RIDING THE STREET-LEGAL KOVE RALLY: THE WRAP

We live in interesting times. In just the last year, we have tested more new brands of dirt bikes than we had in the previous 10 years. There are several reasons for this. We have old companies like Triumph making new types of bikes, and we also have new companies from China and India entering the market. This month we got to ride the latest version of the Kove Rally. This is the third bike we have tested from that manufacturer and we have no hesitation in saying that Kove is making the best dirt bikes that China has ever produced.

Mark Tilley on the Kove Rally.
This is still the only legitimate rally bike that is in full production. By rally bike, we mean a bike that follows the guidelines of the FIM World Rally Championship. It has to be a 450cc dual-sport bike capable of going very fast and very far. The bikes that Honda races in Dakar are full works bikes. KTM Husqvarna and GasGas have very limited runs of semi-works bikes that sell for over $35,000 and are only offered to elite riders with strong resumes. The Kove, on the other hand, is in full production and can be purchased by anyone with $9299.

When we tested last year’s version of this bike, it had yet to pass the emission and sound tests required to be a fully certified dual-sport bike in the U.S. Now it has. The latest version of the Kove Rally can get a license plate in any state including California. There have been some changes in the mapping and in the positions of various lights and reflectors. It’s also slightly quieter, but doesn’t have any ridiculous restrictions like throttle stops or inner baffles that have to be removed before riding. The bike is ready to go as delivered.

Another big change is the switch to KYB suspension. The fork and shock were provided by a Chinese company called Yu An last year. The front brake is still Tiasko. And, the dry weight of the bike is still in the 320-pound range. It can carry 8 gallons of gas between its three different tanks, and that would bring the total weight up to 370 pounds if you were silly enough to top it off. Fuel management is automatic; the rear fender and right front tank feed into the left front, which is also the tank that is positioned the lowest, so as the fuel burns, the CG gets lower and more centralized.

Compared to last year’s test bike, it seems that the new DOT version lost just a little mid-range power. That’s to be expected with full EPA mapping, but it still runs phenomenally clean. There’s no hesitation, it doesn’t stall, hiccup or cough. The mapping is flawless. We had a new Honda CRF450RL dual-sport bike for comparison, and that was a real eye-opener. The Kove was exceptionally smooth whereas the Honda was far more jerky, and occasionally popped and backfired. The Honda did have more low-end power and revved higher, but the two bikes were very similar in power output through the middle of the rev range. They were also similar in exhaust noise, but the Kove has an upward-facing air intake, which makes it louder from the rider’s perspective.

The Honda is, of course, 40 pounds lighter. That made it feel like more of a dirt bike on single-track trail. Any place where you had the space to click the two bikes into the upper gears, though, the Kove was more natural. The rider layout, interestingly enough, is similar on the two bikes. Both are very tall. The Kove is a narrower bike and has bar pedestals that are considerably taller. But they both have firm seats that are good for a couple of hours of riding before things get ugly in the southern regions. On the street, the Kove has single rim locks and no balancing weights, so that made the wheels a little bouncy. The Honda comes without rim locks and normally would be smoother. We had installed knobbies and rim locks, though, so it was essentially the same as the Kove. Both needed wheel balancing.

We loved the stock CSR EX01 tires that came on the Kove. They might be our newest go-to adventure tires. They were grippy on the street and excellent in the dirt. That seems to be the theme with Kove and what really sets this company apart from the Chinese motorcycle makers that came earlier. In the past, you got the feeling that China could only make copies. It seemed like there was no one at the factory with the passion to actually ride and test the bikes. That’s clearly not the case here. The Rally is an original concept and it reflects a great deal of testing. The company’s involvement in Dakar can only be the product of passion. There are several versions of the Kove rally. There’s a version of the bike we tested that has a lower seat height. There’s also an all-dirt version for $9499 and a race version for $13,999. For the full test of the Kove Rally, check out the January, 2025 print edition of Dirt Bike.

IRONMAN GNCC
Ryan Villopoto, Damon Bradshaw, Bill Balance and Jamie Guida teamed up at the Ironman for an unofficial ATV team race.
Last weekend I got to check out the final GNCC of the 2024 racing season at Ironman Raceway. I met up with Justin Jones, who now lives in Indiana, to ride the new Yamaha YZ250FX the day before the race. You can check out that story here. It was a great trip and one of the best parts was hanging out with Ryan Villopoto and Damon Bradshaw, who are Yamaha ambassadors. They have a great chemistry together. On Saturday, they did an unofficial team race in the ATV division with Bill Balance and Vital MX’s Jamie Guida. They were all shocked by how demanding the ATV was. The next day, they all rode motorcycles. Phil Nicoletti was also there riding his first GNCC on a Husqvarna. He beat them all! He didn’t, however, have anything for Brandy Richards who won the woman’s class in the same race.

Phil Nicoletti
Damon Bradshaw
Ryan Villopoto

See you next week!

–Ron Lawson