The CFMoto Ibex 950 Is an Adventure Motorcycle Aimed At the Big Dogs, But With an Introductory Price

That's hella cheap.

Photo by: CFMoto

By: Jonathon Klein

Aug 12, at 7:38am ET

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I love adventure motorcycles. Honestly, behind EV dirt bikes, they're my favorite bikes because, if you do them right, they're Swiss Army Knives—capable of anything. I recently spent 5 days in the saddle of Ducati's new DesertX V2 in Iceland and can attest to that truism personally, though that's a story for a later date.

But adventure motorcycles, good ones, have a big issue that hasn't really been grappled with just yet: Price.

Today's economy isn't as booming as it once was, and the height of Covid spending, when everyone and their mother was doing their damnedest to get outside, damn the long-term debt, has long since left the chat. Everyone's lackluster wages, inflation, and high regular bills have finally caught up with their want to escape, and most good, medium- to high-displacement adventure motorcycles cost what feels like a trillion dollars.

CFMoto's all-new 2027 Ibex 950 aims to buck that trend with big performance, big stats, but a price that starts at such a low number, you'll wonder if the company forgot to include an engine or all the bolts.

I've been assured CFMoto hasn't.

2027 CFMoto Ibex 950

Photos by: CFMoto

Let's just rip the Band-Aid off: The 2027 CFMoto Ibex 950 will come with an MSRP of just $12,499. That's so damn low, I had to re-read the press release three times just to make sure the crusties in my eyes this morning weren't playing tricks on my vision. They weren't, so here we are with a middle-weight to large adventure motorcycle that costs practically nothing. Don't think that CFMoto skipped out on the specs, though. It didn't.

Powering the Ibex 950 is a 946cc parallel twin that produces 112 horsepower and 77.5 pound-feet of torque. I'm not sure how you measure a half pound-foot, but sure, don't forget to count that wee-bit of torque! Moreover, the whole bike, complete with fluids and all the necessary gas powering that parallel twin—see, other manufacturers, it's not that hard!—is 489 pounds. That's not exactly Lamborghini Superleggera-type poundage, but it ain't the porkiness of other full-size adventure motorcycles.

According to CFMoto, the Ibex 950's suspension is supplied by KYB, with a "48mm fully adjustable inverted fork and a fully adjustable rear monoshock." Those work in conjunction to give riders 9 inches of travel front and rear, with riders being able to adjust preload, compression, and rebound. A 21-inch front tire is set with an 18-inch rear tire, both of which are Pirelli Scorpion Rally STRs, which I can't say enough good things about. We had these equipped on the Ducati DesertXs we were riding in Iceland, and over the course of 5 days riding some of the most gnarly terrain imaginable—sharp rocks, rock gardens, endless sand, countless streams and river crossings, and more—we had exactly one puncture of the 15 bikes in our group of riders. 1,500 kilometers and one puncture is just plain nuts.

2027 CFMoto Ibex 950

Photos by: CFMoto

Add that we were going places where others on proper dirt bikes were faltering and we weren't, and you get the sense why I adore these pieces of rubber.

Riders also get a 6-gallon fuel tank as standard, Brembo brakes with Bosch cornering ABS, an adjustable steering dampener, an adjustable windscreen, heated grips, multiple ride modes, and an 8-inch TFT display that looks like a cross between an iPad and a rally tower. That's about the only thing giving me pause about this whole bike, as do we really want a giant-ass screen in front of us while we're adventuring off-road? I mean, I know most folks use these bikes to tour pavement, but some of us like to get dirty!

What do you think?

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Based on our experience with other CFMoto products, this one has the potential to go the distance and compete with the big dawgs of the adventure bike world. And with a price that low, how could it not be on your short list to try the next time you have the itch to get something new?

CFMoto, hit me up; I'd like to try this bike ASAP.