The sun had disappeared, the moon rising in its place. It was about 5.45pm and I found myself laying down, with the 2026 CFMOTO 1000 MT-X resting on a bank, in a freezing cold creek, partially submerged.
It wasn’t quite fully under, to be fair, so I’m not convinced that counts as a full put down. Regardless, a few thoughts rolled around my slightly embarrassed brain, mainly in relation to my current predicament.
The first of those was the realisation that these bikes are damn hard to break, followed by how good adventure riding is, and just how badly I needed a beer and a hot shower. I could tell you this mishap wasn’t rider error, but that would be a lie.
Besides, there were far too many witnesses with far too much tech to get away with that sort of carry on. Essentially, the moral of the story is for yours truly to keep his mind on the job, instead of letting it wander off to enticing thoughts of warmth and beverages.
I also need to remember to turn the traction control completely off before doing water crossings. You only make that mistake once. Importantly, it topped an unforgettable day of sensational riding through some beautiful scenery.
You see, we were in the magnificent Macedon Ranges for the launch of CFMOTO’s flagship adventure bike, the 1000 MT-X. Two days of riding, with all sorts of terrain and conditions, lay before us, to truly test the capabilities of the brand’s big off-roader.
Unlike some other bike manufacturers, CFMOTO’s launches are no holds barred and really let you have at it with their machines, regardless of your skill level. There is carnage and chaos with no shortage of bikes ending up on their sides.
While that might sound crazy, the consequence is that reliability and durability are thoroughly put to the test. Day 1 saw freezing conditions, with the temperature not moving the needle past 7-degrees Celsius.
Misty showers and overcast conditions throughout the day turned into something a little heavier as the day ended. A mixture of off road tracks made up a good portion of the day, with very little action on the tarmac.
Dirt, gravel, sand, a little clay and a tricky rocky section that induced massive amounts of butthole puckering would be conquered aboard the 1000 MT-X. Our adventure (led by Paul Bray from Safe2Ride) covered a sum total of just over 300km.
The wetness assisted with keeping the local wildlife at bay as we arrived at our digs for the night. CFMOTO’s 1000 MT-X sits above the capable 450MT and the mid-range 800MT, which we rode to Cape York a few years back, and the 800 MT-X.
A 946cc twin powerplant, quick shifter, KYB suspension, Brembo brakes and an electronics suite with enough capability to guide a rocket ship to the moon highlight the spec sheet. It’s a smart looking bike too.
Offered in a standard (870mm seat) or low (830mm seat) variant, its powertrain is an absolute peach. Matched to a six-speed gearbox, it pulls from low in the revs, allowing you to carry an extra gear in most conditions, without too much drama.
Peak performance, at 83kW and 105Nm, comes in the mid-range, and the inline-twin finds its happy place sitting between 3,500-5,500rpm. Gear shifts, for the most part, are smooth and effortless. Fourth was a little hard to find on Day 1, noting it’s a brand new bike.
That was almost nonexistent on Day 2 (more on that in a moment). There are five riding modes; Standard, Rain, Off Road, All Terrain and Master. The first of these is for road riding, while the second and third are pretty obvious.
The latter allows you to select traction control intervention in three stages, as well as off, while All Terrain takes all the rider assistance goodies away. Master mode is essentially Custom and works with the CFMOTO app and the 8-inch vertical TFT display.
That screen holds an abundance of information and settings that would likely take a few weeks to get the most out of. That includes Apple CarPlay, the aforementioned riding modes and traction control settings, and a whole heap of other cool stuff.
The TFT is a touchscreen, in addition to being able to be utilised via the hand controls. It’s backlit at night, which is an awesome touch. A 22.5-litre fuel tank comes standard, ensuring you are not constantly on the search for go-go juice either.
As a group, depending on how heavy handed the rider was with the throttle, we saw ranges averaging between 450-500km, for the most part. Back to Day 2, which would commence with sunshine, but still freezing conditions.
I can fully appreciate why bears hibernate during winter, along with the glory that is the standard heated seat and grips on the 1000 MT-X. A leisurely ride through some nice trails and a bit of blacktop would land us at an adventure/enduro bike playground.
It’s here that we would spend the next few hours, and where I decided to take on a rocky steep descent, which to be perfectly honest, I had no business doing. “When in Rome” or whatever that silly saying is.
Under the influence of CFMOTO supremo Matt Reilly, I attempted said hill. It looked sort of like Mt Everest covered in dirt, but steeper. Off I went, and down I came with the 1000 MT-X on its side, behind me.
I picked myself and the bike up, and made my way to the bottom. Apart from a cracked hand deflector, the bike was unscathed. After the creek the night before and that little endeavour, and despite my best efforts, I could not break this machine. That’s impressive.
From there, we headed for some more trails, including a nice twisty section in beautiful bushland, followed by a slippery clay section that had me muttering a few choice expletives in-between giggles.
The fully adjustable KYB suspension that features on the 1000 MT-X is outstanding, including the 48mm upside down fork and fully adjustable mono-shock. The setup is confidence inspiring, straight out of the box.
320mm dual discs provide front-end stopping power, with dual channel Bosch ABS, while the rear gets a 260mm single disc, paired with a twin piston caliper. There is plenty of feel and bite through the front brake lever, on both the road and dirt.
The rear stopper does a stand-up job in pulling the 222kg of wet weight to a halt, too. After lunch, it was time for a bit of highway riding, and a chance to test the CFMOTO’s touring potential. Non-adaptive cruise control is standard, and works well.
Road manners are good and when we hit some twisty tarmac, a little bit of enthusiastic riding was rewarded with solid handling capability and strong braking performance. If we did have one little gripe, it’s the buffeting you experience at speed.
There’s some head impact from the smallish screen and some wind from the front wheel arch. A combination of dirt and tarmac, creek crossings, hill climbs and a slippery clay section would ensure the fun aboard the 1000 MT-X continued until the end of the ride.
The weather was much better this time round, and the wildlife were out enjoying the conditions. It did make me wonder if Skippy was out for revenge after my recent incident involving a kangaroo and my bike.
We made it back to camp though, bringing to an end two days of memorable riding aboard an adventure bike that was truly up to the task. The 1000 MT-X is a blast, and while it’s not perfect, it is pretty bloody good, and offers exceptional value for money.
It isn’t intimidating, it’s rider friendly, and it left us disappointed to have to give the keys back. That says plenty. Starting from $18,990 ride away, it’s available in three colours; Aerolite Grey, Nebula Black and Tactical Green.
It’s backed by a 3-year unlimited kilometre warranty, and you can find out more from the CFMOTO website, or by talking to your local dealership.
Our test bike was provided by CFMOTO Motorcycles Australia as part of their ANZ media event. Exhaust Notes Australia was not paid to attend.
