I think you're going to have to be the guinea pig in this situation. I just don't think enough people have first hand experience with them, and those that do probably aren't here.


Maybe go to a website that sells parts and see if they have a listing for CFMoto. If you can't find parts online, that'll say something.


If I were in the market for a SxS or 2-up ATV I'd take a seriously hard look at CFMoto due to price. Their 2-up 500 is much cheaper than any other 2-up I've seen. But their regular 500 for $5199 vs. a Polaris Sportsman 450 for $5999 is not worth the unknown, to me.

 

I think my assessment is fair until CFMOTO has had some time to prove themselves. If you are looking to spend even 7k, pretty much all the major manufacturers have models for you. Honda Pioneer 500 is a decent looking side by side, $8500.00 plus fees msrp. There are a million quads that are cheaper still, including the 2016 Yamaha Kodiak 700, and pretty much any 500 class machine and below.

I currently own 2 mid 90s Hondas, and an 86. All purchased used in the past 7 years. Only the 86 has cost me more than $250.00 in the years I have owned them, and I race that one occasionally.

Unfortunately there just isn't a big user base on here yet. If you buy one, hopefully you will stick around and keep us updated!

 

Hello from Sweden.

We have alot of CF Moto atv`s and they are not better or worse than any other brand. You can not compare CF Moto and Hisun with other chinese brands, these two brands are much more serious and are only being sold in EU by authorized dealers and have stable importers. Most of the issues that has been reported has been small things and not more issues than the north american brands have. The japanese machines seems to be the of highest quality. Polaris for example is not know for very good durability here at least. As i understand is there alot of strange chinese brands sold in the USA, like Taotao, Jetmoto etc. that we not have here and that probably not would be of any interest. We have three serious chinese brands with good warranty and good service organization and dealers, that is CF Moto, Hisun and Linhai. Often does everybody that not has been close to a chinese brand like these also be the "best experts", probably cause they are trying to defend that they themself did spend 40% more money on a "brand machine" that not did be so much better in reality. In Sweden does Hisun and CF Moto have 3 years unlimited warranty and Linhai up to 10 years. Dirt Trax did test CF Moto with good results, so do not listen to brand-fanatics that not have very much substance in their critisism.

 

I think the main problem is that chinese quads overall have such a bad reputation for quality that anything built in China gets that label. CF Moto appears to build reliable machines. Will they be as reliable as a Honda or Yamaha? I can't say for sure. But they do certainly cost less. Many models do offer extended warranties, some for free. They include as standard equipment many accessories that would cost a lot extra like nice wheels and tires, winches, doors, a roof, and a street legal kit that includes turn signals and horn. These are all things that most people would add and are included straight from the dealer. As long as you have a reputable dealer nearby to offer parts and support, they do seem to be a viable alternative. But without a reputation to stand on like the established brands, it will be a constant uphill battle for a company like CF Moto to gain sales in North America.

 

It was the same here in the beginning, Hisun and CF Moto had much to prove and still has before they can be fully regarded as "brand machines". And the quality of these machines had a huge increase after 2012-2013 so refering to models that was bought 5-10 years ago are not fair. But i think it is often ok to have a problem on a Polaris, Can-Am, Honda etc. without it is being mentioned, but if on a chinese is it "proof that they are crap". So alot of the rumors of atleast Hisun and CF Moto is bullshit and myths. Give it a couple of years and i belive these brands have created a good service and dealer organization. Without that can they never been taken serious. My point is that CF Moto, Hisun and Linhai shall not be connected with Kazuma, TaoTao and other strange **** brands.

 

Thanks for the input, Scooter.

We did just finally pull the trigger and buy the CForce 800 yesterday. I think you points are all valid, but this just seemed like the right call for us.

Just a couple points that helped us make this decision..

-There is an established powersports dealer that seems committed tot he CFM brand only 10 minutes away from me.
-That same dealer was willing to work with me on price, and matched the pricing I found from a dealer 3hrs away, so I ended up at $1500 better than the original "best price" he gave me (out the door). So I am pretty happy with the deal I got.

-Even with the better pricing compared to Polaris and Hondas I looked at, I still feel like I am $2,500 ahead of the game. The CF800 came with factory installed: 3k lb winch, 14" alum wheels, better tires, steel front/rear bumpers, bush guards on the grips, 2" hitch, solid aluminum A-arm suspension, gas adjust coil-shocks, no up-charge for camo, wet primary clutch.
anyway.. I am not ready to be an all out CFM fanboy, but they do seem to be working pretty hard to line up a quality product at a decent price.

What don't I like so far:
-I was surprised that it has only one central rear disk brake, mounted to the front of the rear diff. maybe this is ok. It just seemed odd to me.
-The dash mounted LED gear indicator lights are a little hard to read. I am sure I will get used to it.
-The Gear selector feels a little 'cheap' to me. Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word the polaris that I test road was not much better btw.
-The kids complained about the "feel" of the engine braking. They are used to riding motorcycles and were surprised that it did not coast when you got off the gas.
-No front storage box. the front cover opens up to the battery/fuse/rad cap etc
-The hand/brush guards are just plastic, where as on the CF500 they have a sturdy aluminum frame. I did not even notice this until I got it home. Really not that big of a deal, but I thought 500 versions were a selling point.

 

The discbrake mounted on differential is a good thing, i have friends that have bent their discs and ruined brakecalipers cause of stone and mudd that came in between the wheel and the brakes. It is more protected the way it is mounted on your CF, hope you will be happy with it!

 

Thanks for your comments Fredrik

I can understand how the brand loyalty and peer pressure impacts opinions here. In rural America, it seems like the ATV/UTV culture is very social. I hear about groups that meet in North Florida for big social gatherings etc. I have been around vintage muscle cars for years and the Ford/Chevy/Mopar feud can get pretty heated at times.

My situation is quite different. I am really just looking for fun/practical ATV for use on my property. I really don't care about impressing the neighbors. I just hope the CFM brand gets stronger here so my dealer stays healthy and parts stay available for a long time.

I have been a diver for years. From Sweden, I have become very loyal to Poseidon regulators. They have been a proven 'workhorse' for technical diving for years. Only real issue is service and parts availability. Poseidon seems to have a bad track record with maintaining a consistent US distributorship and supply chain. I have found ways around this by sourcing parts from friends and doing service myself. I hope this is not how the CFM situation plays out, but I am sure I will survive.

Are you able to find decent replacement parts over in Europe? Whats a used engine or differential cost over there? In comparison, I just saw a good used Polaris motor for sale here for $300 (US)

 

It sounds like the americans and Swedes have alot incommon, on our forums can it be total war sometimes between different "brands", both in cars and atv/utv. I am acually a little surprised that CF not have been more active on the US market, in EU is CF a pretty stable brand and are also sold as GOES that have gotten pretty popular. GOES is a french company that use CF chassis with engines etc. but with a little different design on the plastics. Alot of dealers in Sweden for both CF and GOES. I think finding a replacement engine or differential is "to early" because most CF still has warranty left. But if needed can i make a check and see.

Replacement engines for Polaris is probably very rare cause of less volumes sold than in the US, same for Can-Am even if their engines are european. But ok, both Polaris and especially Can-Am are pretty common here. Some calls Polaris "the three wheel drive" atv.

 

I have even seen groups that basically only allow you to join if you have a certain type of quad or side by side. Like a group where everyone rides a Polaris Rzr for instance. I guess if you don't have a rzr, you can't ride with that group. The biggest rivals are basically Polaris against everyone else. I have owned Hondas, Yamahas, Polaris, and a Suzuki. I would have bought Brute Force 650 before recently buying my Grizzly but someone else beat me to it so I would have added Kawasaki to the list. I like to be open and consider all brands. I do believe Honda is #1 is reliability but the performance of their 4x4 utility quads falls short of everyone else. Yamaha is #2 in my opinion so that's usually my first choice. But I also looked at a Polaris Sportsman 700 and considered an Arctic Cat 650 V-twin as well. Also tried to contact about a Suzuki Vinson for sale on Craigslist but the owner was unresponsive. I think he perhaps already sold it and didn't remove the ad, that happens a lot on craigslist. I would have considered a used Can-Am Outlander but they tend to be more expensive and I didn't want to spend that much money. I try to keep an open mind and consider all options when buying something.