I have the 800 and I have only found it lacking enough power to do something, one time and that was climbing a sandy hill carrying two up. I have gone up the same hill by myself however. Still I haven't reclocked the secondary yet and that might or ought to make a big difference. Obviously with the 1000, power will not be the limiting factor.
My riding is trail related and occasional long trips where mileage and the need for carrying a certain amount of fuel weighs into it. So far it's not tested but it appears that with the 27 liter tank an additional 14 liter pack my range ought to be over 400 kilometers. I haven't seen mileage figures on the 1000 but reports suggest they are at the least, proportionately more thirsty and the gas tank's the same size.
In our mountainous area engine braking on steep hills is a desirable feature. I found to my great satisfaction that the Z800 will descend the steepest hills in low range while maintaining idle RPM, with no use of the service brake at all at a steady 3 KMH (2 MPH)! This is due to the way the wet clutch works. If one were to shut off the key while the machine is descending such a hill the vehicle would simply stop and sit there.
(though I wouldn't just leave it like that and go for a nature walk) With the 1000, CF Moto has dispensed with the wet clutch and the 1000 has a 'belt slammer' style dry clutch CVT, like Polaris and Can Am uses. I don't yet know how the CFM 1000 behaves on very steep low range descents, no one has reported on it that I've seen.
Generally though, when the RPM on a belt/clutch machine falls to idle the belt goes slack, and then the machine would free wheel unless the operator blips the throttle again to get the belt to re-engage. (and does this time and again) Not exactly an intuitive act when going down a hairy hill.
Newer Polaris' get around that runaway at idle thing by employing a switch activated "Active Descent Control", a device that involves clutch plates, solenoids, special oil that wants frequent changing, and of which I have yet to find any useful explanation on how it works or how it doesn't, (which sometimes happens too.)
Does CF Moto have some such provision on their 1000 for low RPM/low speed engine braking? Nobody's talking, at least just yet. The dry clutch does have much better 'snatch and go' behavior for ripping around though.
With the new 1000, CFM has apparently dispensed with the hand brake as operating an entirely independent mechanical disk brake located on the driveline just ahead of the rear gearcase, and now that lever operates the regular service brakes. I think of this as a step backward or the loss of a useful safety feature, as one can lose the service brakes over things like overheating, and if the hand lever is just another means to engage the failed service brakes then you have run pretty short on options. CFM had a great extra brake, why throw it away?
The siren song of scads of power is hard to resist though. When the riders of similar size machines of other unspecified make give you that scornful 'Chinese, huh?' look and then you whup their arse with it, that's got to feel good.
Oh and the 1000 has nice half doors. The 800 has webs.
