We may not see it, but China is making a mark and dare I say, taking over the global automotive market. Let me give you a few examples. Benelli being owned by QianJiang Group and European brands like KTM, MV Agusta, BMW have had collaborations with the likes of QJ Motor Group, Zongshen and so on. BMW has had a tie-up with Loncen for close to 15 years now. Outside of Europe, Harley-Davidson has a tie-up with QJ Motor for a few years now. Therefore, it is important to understand that Chinese auto OEMs are playing the long game and it isn’t necessary that everything that comes out of China, may not be up to the mark in terms of quality, reliability, endurance, and performance.
Also Read: Kove 800X Adventure Bike To Get Three Variants
This is where ‘Kove’ comes in. To refresh your memory, Kove is a Chinese two-wheeler brand, which was founded relatively recently in 2017. Kove participated in the 2024 Dakar Rally with three 450 cc motorcycles and all three motorcycles finished the two-week long gruelling rally. In less than five years, Kove has become the 4th highest-selling two-wheeler brand in China, in the 300 cc + segment. The Kove 500X ADV is first in domestic ADV production. Plus, you should know that the Zhang Xue, CEO of Kove (pronounced Koh-vey) used to be a semi-professional motocross racer and his reason of starting the brand was to offer motorcycles to the youth that he did not have access to when he was a kid.
And the model that has created a buzz globally is the Kove 450R Rally. It is a rally-spec production ADV which is the almost same as the actual Kove 450 cc Dakar Rally bike but is also road-legal at the same time! For off-road and adventure enthusiasts, the Kove 450R Rally could very well be the only bike you will ever need. Here’s why!
Also Read: Kove 510X Adventure Motorcycle Unveiled
Design
It looks exactly like a rally bike should! Tall, slim, spoked wheels with knobby tyres and a no-nonsense demeanour. The Kove 450R Rally gets a single-piece seat, a decently tall windscreen, twin LED lights and provision for fitting rear-view mirrors as well. What may scare people is the fact that it has a seat height of 910 mm and that’s the low seat height variant. The taller model has a seat height of 960 mm, tall enough to make you dizzy.
Specifications
This is where things get interesting. The Kove 450R Rally gets a 449 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine with a DOHC setup. It makes 51 bhp at 9,500 rpm and has a peak torque output of 40 Nm at 7,000 rpm. The bike can hold up to 14 litres of fuel and even when fully filled up, it has a kerb weight of just 145 kg! To wit, the Hero XPulse 200 4V Pro version weighs 161 kg. The specifications of a Royal Enfield Himalayan and weight lighter than that of the XPulse, the Kove 450R Rally Pro already sounds like a winner! The power-to-weight ratio on the motorcycle is exactly as it ought to be on a rally motorcycle.
Capability
Like we said earlier in the story, the CEO of Kove is a former semi-pro motocross racer and he sent his motorcycles with three riders to Dakar 2024. And all three motorcycles finished the race! It is a testament to the fact that Kove is indeed confident of its products, and it did test its motorcycles at an event like Dakar under public scrutiny. With fully adjustable 49 mm USD fork and a fully adjustable monoshock at the rear, 305 mm of travel at both ends, switchable ABS and the works, the 450R Rally is nicely kitted out for serious off-roading, if not hard-core. But of course, we are yet to ride it and see for ourselves how good the bike is (or not) and it is unlikely that Kove will be launched in India anytime soon.
Pricing
The motorcycle is priced at Rs. 7.45 lakh (when converted from its sticker price of $ 8,999), making for a decent purchase, which is reasonable and not ungodly expensive. Sure, the likes of the XPulse, Himalayan and all are significantly more affordable, but each of them is missing one thing or the other. The Kove 450R Rally is a well-rounded package in that sense.
Will It Come To India?
That is the million-dollar question! Will Kove Moto set foot in India? In its few years of operations, the company has already established presence in countries like USA, Canada, Australia and few EU markets like Spain and Czech Republic, with exports of over 5,000 units. While it will be great to have an OEM like Kove in India, the brand will have to work hard to dispel the notion that Chinese brands are not trustworthy and dependable. It is a tough ask, but if I were to pick a Chinese brand to do it, it has to be Kove Moto.
