The Problem with Chinese Motorcycles - Kove 800 Rally Review

Product Reviewed

Kove 800 Rally — described as an extremely light, big off-road/midweight adventure-style motorcycle.

Key Features & What the Reviewer Focuses On

1) Extremely Low Weight

• Listed at ~388 lb (the host compares it to a “weak KTM 390” in weight terms).
• Even at an “honest 408 lb,” it’s said to be ~60 lb lighter than a KTM 890 Adventure using the same engine.
• The host attributes weight savings to omissions and material choices, including:
  • No hydraulic clutch cables
  • No hand guards
  • No adjustable windscreen
  • No passenger pegs
  • No luggage rack
  • No hooks
  • No second brake disc/caliper
  • Aluminum components for subframe/swingarms, skid plate, crash bars
  • Narrower handlebars, thinner mirror clamp, lighter plastics
  • Some titanium-cast bolts to save grams

Additional detail:

• The frame/subframe is described as a “7/8 scale frame” with a lighter mounting approach.
• The skid plate mounts directly to the crankcase (compared by the host to mounting a child’s car seat directly to a bumper).

2) Claimed Handling/Performance Benefits from Weight

The host argues the weight reduction is “worth it,” citing:

• Faster acceleration than the KTM (described as explicitly noticeable)
• Quicker braking, including being surprising for a single-disc setup
• Best off-road handling the host has felt on a “big bike”

Suspension claims include:

• 100 lb less work than on a DesertX
• More capable shock specs:
  • 49 mm thick vs 46 mm (in the mentioned comparison)
  • 10.6 in long vs 9.1 in (in the mentioned comparison)
• Claims it doesn’t bottom out even when “hucked to flat”

Shock notes:

• Shocks are described as fully adjustable.
• The reviewer jokes about unfamiliar shock brand, but says they look “really nice” and not cheap.

3) Engine Sourcing and Reliability Concerns (KTM 890-Related)

• The engine is described as the KTM 890 engine, with context that manufacturing in China reduced KTM’s R&D exclusivity.
• The host claims Kove can “legally” build the engine, comparing it to other shared-manufacturing ecosystems.

Core complaint:

• This engine family has known issues when shifted from street to off-road use, where lower-rpm torque and steep impacts can cause cam lobe wear (“cheese grater” metaphor).
• The host references KTM 790 Duke context, where the result can be unrideable bikes around 10,000 km (as described).

Kove’s supposed fixes include:

• Wider cam followers
• More oiling pressure
• Better aligned oil gallery holes
• Extra filter
• Lower lobes

However, the host doubts Kove’s confidence because:

• Kove expects 5,000 km between oil changes, which the host says is twice as long as the competition (framed as “four times a year for the daily rider”).

4) “Legality”/Emissions and Electronics Compromises

• Claims Kove bikes were plagued by lean fuel mapping (jumpy throttle behavior due to import/emissions rules).
• Kove response: dealers received a reflash with a richer map once in country.
• Rear ABS can be turned off and stays off.

Nanny-feature commentary:

• The reviewer calls out removal/disablement of “nanny” features:
  • ABS behavior described as user-controlled persistence (not constantly re-enabling).
  • Some 800 Pros arrived without a side-stand kill switch, said to often fail and strand off-road riders.

5) Feature Stripping vs Mainstream Touring/Adventure Expectations

The bike is positioned as off-road capable enough to make “why not a bigger adventure/touring bike?” arguments less relevant because:

• No passenger (explicitly mentioned)
• No luggage/touring niceties like steering dampener (too heavy)
• Missing tech: no ride-by-wire, power modes, quick shifter, cruise control, traction control

Downsides described:

• More wobble/unnerving highway behavior than typical dual sports (host’s personal experience).
• Without electronics and comfort features, many riders may wonder why they didn’t buy a dual sport instead.

6) Price Positioning

• Canadian price cited: 16,899 Canadian
• Reviewer compares it to “familiar” price territory for models like:
  • Tuareg
  • KTM 890
  • F900

Pros (Explicit Positives)

• Massive weight reduction (big selling point)
• Noticeably faster acceleration and quicker braking vs the KTM 890 comparison
• Excellent off-road suspension performance, including not bottoming out
• Host’s sentiment: he “loves” that Kove is bold and that it exists for a small group of riders

Cons (Explicit Criticisms)

• Reliability uncertainty tied to the shared KTM-engine-family cam wear issue
  • Host says Kove’s fixes may not fully address the core problem
  • Long oil-change interval expectation criticized as too infrequent
• Stripped comfort/tech
  • Likely not appealing to most “big bike” buyers (no passenger, luggage, or touring electronics)
• Highway manners not great
  • More unnerving wobble than other dual sports
• Reviewer’s framing: the “Chinese-bike advantage” requires reckless/less conventional engineering choices to stand out

Comparisons Made

• Versus KTM 890 Adventure
  • Same engine family, but Kove is ~60 lb lighter with claimed handling/braking advantages
• Versus KTM 390
  • Weight comparison at ~388 lb, implying dramatically different role/power expectations despite similar mass
• Versus DesertX
  • Suspension work comparison: Kove shocks described as doing 100 lb less work
• Versus other brands/pricing
  • Price compared to Tuareg/890/F900
• Versus other “Chinese-built” Western-quality parallels
  • Mentions similar finish quality expectations from other Chinese-manufactured BMWs in the past

Unique Product Philosophy / Market Fit Notes

• Kove is described as trying to “win Dakar stages” through lightweight sacrifice.
• Reviewer claims the real niche is extremely small:
  • High off-road focus
  • Willingness to accept compromises
• Mentions a Pro version:
  • Adds missing features (host’s claim)
  • Adds enough weight to require comparison to mainstream brands

Sponsorship Aside (Not Product-Related)

• The video includes a sponsor segment (Coupert coupon extension) with ratings and savings figures (e.g., 4.8 stars, average $86.92 back, average $180.12 discounts).
• This content is unrelated to the motorcycle itself.

Overall Verdict / Recommendation

• Conditional buy recommendation: The host strongly likes the Kove 800 Rally if you’re one of the small minority who wants an aggressively off-road-focused big bike and can accept missing comfort/tech plus potential engine-reliability concerns.
• For most riders, the host suggests it may feel like the wrong compromise—too stripped and less stable/well-equipped for mainstream highway/touring use.

Speakers / Views

• Ryan F9 (primary host/reviewer): Provides essentially all technical, performance, reliability, and market-fit commentary (no other speaker is meaningfully credited in the provided subtitles).