Motorcyclist Magazine test rides Kove Moto's Chinese-made FSE 450R Rally bike ($8,999).
Photography: Jeff Allen and Adam Waheed
Video: Adam Waheed
Insta360 Video Footage Courtesy: https://store.insta360.com/product/x3
Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn
Helmet: Arai VX-Pro 4
Goggle: 100% Racecraft 2
Jersey: Alpinestars Racer Semi
Gloves: Alpinestars Radar
Pant: Alpinestars Racer Graphite
Boots: Alpinestars Tech 10 Supervented
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Photography: Jeff Allen and Adam Waheed
Video: Adam Waheed
Insta360 Video Footage Courtesy: https://store.insta360.com/product/x3
Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn
Helmet: Arai VX-Pro 4
Goggle: 100% Racecraft 2
Jersey: Alpinestars Racer Semi
Gloves: Alpinestars Radar
Pant: Alpinestars Racer Graphite
Boots: Alpinestars Tech 10 Supervented
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hey folks well this isn't something you get to do every day. Today we are out
00:05 here in the desert and we're gonna ride Kovei Motorcycles FSE 450 Rally. That's
00:14 right folks this is a purpose-built 450 cc rally bike built by Kovei Motorcycles
00:24 out of China. This motorcycle will be arriving to US shores beginning in May.
00:32 It is gonna be for sale at Kovei Motorcycles ever expanding dealers
00:40 dealers here in the United States. $9,000 for this motorcycle. Let's get up
00:47 close and take a look at it. Okay folks here it is Kovei Motorcycles 2023 450
01:01 FSE Rally. This is a 450 cc competition specification non-street legal rally
01:15 motorcycle. How neat is that? This motorcycle was actually raced in the
01:24 2023 Dakar Rally that took place earlier in January and February. Now this
01:33 motorcycle is so neat because it is the first motorcycle that you can buy off a
01:39 dealership floor in theory because they haven't actually arrived to dealerships
01:44 yet that is an actual 450 cc rally bike. It's hard to believe even though these
01:52 kind of bikes have been raced in the Dakar Rally for years and years and
01:55 years and KTM came close with actually making well they did make a rally bike
02:01 but not a 450 it was a 990 back in the day but even though all these
02:06 manufacturers like Honda and Yamaha these big-box retail manufacturers
02:10 compete in that segment they don't actually make a production vehicle that
02:15 you can purchase until now. This Kovei FSE 450 Rally is completely built and
02:26 engineered in China. The tires, the rims, the suspension, the engine, everything is
02:32 made in China. The country of China as we know with our iPhones and other
02:41 gadgets has progressed quite a lot in the last few years and these motorcycles
02:47 are becoming more and more real. I say that because if you remember back in
02:54 the early 2000s when the mini bike craze was was going crazy in Southern
03:01 California in the United States there was a flood of really cheap crappy
03:05 Chinese bikes. These motorcycles can't be considered cheap or crappy anymore
03:12 they're reasonably priced but they ain't cheap and crappy. Look at this thing this
03:18 bike is powered by a 450 cc single cylinder engine. It's water-cooled. The
03:27 Kovei representative says it's dual overhead cam but when we started it it
03:31 kind of sounded lumpy like a single overhead cam reminiscent of Honda's CRF
03:36 450 R. There is the radiators that facilitate the water cooling. There is
03:44 the head pipe you can see right there. This motorcycle features electric start
03:51 with switch gear that resembles what Piaggio group was using a few years ago.
03:57 Very neat motorcycle. Now this bike rides on suspension that is made by
04:07 Yuan. It is built in China. It has an air bleed atop each fork leg so you
04:18 can bleed the air out of the fork just like an off-road or motocross bike. It is
04:24 inverted. There is a Nissan double piston caliper hanging off the front right
04:29 there. Single disc brake. These wheels have tubes. This is 21 inch wheel shot
04:38 with CST rubber which is a Chinese tire company. We have an 18 inch rear wheel in
04:47 the back with this aluminum and steel rear sprocket. This is aluminum right
04:55 here to keep it light and this is steel so the sprocket teeth don't wear out.
05:00 Look at that shock. It has compression and rebound adjustment. There's the
05:07 linkage. Nice to see that this motorcycle has an actual linkage. Look at those
05:12 beefy foot pegs. Those things are huge. I haven't seen a production motorcycle
05:19 that's come with big beefy foot pegs like this in quite a long time. Here is
05:25 the switch gear. Typical standard ignition key. We have this color TFT
05:31 which we'll show you in a bit. It is backlit right now so it's probably hard
05:36 to see but it looks very nice. Now this vehicle has three different fuel tanks.
05:43 We have a fuel tank here, a fuel tank here, and then one in the rear. All told
05:49 this vehicle can carry eight gallons of fuel. Approximately two and a half in
05:56 each forward container tank and three gallons in the rear tank. We have a nice
06:04 LED turn signals, LED taillight. I really like the looks of this thing. Look at
06:13 that big swept exhaust. This thing looks so mean. I love the looks of it. What do
06:21 you folks think that this vehicle costs? If you had to guess, 12 grand? 13 grand?
06:28 Nope. Kovei Motorcycles says that when this motorcycle arrives in the United
06:36 States, which will be later in May of 2023, this motorcycle will cost $9,000.
06:45 How cool is that folks? $9,000 for a fun competition specification non-street
06:52 legal real 450cc rally bike. Now Kovei Motorcycles out of China is currently in
07:01 the process of making this vehicle street legal in all 50 US states. So
07:10 right now they've submitted the vehicle to EPA filings to hopefully get that
07:17 motorcycle approved through the system and then you'll be able to ride that
07:22 motorcycle on the street. Look at this. This is the button you push to pull the
07:27 fuel tank off. I'm sorry to pull the seat off. There is the battery and there is
07:35 the easy to access foam air filter. So the air filter is really easy to clean
07:41 and access. There's the battery and then you put the seat back on by just pushing
07:48 it in, pushing it down and it is on. Let's start this thing up. Oh no, the battery's
08:00 dead. Looks like we're not starting it. Well folks, let's get a jump on this
08:11 thing and start it so you folks can have a sound of what this thing sounds like.
08:17 Alright folks, we're gonna check in with you in a little bit once we start this
08:22 thing up. Stay tuned. Okay folks, here we go aboard the 2023
08:34 Kovei FSE Rally 450. Let's turn the key on. Two keys right here. Starter button
08:49 right there and away we go. There is no electronics on this motorcycle so all we
09:00 have to do is turn ABS off. Yeah, let's go here. Hit down, ABS and we will go close
09:10 all. Great and now ABS has been disabled. Alright, here we go folks. We are going to
09:25 do our photo shoot. This is a special occasion for you folks because you guys
09:33 will get to see the work we have to put in to make this content. No, let's just go.
09:47 Just don't ride anything that doesn't have tracks on it yet. Okay. You can ride this stab, you can go over there. Okay. Ten minutes or whatever. Okay, sounds good.
09:57 So sitting on this motorcycle it feels nice and narrow. The seat height in
10:05 typical dirt bike form is pretty tall but it certainly isn't crazy. Let's give
10:13 this thing some gas. Oh, it's got some bark to it.
10:19 Oh yeah. Oh yeah baby. I like this thing. It feels like a dirt bike.
10:27 Oh yeah baby. Oh, this thing's got some bark. Wow. We are riding Dakar style rally in
10:39 the Nevada Sand Dune Desert. With a full eight gallons of fuel this motorcycle
10:49 weighs 368 pounds. I know I said 320. It's actually 340 empty and with gas it is 368.
11:02 So not the lightest dirt bike but when you're riding this thing it certainly
11:09 feels pretty light just because of how compact it is and it's low center of
11:15 gravity. This thing is sweet.
11:21 The handlebar is nice and tall. A little bit narrow. I wouldn't say it's too
11:27 narrow but it's a little bit more narrow than other motorcycles I have ridden
11:32 recently. I do like how tall the bar is. It's also neat that you can
11:40 adjust this handlebar forward or back by just rolling it with by loosening these
11:46 Torx fasteners. I like that this motorcycle comes with Torx fasteners
11:54 so you can either use a Torx tool or a traditional metric socket to make
12:00 adjustments.
12:03 Now this engine, this 450 cc dual overhead cam single, this thing's got
12:12 some bark. Throttle response is real nice. Nice and responsive. Sometimes with these
12:19 bikes, actually now in the fuel injected age, the bikes have real crisp
12:25 throttle response and this thing is certainly not lacking in terms of throttle response.
12:33 All right. Now it's worth noting if you've never ridden in the sand dunes,
12:41 the sand dunes require a very unique type riding ability. So when
12:52 it's windy, the sand gets blown and it can make for hazardous terrain. There can
12:58 be witch's eyes and obstacles that can swallow you. So when you're riding in the
13:04 sand dunes, you really have to be aware of your surroundings and keep your eyes
13:10 up because you never know what's around the next sand dune. Oh yeah! Look at this thing!
13:21 Brakes work nice and good. Obviously we're riding in medium softness sand
13:28 which has a lot of slowing effect. Usually when you're riding a motorcycle
13:33 in the sand, you want to stay away from the front brake, but the front brake and
13:39 the CST front tire actually has really good bite. I'm actually surprised how
13:43 effective this front brake works on the sand as compared to conventional off-road
13:49 or motocross tire that you would ride on that type of motorcycle. Wow that brake
13:55 works good!
13:58 Now this 450cc single is mated to a six speed transmission with a cable
14:09 actuated wet clutch. So the clutch mechanism is bathed in oil just like a
14:15 traditional Japanese or European spec bike. We have chain final drive
14:23 delivering power to the 18 inch rear wheel
14:29 and side chain final drive. Six cogs right now we're riding in gear number
14:35 three. Let's see how this thing brodies. Whoa! She's got enough power to spin her up real good.
14:44 Oh yeah baby! Uh-huh!
14:48 Yeah this bike's a hoot to ride! Holy cow!
14:52 I haven't ridden a motorcycle that's this much fun in a good few weeks!
14:57 This is sick!
15:00 Now when you get into fifth gear you can definitely feel the engine laboring. The
15:09 gearing could be maybe a little tall on this motorcycle but it all depends on
15:16 the kind of terrain you are going to tackle. If you're going to be riding a lot
15:20 of fast terrain obviously you're going to need to have taller gearing just so
15:24 you don't have that engine spinning out of control. But for all intents and
15:29 purposes in the desert I think the gearing could be a little bit lower.
15:34 But to be fair this is the first time we've ever operated a vehicle like this
15:38 on relatively unfamiliar terrain for us because we haven't ridden in the sand in
15:44 many many years. So maybe we'll work into it.
15:50 I do like the shift precession of the transmission. It definitely goes in
15:57 between cogs well. Nice solid shift. There is no electronic quick shifter so
16:04 shifts have to be made the old-fashioned way. With is with throttle and a little
16:11 clutch.
16:13 God this bike feels good!
16:20 The seat is a little bit more accommodating. Don't get me wrong this is
16:24 a dirt bike seat but it's got a bit of width to it.
16:29 And I like the ability to squeeze the motorcycle with the inner part of your
16:35 leg. That's a big deal when riding off-road. When you're riding off-road you
16:39 want a motorcycle that has a nice flat surface above the foot pegs where your
16:46 legs go so you can squeeze the motorcycle. The harder you squeeze the
16:52 more control you have of the vehicle and the more you will be able to stay safe
16:58 when the motorcycle does funky things.
17:03 See you later dude!
17:09 12 inches of suspension travel for an aft and so far the suspension works good.
17:23 To be fair we haven't really encountered any significant bumps. Let's go over these rocks.
17:31 Felt pretty good to me.
17:34 All right folks let's get in line to do our photo shoot with our official
17:42 photographer Jeff Allen. Here we go folks we're gonna get you some images that
17:50 will live on our domain MotorcyclistOnline.com
17:55 Yeah this bike's a hoot! Yeah this thing's a hoot! No it doesn't feel very heavy. It
18:07 weighs 368 pounds with a full 8 gallons of fuel but it don't feel very heavy.
18:13 It's super compact. It's compact. It definitely feels like a dirt bike. Yeah
18:20 definitely feels like a dirt bike. Yeah the ergonomics are where they should be.
18:26 Yeah this is a neat bike. For nine grand I'd buy one of these things and it runs
18:33 and rides and steers fine. Beside that little battery mishap we had in the
18:40 morning but that's no big deal.
18:43 Yeah should we make our pictures for the interwebs?
18:57 So we'll go down there. You can see where we go. We make these loops.
19:02 Try not to cross the other lines except for like at the bottom.
19:08 We're just shooting your turns. We're just going to get three action shots right now.
19:13 Great. And then you guys can ride and test and do all that stuff. We'll go back to photos.
19:17 Sounds good. Alright as our official photographer Jeff Al described we are
19:23 gonna make these crescent shaped turns here to get the technical term for these
19:32 images is bangers for you people on the interwebs. What's that? Huh? Hey you're on
19:44 camera man. You're on camera. Crescent. I prefer banana shaped crescent.
19:51 Nice one. Nice zinger. That was a good zinger folks. I love good zingers.
20:00 [Motorcycle engine]
20:03 God 368 pounds this thing is nice and nimble. It doesn't matter. I'm equally
20:18 uncomfortable doing either way. I'll walk down and we'll shoot this way.
20:38 We can go right though. Let's do right. I don't care. Let's go down to the far end.
20:42 Let me just get on the back. Okay. Alright folks Jeff is going to ride on the back
20:51 with me. He's not wearing a helmet but we're gonna fudge the rules for now.
21:05 Even to up at this low speed 14 miles per hour these CST tires kick butt.
21:13 Okay.
21:16 Alright he's gonna get off and we'll make the nice images right now.
21:28 [Motorcycle engine]
21:30 See where these tiger stripes are right here?
21:32 See where these tiger stripes are right here?
21:34 Uh huh.
21:36 I'll put the camera over there and you just come in any direction and just make a turn right there.
21:40 Okay right here. Yeah both Dawes and Evan were comfortable doing like wider turns and then slowly tightening them up.
21:47 Okay sweet. Yep sounds good.
21:49 The camera will be down there just turn it down.
21:51 Okay so we're gonna make our crescent shape turn right here. We'll go a little bit wider.
21:57 Probably in second gear I would think.
21:59 This vehicle is equipped with an electric fan.
22:04 The electric fan evacuates heat from the radiator.
22:09 Keeps air moving. Keeps heat moving over the radiator as when the bike is shut off.
22:17 It's not a very hot day. It's only probably 63 degrees Fahrenheit.
22:21 Before this area gets messed up I'm gonna have you just see how it's...
22:29 Yeah just I'll shoot against those mountains. I'll go over there with the camera.
22:35 Um see where you were just stopped? You see where it's all...
22:39 Yeah.
22:40 Where the steps are? So over this way.
22:42 Uh huh.
22:43 About even with that if you can just come and make a turn.
22:46 Okay right here?
22:47 Yeah right there.
22:48 Where those guys are?
22:49 No no no. Almost as close as where you were just stopped.
22:52 Okay sweet.
22:53 Go straight over. Hey you guys! Go that way. Thank you.
22:59 I go this way.
23:00 And then you'll just turn.
23:01 Okay.
23:02 Alright.
23:04 Oh that battery.
23:08 That's the one thing you can notice about this motorcycle. The starter.
23:14 The starter I don't know if it's because the battery voltage is low or what.
23:19 But the starter just doesn't sound super premium like it would on a Japanese motorcycle.
23:29 Alright we're gonna make a turn here.
23:34 And do the directions as instructed.
23:40 Let's put the vehicle in second gear.
23:43 Yes.
23:44 Second gear and standing up.
23:47 Nice.
23:54 It's funny when you're riding here at the sand dunes it is so easy to get lost.
24:02 Everything looks essentially the same.
24:06 It's washed out in this beige hue.
24:10 So like an F15 EcoPilot it is easy to mess up your spatial awareness.
24:20 I like second gear on this bike.
24:36 It's crazy how good this front brake works.
24:43 That's like the thing that I'm really amazed by.
24:45 I'm telling you.
24:46 450 motocross bikes, 450 off-road bikes with 21 inch off-road or motocross tires usually don't work that well in the sand.
24:55 But today this motorcycle is.
25:01 Nice.
25:02 We got some good F16 style ATC instruction telling us where to go.
25:22 Now we will go back over here for another pass in the Hot LZ landing zone.
25:32 God this bike is so fun to ride.
25:43 Woo!
25:44 I'm not going to lie a quick shifter would be awesome on these bikes.
25:57 The shifter mechanism does feel a tad sticky.
26:05 Alright now we are going to do another turn.
26:11 See how this is kind of a dune.
26:18 It has a bit of a summit.
26:20 I'm going to have you coming from that direction this way and then just rush.
26:24 Where?
26:25 About even where my footsteps were.
26:28 Ok go left?
26:29 But out here in the clean sand.
26:32 Ok.
26:33 If you think you've reached the summit of the dune, turn.
26:36 Ok sweet.
26:37 When you come up and you think I can see the bottom of the tires, then just turn left.
26:42 Sounds good.
26:43 Alright folks some more instruction.
26:47 Now we will do another pass.
26:52 There is some trash.
26:58 I dislike people who litter.
27:01 I love our environment.
27:03 And keeping everything nice and pristine.
27:09 So we are going to do another photo pass on this bike.
27:13 Gosh the shifter is a little bit low.
27:16 Oh yeah let her eat.
27:24 God this thing even breaks on the side of the tire a little bit.
27:27 Amazing.
27:29 God it's hard to see.
27:36 We are going out here.
27:43 I feel like we are doing flat track right now.
27:59 With my rear end positioned on the right side of the saddle.
28:03 I've been making these big left arcing turns.
28:08 Alright we are coming into the pits for more instruction.
28:16 I'm trying to get you to come up straight at me.
28:21 My camera is here.
28:23 You just come straight up at me.
28:25 You see me and you are coming straight up that dune.
28:28 Instead of going across it this way, come across it this way.
28:32 You'll see Dawes and Gary.
28:34 And then when you get to what you think is the top.
28:36 To the left?
28:38 So come up farther.
28:40 Closer to you.
28:42 Don't go over there, come straight up.
28:44 Ok straight up.
28:46 Alright we are going to try again folks.
28:50 We are going to do it straight up style.
28:54 Here we go.
29:04 Straight up style is the name of this image capturing session.
29:13 Look at the snow in the mountains right there.
29:16 How beautiful is that?
29:21 Here in the desert in the American Southwest.
29:25 We've had a really good winter with lots of snow and rain.
29:36 So that's why it is so beautiful right now.
29:43 Now Cove Motorcycles, I'm sorry, Cove Motorcycles.
29:49 I don't know why they call it Cove when it's spelled K-O-V-E.
29:53 Maybe they are trying to be fancy or something.
29:55 They make a number of accessories for this vehicle.
29:59 Including a rally style rolling tour thing.
30:04 So you can monitor your, so when you are navigating.
30:11 So when you are navigating, you can, it's basically a roll chart.
30:19 So you know where you are going when you are in the middle of nowhere.
30:26 A good thing to have.
30:30 Now this Cove Motorcycle is so neat because basically they've made a motorcycle with no competition.
30:37 There are no production 450 rally bikes offered yet in the United States.
30:45 So entering the market with this type of motorcycle is going to be a big deal for them.
30:53 Great.
30:55 You feel good?
30:56 Yeah.
30:57 Good.
30:58 So over here, it's a similar turn to that but just try to, I think you'll go from here and just make a bowl turn.
31:06 Okay.
31:07 Obviously I would stay out of the bowl.
31:09 That is what we call witch's eye, boys and girls.
31:12 I would exit up here at the top.
31:15 Okay.
31:16 And I'll put camera over there.
31:17 Okay, sweet.
31:18 So right in between those two things.
31:20 Camera?
31:21 I turn.
31:22 No, you'll turn right there.
31:24 Okay, sweet.
31:25 I don't want you on those other tracks.
31:26 The dogs may like, tell them not to make tracks over here.
31:29 I got lost, dude.
31:30 Just go up here on the left.
31:31 Just right here and make, you don't want the turn where it's clean.
31:34 So give yourself enough space.
31:36 Okay, sweet.
31:37 Across the other tracks.
31:39 Okay.
31:40 In the photo.
31:41 Okay.
31:42 All right, let's give her a whirl, folks.
31:46 This is going to be a turn.
31:50 I would say let's do second gear on this.
32:08 He's looking displeased.
32:13 He's looking displeased with my banana-shaped crescent maneuver.
32:16 That's not what, that looked good.
32:18 I just was, I didn't know you were doing that, so I didn't shoot it.
32:21 I was talking about over there.
32:23 Oh, that big clean one.
32:24 No, right here.
32:25 See where you're tracked?
32:26 Yep.
32:27 You just made that track?
32:28 Yep.
32:29 Just the, just a piece of, so you'll go around that, that, the bowl over there.
32:32 Uh-huh.
32:34 And turn down.
32:35 Okay, so go around this bowl and turn down right here.
32:37 See where you're, see where.
32:42 Spatial awareness in the dash.
32:45 You'll be above that.
32:46 Right there, that little spot.
32:48 Okay.
32:55 All right, folks.
32:58 We are going to try to navigate without getting in this witch's eye.
33:09 So we will navigate from this side.
33:23 Yeah.
33:24 He's looking pleased.
33:28 How was that?
33:29 Pretty good.
33:30 For a second I thought, we're trying to, see what we're trying to do is.
33:34 Do you need me to push the red button?
33:36 See that, see that, I'm trying to keep you away from other tracks.
33:40 Okay.
33:41 So let's go over there and we'll, and we'll find, I just want to just move from clean space to clean space.
33:46 If you want to go over here, we can go over there.
33:48 Sure, I don't care, go wherever.
33:49 Let's go this way and we'll find just something clean.
33:53 Okay.
33:54 Tidy with it.
33:55 And when we move to the next space, we'll just use what we need.
33:56 Okay.
34:01 Low oil, please refuel is what this vehicle says on the dash.
34:09 The fuel is low too.
34:11 But we're in the middle of a shoot, so we're just going to wing it for now and see what happens.
34:19 Okay, so, Wahid.
34:21 Yeah.
34:22 This looks cool.
34:24 So what we're going to do is, we'll go over here and let's hit that spot and we'll be clean.
34:30 So don't, don't go on any of this other shit.
34:32 Just go along the bottom, go up that.
34:34 And we'll work our, hit that as a left and then we'll work our way back to here.
34:41 Okay.
34:42 Go over here and just leave this all nice and pristine.
34:44 Okay.
34:45 All the way from like here to that shaded dune.
34:48 Okay.
34:49 So you want me to turn in the shaded area?
34:51 Yeah, that's where we'll start.
34:53 Okay.
34:54 Let me get over there.
34:55 Okay.
34:56 See, folks, this is hard work.
34:59 Our work never sleeps.
35:02 We have to do logistics to get to the location, understand the vehicle dynamics, make sure all of our equipment works, do the thing, go home, download all of our memory cards and do that whole process, edit our video, write our story, process our photos.
35:26 It's a never-ending 24/7 job.
35:30 No breaks.
35:32 No days off.
35:34 Just work.
35:37 Whoa.
35:39 That was soft!
35:41 Good thing we were in first gear, folks, because that was soft.
35:47 That was a softy little turn.
35:49 Look how softy it was.
35:51 My track disappeared in the soft terrain.
35:57 That was a softy.
35:58 If you want to hit it again, the sand has fallen down and kind of covered your tracks.
36:03 Higher or lower?
36:05 You probably want to go lower because it's going to be softer.
36:08 Okay.
36:09 We're going lower.
36:11 How's that, folks?
36:14 First gear is the right gear for this.
36:25 Awesome.
36:27 I love how this thing feels on the power.
36:30 The power band feels real linear.
36:33 Of course, the sand zaps a lot of the response torque of the engine, but it still feels real good.
36:40 Now we'll do this clean spot right here.
36:42 Okay.
36:43 See where your tracks go up on the dunes?
36:45 Yep.
36:46 You want to kind of go up there, but you'll want to turn sooner.
36:50 You want to get a little higher right in that spot.
36:52 See where the shadow is?
36:53 Yeah, it looks soft right there.
36:55 You can go into that or down below it, whichever you choose.
36:59 Okay.
37:00 Sweet.
37:01 We're working our way across here.
37:02 Great.
37:03 I think we're going to stay a little low because it looks real soft.
37:19 Great.
37:25 Look at the nice photos.
37:37 Yes.
37:38 Nice job, Jeff Allen.
37:39 So it looks like there's a little bit of a ridge in there.
37:43 Uh-huh.
37:44 That'll make it hard, so just stay over here.
37:46 Uh-huh.
37:47 Okay.
37:48 You take your line there, and I'll shoot it.
37:49 Okay.
37:50 Against those tiger stripes.
37:51 Should I go right?
37:52 You want to go as a right turn?
37:53 Yeah.
37:54 Okay, let me move camera.
37:55 Oh, no.
37:56 Oh, no, folks.
37:57 There we go.
37:58 I
38:27 think this thing's low on gas, pal.
38:29 What?
38:30 It's low on gas.
38:31 Oh, yeah.
38:32 We better run it back.
38:33 We don't want to push it.
38:34 Okay.
38:35 Do you want to ride?
38:36 You want to ride?
38:37 All right, folks.
38:38 We're going to get some 91 octane for this vehicle because it's a little bit of a
38:56 drag.
38:57 It's low on gas.
39:03 The low fuel light is illuminated as is the low oil light.
39:06 I'd be surprised if it's low on fuel.
39:13 Okay.
39:14 We can check it.
39:15 Should I just keep going then?
39:16 It's no big deal to me.
39:17 Yeah, you can go.
39:18 You're fine.
39:19 Okay.
39:20 Sweet.
39:21 All right.
39:24 That gentleman is the US importer for Cove Motorcycles.
39:29 Okay.
39:30 Yep.
39:31 Let's go back over here.
39:34 We'll just do one more or something.
39:37 Okay.
39:38 So apparently, there is some type of maybe questionable reading of the fuel level sensor
39:47 because the US importer, I believe his name is Gary, says that there should be plenty
39:54 of vehicle fuel in this bike, yet the light is illuminated.
40:00 No biggie.
40:01 Now, we mistakenly spoke where this motorcycle will be available for sale at Cove's, Cove's
40:10 ever expanding US dealerships, but if there's not a dealership around you, they are also
40:15 offering direct to consumer sales, just like Fuel Motorcycles is doing with its FXR inspired
40:24 super cruiser.
40:25 I'm going to just have you see it.
40:26 It looks like it's kind of concave right now.
40:27 Yeah.
40:28 I'll put the camera over there and you just go whoop.
40:29 Great.
40:30 If you can make it tighter than they have been, you can just whoop.
40:31 Okay.
40:32 Get a little bit more front push.
40:33 Okay, sweet.
40:34 All right.
40:35 We're going to do a tighter turn right here.
40:45 Okay.
40:47 More front end push.
40:59 That wasn't very tight, but it's all good.
41:02 Sorry, it wasn't tighter.
41:05 Try it again.
41:09 Do it lower.
41:10 Okay.
41:11 Five feet lower.
41:12 Yeah.
41:13 All right.
41:14 We're going to try it again.
41:15 Five feet lower than the other one.
41:22 Clutch lever.
41:23 Working the clutch right now.
41:24 It has some nice weight to it.
41:27 There definitely is some tension on the pull, but I wouldn't say it's too much.
41:37 We got it, bro.
41:38 We did it.
41:39 Probably not our best work, but it's work nonetheless.
41:46 How is it?
41:47 It's rad.
41:48 Great.
41:49 I think we're good.
41:50 Okay.
41:51 For me, I don't know if Bert needs to shoot video of you, but these are just the, so far,
41:58 like cover our ass stuff in case it quits.
42:01 Yep.
42:02 We'll hop on the back.
42:03 And then we'll just let you guys do it back here.
42:04 All right.
42:05 We're going to go up this way, folks.
42:12 Whoa.
42:13 Hear that motor knocking?
42:14 That was some knock.
42:15 We've got another 190 pound human.
42:16 Yep.
42:17 We are going to grab Jeff's camera bag, which is right over here.
42:32 Again, folks, we are not doing this by the rules.
42:36 So mind your manners.
42:38 Make sure when you're operating this vehicle, this vehicle is only designed for one person
42:43 operation.
42:44 Oh no.
42:45 I'm good.
42:46 Thanks, man.
42:47 All right, folks.
42:56 That was session one.
42:57 We are going to go into the pits here and download our data and get ready for the second
43:05 session.
43:06 Thanks for riding with us today on this fun Covey FSE450 Rally.
43:18 I like this motorcycle.
43:20 I love the ergonomics on this thing.
43:23 I love those foot pegs.
43:25 I love how I feel.
43:26 I love the balance of the bike.
43:28 This bike is pretty dang awesome.
43:32 So here we are at the Day Pass area.
43:35 Here are some motor sports enthusiasts riding their rally equipped motorcycles.
43:44 This is a Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR.
43:50 That is the long range version with the extra fuel capacity.
43:55 So interesting to see how people are modifying these bikes and making them their own.
44:05 Wow folks, look at how steep these dunes are here at Dumont Dunes.
44:12 I haven't ridden here in probably 15 years and look how peaky these things are.
44:22 No way near as big in terms of surface area compared to our Glamis sand dunes but much
44:32 bigger in terms of peakiness.
44:37 Let's check things out.
44:42 Whoa, look what we have here folks.
44:52 We definitely don't want to go that way.
44:56 368 pounds, this thing is not that heavy to do that little clutch and front wheel lift
45:09 mechanism maneuver that you do when you think you're going to get stuck.
45:14 Pretty cool.
45:18 God, this bike is a hoot to ride.
45:28 How are we going to get over to that other side though?
45:33 Oh, just like this.
45:41 That's how we're going to do it.
45:43 That wasn't so bad.
45:47 There's our support vehicle that's carried from the US Import Hunt.
45:51 That's Jeff, Alan photography right there.
45:55 Oh yeah, let's let her eat baby.
46:01 I love the ergonomics and brake on this motorcycle.
46:15 Definitely feel some engine vibration, especially at higher RPM, but it's not necessarily bad.
46:26 You got to remember these big singles are notorious for putting off a lot of engine
46:33 vibration.
46:34 These rubber dampers inside the handlebar mount definitely help mitigate some of that
46:55 vibration.
46:56 60 miles per hour, yes.
46:57 God, these tires kick butt.
46:58 Really pumped on these CST Chinese tires.
46:59 All right, folks, we're going to get to work, more work here in a minute.
47:09 Okay, folks, we recently picked up this Insta360 ONE X3 360 video camera.
47:19 We've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I'm not going to lie, there's a bit
47:24 of a learning curve to it, but once you figure out how to manipulate the footage on your
47:30 phone or computer, I like to use the computer with Insta360's proprietary editing app.
47:40 This camera is actually pretty cool.
47:42 I'm going to show you right now what it's like to use.
48:03 All right, folks, apologies, we had to switch vehicles because the Dakar Rally livery, FSE
48:32 450, started having a transmission problem.
48:36 So we had to retire that vehicle.
48:41 That was, we talked about it earlier in the day, that slightly misshifting feel.
48:47 It ended up getting worse and worse as the day transpired and now we have to retire that
48:53 bike.
48:54 So we're going to ride this one instead.
48:57 We are using our Insta360 camera.
49:04 Now we rode this motorcycle through the whoops earlier and it did a fine job.
49:10 I really like the balance of this bike and the 12 inches of suspension travel.
49:17 It works really good.
49:19 God, look at this.
49:21 We are conquering the dunes.
49:23 I feel like I'm in the Arabian desert right now on this bike.
49:29 How cool is that?
49:31 All right, let's go down here.
49:34 Oh my God, look at this great expanse.
49:41 These 450cc rally bikes are so neat because they take you out in the middle of nowhere
49:48 where you can experience what it's like to be a real Dakar style racer.
49:57 Yes.
49:58 Whoa, we got to watch out for Wish's eyes and all kinds of other things that may catch
50:11 us off guard.
50:14 God, this bike barks.
50:20 Maintenance.
50:22 This engine holds 1.8 liter of engine oil.
50:27 The clutch is oil bathed so the clutch is cooled inside with the engine oil.
50:36 This motorcycle has a service interval of 5,000 miles.
50:42 It says Cove Motorcycles.
50:45 Look at this expanse.
50:49 This is crazy.
50:51 I feel like I'm riding in a different planet when I'm on this motorcycle.
51:01 Now this vehicle is the $9,000 base model but Cove also makes a racing specification
51:09 vehicle for a $5,000 upcharge that includes a Scott steering dampener, a titanium exhaust,
51:17 a carbon fiber tower which you can mount your roll chart for navigation purposes and that
51:25 and moose style tire bibs so you won't get any flat tires in theory.
51:32 Those parts are all for the disconcerting rally rider and racer.
51:40 Pretty cool that Cove offers that.
51:42 They also offer a short wheel base equipped, I'm sorry, a short suspension vehicle.
51:51 So for someone who wants to, who is more height challenged, you can buy the lower Cove FSE
52:00 450 which has two inches lower suspension.
52:05 So everything is the same aside from that suspension.
52:09 So neat mod for you shorter riders out there.
52:15 Alright folks, look at this beautiful view.
52:18 We are gearing up for our final photo session of the day.
52:24 I've had a great time on this motorcycle aside from the transmission malfunction on the Blue
52:32 Livery bike.
52:33 I think these things are pretty neat.
52:53 Well folks that was a crazy fun day riding Cove Motorcycles 2023 FSE 450 Rally.
53:04 For our initial taste of this all Chinese engineered and manufactured 450cc Dakar Rally
53:15 type bike, we had a really favorable experience.
53:19 The ergonomics on this motorcycle are awesome.
53:22 The brakes work really well.
53:23 It handles nicely.
53:25 It feels a lot more nimble and compact than you would think despite its 360 some pound
53:33 curb weight.
53:35 Really like the engine on this thing.
53:36 It isn't the fastest 450 I've ridden nor it's the slowest but it has a lot of potential.
53:42 Unfortunately this bike had to be retired early, early today because of a transmission
53:48 problem.
53:49 But again, these motorcycles are all new.
53:52 There's going to be some teething problems.
53:54 It's worth noting that for US customers, Cove Motorcycles is standing behind its machine
54:04 with a six month warranty.
54:06 So when this vehicle becomes available for purchase in spring 2023 at a price of $9,000,
54:14 comes with a six month warranty.
54:15 Of course there's not going to be a lot of dealers around but Cove Motorcycles says it's
54:19 willing to work with its customers.
54:21 It's willing to have you bring your motorcycle to your favorite shop and they will get it
54:27 handled.
54:28 Nice to see initial samples of this bike.
54:31 Really good.
54:32 Would I spend my $9,000 on this bike?
54:34 I wouldn't.
54:35 It's not tried and true enough for me yet.
54:37 I can't have a motorcycle whose transmission is failing or having any problems.
54:42 I need a motorcycle that's extremely durable and that won't break.
54:45 But once Cove figures out the teething problems of this motorcycle, I absolutely want one.
54:52 They are really fun to ride and they deliver an experience unlike any other motorcycle
54:59 that is available for purchase in production form today.
55:04 Alright folks, that wraps up today's review of this FSE450 Rally Bike.
55:12 As always, surf on over to MotorcyclistOnline.com.
55:16 That's where all of our written editorial lives.
55:19 Give this video a thumbs up if you liked it, thumbs it down if you didn't because we love
55:22 hearing from naysayers out there.
55:24 And thanks for going for a ride with us on this new motorcycle today.
55:29 [Music]