CFMoto’s New Inline-Triple

China's CFMoto is building an inline-triple of roughly 675cc and a 1,000cc V-4 superbike engine with 200-plus horsepower.

It's intriguing that CFMoto wants to build its own engines in a variety of capacities and layouts despite its tight relationships with KTM and the industry's perception that the internal combustion engine is dying. It suggests internal combustion has a future. CFMoto and the Chinese motorcycle industry have great expertise with battery-powered bikes and massive battery-production facilities nearby, but they're still developing gasoline engines.

The latest patent application's triple looks like the 449cc parallel twin on this year's 450SR sportsbike. (sold as the 450SS in the US). A naked 450NK roadster and a higher-spec 450SR-S with a single-sided swingarm have been photographed testing. The engine looks to be part of a modular family that will grow to three cylinders. CFMoto's first twin with a 270-degree crankshaft is the 450SR's twin.

The patent photos show that the new three-cylinder engine resembles the 449cc twin. The cylinder head and cam-cover design are almost identical, expanded to add a cylinder. The triple will have 673cc if the 72mm bore and 55.1mm stroke of the 450 are used. The previous 675cc Triumph triple had a 74mm bore and 52.3mm stroke, whereas the MV Agusta F3 675 engine has a 79mm bore and 45.9mm stroke.

The CFMoto engine prioritises torque over rpm and power. MV Agusta and Triumph have modified their engines to 800cc, and CFMoto could simply modify the bore and stroke to offer the triple greater displacement and performance.

The design reveals that the balancer shaft is front-mounted, as is typical for triples, and it appears that the water pump is powered by the same shaft. The engine is coupled to a normal six-speed gearbox, but the patent application focuses on somewhat boring elements of the oil-pump drive, so it does not tell a great much about the triple. The accompanying patent drawings depict camshafts and valves, proving that the engine is a 12-valve triple with two chain-driven overhead camshafts.

In recent months, Chinese manufacturers like QJMotor, Benda, Loncin, and CFMoto have developed several inline and V-configured four-cylinder configurations. In the meantime, Zontes is about to release a three-cylinder sportbike, and QJMotor has adopted Benelli's 899cc three-cylinder and begun manufacturing it in China for the revived TNT 899. Given that the majority of two-wheeler sales in China are electric scooters and that the Chinese government has been supporting the development of electric vehicles (EVs) in an effort to secure a leadership position in the global industry producing such machines, it is perplexing to see so much combustion engine development in progress.