Caofen F-80 Review: Electric 8kW Dual Sport is road legal and priced at Sondor

We had a chance to test drive an affordable, street-legal, off-road electric bike that's the albatross since Sondors Metacycle went out of business.

For a while now, there have been a number of off-road electric bikes/bikes with similar specs, pricing, and design language to the Sur Ron Light Bee. Unfortunately, most of these aren't road legal like the more expensive and better equipped Zero FX/E. That may not be an issue for those driving on private property, but I'd be even more excited to have more road-legal options in this segment of the market. Thankfully, manufacturers are slowly starting to close the gap.

$4,500 dual sport

The Caofen F-80 off-road version is an electric dual-sport bike that's fully street legal in 50 states and has enough specs for a fun day out. For this test ride, we visited an off-road vehicle park in the Northeast to put on some gear and see how well this bike performs on the trails.

Now, Caofen has a few other models, including the FX full-size off-road bike and a more street-oriented version, the F-80, but this review will mainly focus on the F. -80 off-road version. Thankfully, we got a chance to test this out on an off-road course with tight turns and jumps. For the sake of the review, I did my best to test the limits, but full disclosure: I'm new to motocross and off-road riding.

Compatible parts:

Although you can get insurance, license plates, and registration for the F-80, this bike was built primarily as an off-road bike for trail and track use. Many of the parts that make the bike road-legal, such as the license plate holder, felt like afterthoughts with lower-quality parts than what's on the rest of the bike.

Before we get into it, let's discuss some specifications.

specification:

• motor: 8kw
• maximum speed: 102 miles per hour
• battery: Water cooled 2.2kWh 72v 30ah and 2.2kWh and 3.9kWh 48ah
• weight: 165 pounds
• flame: Integrated aluminum frame
• brake: Disc brakes: 230mm front, 203mm rear
• size: 77×31×42
• clearance: 14 inches

First thought:

The F80 looks and feels different from the typical Sur Ron Light, with a little more power and more like a full-size motocross bike. It also doesn't belong to the top class of electric dirt bikes. If the classic Sur Ron is on one side of the spectrum and a high-end dirt bike like Surron's Storm Bee, Stark Varg, or KTM Freeride e-xc is on the other end, this is I think it's in. In between, depending on how you look at it.

As for pricing, the off-road version of the street-legal F-80 with a 30 Ah battery configuration costs $4,500 on the www.caofen.us website. A larger battery 48 Ah version is available for an additional $500.

legality

At that price point, it's close to the 45-60 mph speeds of most other electric bikes. One big difference with the F-80 is that Kaofeng claims it can be registered in 50 states. When I test drove it on the East Coast, I was asked to see the vehicle registration and license plate. This may not be a big factor for someone who primarily wants to ride on the trails, but it's a big factor for someone who enjoys an off-road capable bike around town and doesn't necessarily want to choose a price point above $10,000. Not. It's great that companies like Caofen are starting to fill that gap in the market, having developed highway-friendly dual-hesports like Zero FX.

Power

In terms of power, the motor is rated at a maximum peak power of 8kw and claims a torque of 310nm. To be honest, I always look for as much power and torque as possible in my electric bike, but this was my first time going to a dedicated off-road park with a mini motocross track, and this was more than enough power. I understand that.

I think this bike handles well and is well balanced for trail riding or beginner motocross riding. One drawback, aside from low-quality compliance parts like a broken plate holder, was the rather small footpegs. I think the suspension is adequate, but not up to the level of some high-end dual-sport bikes. But again, this is still his 8V off-road bike with 72kW of peak power and is DOT approved.

Here are some benefits. The frame is a zero-weld one-piece unit that increases strength and reduces weight. The total weight of the bike with a 30 Ah battery is 165 lbs. This, combined with his 8kw of power, made it relatively easy to slide the rear wheel on loose dirt. For those who do wheelies, this can be plenty of fun.

battery:

When it comes to charging, a street-legal off-road bike can go from empty to fully charged in 3 hours. As for the battery, Caofen uses a patented immersion-cooled battery system, which they claim achieves an 8x thermal balance and only 50% of the normal temperature rise. The temperature control system allows you to run freely in any situation, even in minus 40 degrees.

As for brakes, the F-80 comes to a stop with 230mm disc brakes at the front and 203mm disc brakes at the rear. The brake feel is sufficient, but I feel like I would like a little more braking force. In terms of size, the bike measures 77 x 31 x 42 with about 14 inches of clearance.

Those who want something with bigger size, better suspension, and upgraded brakes should check out the full-size version of the FX. It costs $5,800 and has a 12kw motor.

Electrek's view:

I think it's great that Caofen is offering this to the market at such a low price. Many manufacturers do not have a feature that allows you to ride an electric bike just for the fun of it without worrying about breaking the law. Let's be honest: Many people who ride high-speed e-bikes and motorcycles like Sur Rons and Talarias ride on public roads even though the manufacturers say they are not street legal. If such options were available on the market at lower prices, especially if they require a motorcycle license and the necessary skills, many young people would choose to register their bikes and ride a little safer. It will be. To drive this kind of bike on the street.

For more information about their bikes, visit www.caofen.us or www.caofenusa.com.