO Holdings. CFMOTO competes in the global mid-displacement motorcycle and ATV/UTV markets against Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Polaris and Can-Am. The brand's positioning combines Chinese manufacturing scale with KTM-derived engineering quality at price points 20-40% below comparable Japanese motorcycles. The 800 MT adventure-tourer competes with the Honda Africa Twin DCT and Triumph Tiger 900 at substantially lower MSRP.
| Item | CFMOTO |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | China |
| Ownership | CFMOTO Holdings |
| Basic warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
| Powertrain warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
| Assembly countries | China |
⚠ Worth knowing before you rely on it: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, while basic cover here runs 3 years / 36,000 miles. See when CFMOTO models actually start to break →
CFMOTO — frequently asked
Is CFMOTO chinese?
CFMOTO is a Chinese company, headquartered in Hangzhou and founded in 1989. The cars are a separate question: 100% of the CFMOTO vehicles in our records were assembled in China.
Where are CFMOTO cars made?
Across 1 manufacturer codes on record, assembly splits as: China (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the manufacturer and plant country — that is where these shares come from.
Who owns CFMOTO?
CFMOTO is part of CFMOTO Holdings.
How many CFMOTO models are there?
We track 17 CFMOTO models spanning 2022–2026. The full list is above, ordered by how often each is searched.
What is the CFMOTO warranty?
New vehicles come with 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Terms vary by model year and market — confirm with a dealer.
Is CFMOTO reliable?
It depends far more on the model and year than on the badge. Every CFMOTO model is ranked by complaint rate here, along with the age at which each starts to fail.
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