The moves CFMoto has been making in the sportbike world of late mean it's not a question of if it's coming for established manufacturers, it's when. At the moment, the brand is giving consumers what they've been asking for for years, like a new bike in the spirit of the Daytona 675 or revvy little 4-cylinders from years past. Many western riders still don't take the brand seriously enough, which is partly the reason we don't see the aforementioned machines on the roads, but CFMoto's credibility looks set to change.
The Chinese manufacturer recently acquired 51% of Kalex Engineering. If you've never heard of the company, that's understandable, because manufacturers that specialize in Moto2 chassis development don't usually make headlines. But, even in the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Kalex stands out. The chassis manufacturer is by far the most dominant in Moto2 history, winning 12 consecutive Moto2 Constructors' World Championships, from 2013 to 2023.
If you want to get to MotoGP, you ride a Moto2 bike with a Kalex chassis—just ask Diogo Moreira and Pedro Accosta. But then, it's hard not to ride a Kalex on your way to MotoGP, considering 20 riders out of the current 28-person Moto2 grid are on a Kalex chassis. The German engineering company even worked with Honda to help build swingarms for the brand's MotoGP team in 2022 and its chassis in 2023. Buying a controlling stake in Kalex gives CFMoto a lot of what it needs to progress and be taken seriously from racing to the roads.
