I’ve been riding dirt bikes long enough to remember when “electric off-road” meant cobbled-together conversions with zip-ties and hope. The CFMOTO CF-X is not that. It’s a proper, full-size motocrosser that just happens to run on electrons. I got a short session on a pre-production bike at a demo day—nothing scientific, no lap timer—just boots, gloves, and a chewed-up practice loop that tells the truth.

First look: looks like a racer, not a science project

From five meters away the CFMOTO CF-X reads as a modern MX bike: flat seat, slim waist, long legs. Plastics are tight to the frame, no awkward boxes jutting into your calves, and the subframe/seat junction lets you slide forward without catching a seam. I’m nitpicky about controls and leverage—bars, pegs, levers—and nothing felt odd or “EV different.” If you’ve thrown a leg over a 250/450 in the last few years, your body knows where to go.

Up close you notice the neat packaging. The battery, controller and motor are tucked in low and central. That’s engineer-speak for “it shouldn’t fight you when you change lines.” Also, the finish is better than I expected on a prototype: tidy welds, sensible routing, radiator/shroud placement that doesn’t look like an afterthought.

The start-up ritual: old habits, new soundtrack

I did the usual pre-ride dance—tap the rear brake, glance at the tire sidewalls, wiggle the bars—then reached for a choke that doesn’t exist. Old habits. Thumbed the switch and got… silence. Well, more of a muted whirr when you crack the throttle. No clutch to fan, no bark from the exhaust to announce your intentions to the next county.

Rolling out, the first surprise is how “normal” the CFMOTO CF-X feels at walking pace. The throttle mapping on the demo bike was friendly, not grabby. I tried a few slow figure-eights in ruts to see if it would snap or surge—it didn’t. That bodes well for slick tracks and tired arms.

CFMOTO CF-X Power delivery: instant, but usable

Electric torque clichés exist for a reason: the shove is right there. The trick is delivering it cleanly. On the CF-X, the first quarter turn is measured—trail-friendly, corner-exit-friendly. Twist further and it digs in with the kind of urgency you expect from a serious MX bike. No gear hunting, no whoops in the powerband—just push.

I sampled three maps (names varied between bikes at the event, so consider this my translation):

• Soft: great for hardpack or anyone new to e-MX. It lets you get sloppy without getting punished.
• Aggressive: the “let’s see what happens” map. It will happily light up the rear if you’re ham-fisted, but with a bit of discipline it’s fast.

Worth noting: with no engine braking from a big lump of rotating metal, turn-in is freer. The bike tips without that subtle “stand up” effect you sometimes fight on thumpers. There was some regen on roll-off—light in the maps I tried—which I liked. It felt more like a well-set cable rear brake than a parachute.

Chassis and suspension: planted front, cooperative rear

The loop had one chopped-out braking zone that makes liars of soft forks. The CFMOTO CF-X dove under hard braking but didn’t blow through. It held a nice, predictable “pitch” and stayed there, so I could set the front where I wanted and trust it.

Ergos matter. Standing, the bike’s mid-section is skinny enough that your knees meet naturally. Sitting, the seat is straight and firm (as it should be), so scooting forward for flat turns is easy. Levers had a light, positive feel; I barely thought about them after the first lap, which is the biggest compliment.

Braking: strong, simple, and drama-free

Front brake bite is solid and progressive. You can trail it deep without the fork bucking or the tire complaining. The rear is easy to modulate even with regen in the mix—no wooden, on/off nonsense. I like rear brakes that let me draw a line in the dirt rather than stamp a signature, and this one did.

Weight and balance: the “where” matters more than the “what”

I’m not going to quote numbers I didn’t verify. Here’s what my legs and shoulders told me: the CFMOTO CF-X carries its mass low and central. Quick S-turns were just that—quick. In off-camber ruts I could make mid-corner line fixes without wrestling a top-heavy bike. If you’ve ever felt a heavy fuel load slosh a gas MX bike wide on exit, you’ll appreciate how “constant” the CF-X feels lap to lap.

Sound and fatigue: your neighbors might finally say thanks

You still hear the chain, the knobbies, the suspension working. But the absence of engine noise is… nice. I could hear traction. I could hear my breathing. Late in the session that matters because fatigue sneaks up quieter than you think on electric—no exhaust note to “pace” yourself against. I backed my effort down a notch, and the bike felt just as cooperative.

Charging, range, and the between-motos question

I didn’t stand there with a stopwatch or a multimeter. Here’s what I can say: the crew were cycling bikes through the charger during the day and nobody seemed stressed about slot times. For a race day, the math will depend on pace, temperature, and how much regen you use. My gut says two solid practice sessions per top-off is realistic for most riders, with sprint motos doable if your pits have proper juice. I’d plan my day like I plan tire changes: deliberate, not frantic.

Who the CFMOTO CF-X suits (and who it doesn’t)

If you love MX but hate early-morning noise complaints, or you’re tired of air filters, oil changes, heat-soaked starts—CFMOTO CF-X has your attention. It feels like a 450-class bike in stance and intent, without the intimidation factor of a peaky power curve. Beginners will appreciate the soft map; intermediates can grow into it; fast riders will be able to go very fast once they learn to manage the “always there” torque.

If your joy is clutch-popping starts and over-rev theatrics? Different vibe. Also, if your local track has zero charging plan, you’ll be playing logistics Tetris. That’s not a CF-X problem so much as an infrastructure one, but it’s real.

CFMOTO CF-X Quick hits: what stood out

• Natural ergonomics. Nothing to relearn—just ride.
• Clean, controllable torque. Especially off the bottom.
• Composed chassis. Tracks straight under braking, no weird wallow.
• Low noise, low fuss. More riding, less wrenching between sessions.

Room to improve? I’d like finer adjustability for regen (per map, not just on/off), and an “endurance” map that flattens spikes on hot days. A robust accessory ecosystem—guards, chargers, mapping tools—will matter on launch day.

Verdict after a short, honest thrash

I got off the CFMOTO CF-X thinking, “Yep, that’s a motorcross bike first.” Not an experiment. Not a novelty. The fundamentals—ergos, suspension feel, torque control—are there. The rest (charging routine, parts catalog, long-moto heat management) will decide how quickly riders adopt it. But if CFMOTO ships the production bike with the same calm, planted confidence I felt on this prototype, the jump from gas to electric won’t feel like a leap. It’ll feel like swapping bikes mid-season and going faster because the thing just works.

And that, to me, is the whole point.