Ask the Editors: CF Moto Yay or Nay?
Dear ATVC:
I was researching a new ATV/ UTV to buy with my tax return and came upon some great deals by a company called CF Moto. My friends say that I would be wise to stay away from any ATVs made in China. Would I be wasting my money in considering the X5?
Actually CF Moto is a brand that we’ve heard very, very good things about. There was a time in recent history where the very notion of Chinese-made ATVs was an immediate red flag, but brands like China’s CF Moto and Taiwan’s Kymco are making great strides in undoing the damages of yesteryear.
A few years ago, before the economy tanked, the American market became flooded with Chinese equipment selling for a fraction of the cost of the Japanese, American and Canadian offerings.
Some of these deals could have been tempting. The trouble though came in a few forms: First most of these models were off brands and completely unbranded; meaning absolutely no factory customer support or warranty. Second, many of these machines were distributed, assembled and tuned by businesses (or individuals) who only a week prior were stocking shelves and pumping gas. It’s rarely sound advice to purchase your new ATV from the parking lot of the corner mart where you get your daily cappuccino. Finally many of these quads were manufactured using inferior materials/ techniques to keep the MSRP low.
If any good can be said for the economic downturn, it would be that many of these fly-by-night operations disappeared. The companies that remain (like CF Moto) are doing things right by establishing a reputable dealer network to assure parts and service, proper assembly/ tuning of the products and EPA compliancy.
In time we are confident Chinese manufacturing will rival that of Japanese processes and potentially at a fraction of the cost. CF Moto’s future appears bright indeed! Their official site can be found here but be forewarned, we’re hoping it’s still under construction because it contains very little useful information on their ATV lineup at present.
