Caofen F-80 Review: Electric 8kW dual sport is street-legal and Sondors-priced
We got the chance to test ride a street-legal plus off-road electric motorcycle that comes at a reasonable price point, something of an albatross since the Sondors Metacycle went under.
For a while now, we’ve been seeing quite a few off-road e-bikes/motorcycles with similar specs, price, and design language as the Sur Ron Light Bee. Unfortunately, most of these aren’t street-legal like the more expensive and kitted out Zero FX/E. While that’s likely not a concern for those riding on private property, having more street-legal options in this segment of the market is something I’m excited to see more of. Thankfully, manufacturers are slowly starting to fill that gap.
$4,500 Dual Sport
The Caofen F-80 off-road version is an electric dual-sport motorcycle that’s fully street-legal in 50 states and has some decent specs that make for a fun day. For this test ride, I visited an off-road vehicle park in the northeast, put on my gear, and tried to see just how well this bike would perform on trails.
Now, while Caofen does have a few other models, such as the FX full-sized off-road motorcycle as well as a more street-oriented version of the F-80, for this review, we’ll be focusing mostly on the F-80 off-road version. Thankfully, we got the opportunity to test this out on an off-road course with tight turns and jumps. For the sake of the review, I made sure to try my hardest to test its limits, but full disclosure: I am a beginner at motocross and off-road riding.
Compliance parts:
The F-80 is capable of obtaining insurance, plates, and registration, but this bike was built primarily as an off-road motorcycle geared more for trails and motor tracks. So many of the parts that make the bike street-legal, such as the license plate holder, felt more like an afterthought with lower-quality parts than what is on the rest of the bike.
Before we get into the weeds, let’s get a few specs out of the way.
Specs:
- Motor: 8kw
- Top speed: 62mph
- Battery: Liquid-cooled 2.2kWh 72v 30 ah and 2.2kWh and 3.9kWh 48 ah
- Weight: 165lb
- Frame: Single-piece aluminum frame
- Brakes: 230mm disc brakes on the front and 203mm at the rear
- Size: 77×31×42
- Clearance: 14 inches
Initial thoughts:
The F80 looks and feels different from your typical Sur Ron Light bee in the sense that it has a bit more power and feels more like a full-sized motocross bike. It’s also not in that upper-echelon class of electric dirt bikes. I’d say if the classic Sur Ron was at one side of the spectrum and the higher-end dirt bikes such as Surron’s Storm Bee, Stark Varg, or KTM free ride e-xc was at the other end then this would be somewhere in between depending on how you look at it.
In terms of pricing, the street-legal off-road version of the F-80 with the 30-ah battery configuration comes in at $4,500 on the www.caofen.us website. The bigger battery 48-ah version is available for an extra $500.
Legality
At that price point, it’s close to that of most other 45-60 mph electric bikes. One big difference here for the F-80 is that Caofen is claiming that it can be registered in 50 states. When I test rode it on the east coast, I was shown registration for the vehicle as well as a license plate. Now this may not be a huge factor for those who are looking to ride primarily on trails, but for those who enjoy off-road capable bikes even on city streets and don’t necessarily want to go for the 10+k price range of a highway-suitable dual sport like a Zero FX, it’s a great thing that companies like Caofen are starting to fill that gap in the market.
Power
In terms of power, the motor is rated for a max peak output of 8kw and claims to have 310 nm of torque. To be truthful, even though I always want as much power and torque as possible in an electric bike, with this being my first time in an offroad dedicated park with a mini motocross track, I found this to be more than enough power.
For trail riding and beginner motocross riding I think this bike handles well and is nicely balanced. The one downside aside from the lower quality compliance parts like the plate holder that broke off was the rather small footpegs. I believe the suspension is adequate but not to the level of some of the higher-end dual sport bikes. But then again this is still a 72v off-road bike with 8kw of peak power and DOT approved.
Getting into some of the pros here the frame is a zero-weld one-piece unit that adds strength and lowers the weight. In total, the bike weighs 165 lbs with a 30-ah battery. This, combined with the 8kw of power, made it relatively easy to skid the rear wheel on loose dirt, and I’d imagine for those who wheelie that this would be plenty of fun.
Battery:
As for charging, the batteries can be charged from fully empty to full in three hours for the street-legal off-road bike. When it comes to the battery Caofen uses a patented immersion cooling battery system that claims to achieve 8 times the thermal balance and only 50% of normal temperature rise. The temperature control system allows you to ride freely in any case, even in a minus 40-degree environment.
When it comes to brakes, the F-80 is stopped with 230mm disc brakes on the front and 203mm at the rear. It’s an adequate feeling brake but leaves you wanting just a bit more heavy-duty braking power. In terms of size, the bike comes in at a size of 77×31×42 and gives you about 14 inches of clearance.
For those wanting a bigger size, with better suspension and upgraded brakes, you may want to check out their full-sized version, the FX, which costs $5800 and features a 12kw motor.
Electrek’s take:
I think it’s great that Caofen is bringing this to the market at a low price point. Being able to ride without worrying about breaking the law just to have fun on your electric motorcycle is a feature that not enough manufacturers are including. Let’s face it: A lot of people who ride high-speed e-bikes/motorcycles like Sur Rons or Talarias ride on public roads despite manufacturers saying that it’s not street legal. I think if there were more options like this on the market at lower prices, we’d be seeing a lot of young people opting to register their bikes and ride a bit safer, especially if it meant they needed a motorcycle license and the required skills to operate these types of bikes on the street.
For more info on their bikes, you can check out www.caofen.us or www.caofenusa.com
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Japanese equipment giant Kubota brought 22 new or updated machines to the 2025 bauma expo earlier this year, but tucked away in the corners was a new retrofit kit that can help existing customers decarbonize more quickly, and more affordably.
No matter how badly a fleet may want to electrify, harsh economic realities and the greater up-front costs typically associated with battery electric remain high hurdles to overcome, but new retrofit options from major manufacturers are popping up to help lower those obstacles.
The latest equipment maker to put its name on the retrofit list is Kubota, who says its kit can be installed by a trained dealer in a single day.
That’s right! By this time tomorrow, your diesel-powered Kubota KX019 or U27-4 excavator (shown) could be fitted with an 18 or 20 kWh li-ion battery pack and electric drive motors and ready to get to work in a low-noise or low-vibration work environment where emissions are a strict no-no. Think indoor precision demolition or historic archeological excavation.
Then, if necessary, it can go right back to diesel power.
From diesel to electric and back again
If that sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve talked about a similarly flexible power solution from ZQUIP. The battery packs and diesel engines are much larger in that application, but the basic sales pitch remains the same: electric when it benefits your operation, diesel it doesn’t.
Kubota says its modular retrofit kits is a response to the increasing global demand for sustainable alternatives by focusing on making machinery that’s flexible and repairable enough to be “reusable,” and offer construction fleet managers a longer operational lifespan, superior ROI (return on investment), and lower TCO (total cost of ownership) than the competition.
Kubota’s solution also notably reduces maintenance costs and operational overheads. With no engine and associated components, servicing time and expenses are considerably reduced, saving customers both time and money. Additionally, with electricity costing far less than fossil fuels, it offers a highly economical advantage.
International Rental News reports that other changes to the excavators include a more modern cab controls with a digital instrument cluster, a 60 mm wider undercarriage for more stability, and an independent travel circuit allows operators to use the boom, dipper, bucket, and auxiliary functions without an impact on tracking performance.
Kubota’s new kit, first shown at last year’s Hillhead exhibition in the UK, will officially be on sale this summer – any day now, in fact – though pricing has yet to be announced.
Electrek’s Take
If you’re wondering how it is that we’re still talking about bauma 2025 a full quarter after the show wrapped up, then I haven’t done a good enough job of explaining how positively massive the show was. Check out this Quick Charge episode (above) then let us know what you think of Kubota’s modular power kits in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Kubota, via International Rental News.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Elon Musk isn’t happy about Trump passing the Big Beautiful Bill and killing off the $7,500 EV tax credit – but there’s a lot more bad news for Tesla baked into the BBB. We’ve got all that and more on today’s budget-busting episode of Quick Charge!
We also present ongoing coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix and dive into some two wheeled reports on the new electric Honda Ruckus e:Zoomer, the latest BMW electric two-wheeler, and more!
Source Links
Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Environment
FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025
Solar and wind accounted for almost 96% of new US electrical generating capacity added in the first third of 2025. In April, solar provided 87% of new capacity, making it the 20th consecutive month solar has taken the lead, according to data belatedly posted on July 1 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.
Solar’s new generating capacity in April 2025 and YTD
In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through April 30, 2025), FERC says 50 “units” of solar totaling 2,284 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in April, accounting for 86.7% of all new generating capacity added during the month.
In addition, the 9,451 MW of solar added during the first four months of 2025 was 77.7% of the new generation placed into service.
Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 20 consecutive months, from September 2023 to April 2025.
Solar + wind were >95% of new capacity in 1st third of 2025
Between January and April 2025, new wind provided 2,183 MW of capacity additions, accounting for 18.0% of new additions in the first third.
In the same period, the combination of solar and wind was 95.7% of new capacity while natural gas (511 MW) provided just 4.2%; the remaining 0.1% came from oil (11 MW).
Solar + wind are >22% of US utility-scale generating capacity
The installed capacities of solar (11.0%) and wind (11.8%) are now each more than a tenth of the US total. Together, they make up almost one-fourth (22.8%) of the US’s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity.
Moreover, at least 25-30% of US solar capacity is in small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the US total.
With the inclusion of hydropower (7.7%), biomass (1.1%), and geothermal (0.3%), renewables currently claim a 31.8% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now about one-third of total US generating capacity.
Solar is on track to become No. 2 source of US generating capacity
FERC reports that net “high probability” additions of solar between May 2025 and April 2028 total 90,158 MW – an amount almost four times the forecast net “high probability” additions for wind (22,793 MW), the second-fastest growing resource. Notably, both three-year projections are higher than those provided just a month earlier.
FERC also foresees net growth for hydropower (596 MW) and geothermal (92 MW) but a decrease of 123 MW in biomass capacity.
Taken together, the net new “high probability” capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years – i.e., the bulk of the Trump administration’s remaining time in office – would total 113,516 MW.
FERC doesn’t include any nuclear capacity in its three-year forecast, while coal and oil are projected to contract by 24,373 MW and 1,915 MW, respectively. Natural gas capacity would expand by 5,730 MW.
Thus, adjusting for the different capacity factors of gas (59.7%), wind (34.3%), and utility-scale solar (23.4%), electricity generated by the projected new solar capacity to be added in the coming three years should be at least six times greater than that produced by the new natural gas capacity, while the electrical output by new wind capacity would be more than double that by gas.
If FERC’s current “high probability” additions materialize, by May 1, 2028, solar will account for one-sixth (16.6%) of US installed utility-scale generating capacity. Wind would provide an additional one-eighth (12.6%) of the total. That would make each greater than coal (12.2%) and substantially more than nuclear power or hydropower (7.3% and 7.2%, respectively).
In fact, assuming current growth rates continue, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar is likely to surpass that of either coal or wind within two years, placing solar in second place for installed generating capacity, behind only natural gas.
Renewables + small-scale solar may overtake natural gas within 3 years
The mix of all utility-scale (ie, >1 MW) renewables is now adding about two percentage points each year to its share of generating capacity. At that pace, by May 1, 2028, renewables would account for 37.7% of total available installed utility-scale generating capacity – rapidly approaching that of natural gas (40.1%). Solar and wind would constitute more than three-quarters of installed renewable energy capacity. If those trend lines continue, utility-scale renewable energy capacity should surpass that of natural gas in 2029 or sooner.
However, as noted, FERC’s data do not account for the capacity of small-scale solar systems. If that’s factored in, within three years, total US solar capacity could exceed 300 GW. In turn, the mix of all renewables would then be about 40% of total installed capacity while the share of natural gas would drop to about 38%.
Moreover, FERC reports that there may actually be as much as 224,426 MW of net new solar additions in the current three-year pipeline in addition to 69,530 MW of new wind, 9,072 MW of new hydropower, 202 MW of new geothermal, and 39 MW of new biomass. By contrast, net new natural gas capacity potentially in the three-year pipeline totals just 26,818 MW. Consequently, renewables’ share could be even greater by mid-spring 2028.
“The Trump Administration’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ … poses a clear threat to solar and wind in the years to come,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “Nonetheless, FERC’s latest data and forecasts suggest cleaner and lower-cost renewable energy sources may still dominate and surpass nuclear power, coal, and natural gas.”
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike