[hvacman]

Hey guys
I am new to the forum but have been looking at the products since Dec 2015. I haven't really been able to find any current reviews out there on the zforce. Everything I find is from back in 2013 era and there seem to have been some problems. My hope is that the problems have been resolved. I realize with anything you can have a problem but I just don't want it to be in the shop every week unless its my fault and I am the problem. Also how hard are parts to get and does it take a long time to get parts? Before I purchase has anyone had any bad experience with their sxs. I have a Polaris now and plan to keep it to hunt out of but want the zforce to play with. My question is it a quality product and worth the money or do I spend extra for another Polaris? My hope is that CF Moto is really trying to make a push in USA and the line is going to grow.Thanks for all you help in advance.

[NMKawierider]

Welcome. Right now, I am not the person to give a solid positive review. Seems I am always side-stepping issues and up grading the cheap decisions. Quality product? It's almost half the price of a comparably equipped Polaris. That doesn't happen without some sacrifice somewhere. I will say for the money it isn't bad as long as you don't mind keeping up with things and making some immediate changes like air intake. There's good stuff...don't get me wrong. Parts are not too bad. I can get most anything in three weeks or less. And no, I have not had any major melt-downs or issues. CFM is one of the better Chinese companies and yes, all CFM products are better today then they were in 2013/14. Read through all the posts here...ask all the questions you can think or and we will help you in every way we can.

[hvacman]

Thanks NMkawierider
I'M leaning hard toward the zforce. My wife and I test drove one Friday and she likes it better that the rzr. Said it sits more comfy for her. I was surprised I expected it would be because of the price. I've seen a lot of videos posted and I'm not a hill climber but we might see some water. Thanks again for you quick response.

[WalkinTarget]

Most of the issues that those earlier models had, like the crappy antifreeze and poor quality thermal switches in the 2015 models was resolved by replaced both parts with better quality parts, so I like that CF Moto has acted to replace a problematic part. Even the shocks that are somewhat of a selling point for the model are being replaced with upgraded ones that are  slowly trickling into owners hands. Other main issues are just poor assembly by the dealers, missing a properly torqued A-arm bolt or loose lug nuts as an example.

Up until a week ago, I was a huge fan of the model, and had pretty much eliminated Arctic Cat and Polaris (the others offering a 50" trail model) from my list, and focused squarely on the Zforce 800. I even had one picked out at a nearby dealer and was saving my pennies, waiting for it to be declared a 'leftover' model with the subsequent price drop to accompany that. But after doing some maintenance on my current ride, a King Quad 700, I had forgotten just how much I hate to work on a quad. I was replacing the skid plate and also the front diff fluid, and I just really don't like working on 'em.

So when we have the CF Moto forum veterans that are getting tired of correcting the deficiencies that come with buying a CF Moto, you have to weigh just how much time and effort you want to devote to doing not just the PM work, but other 'fixes' that may not be required by a Rzr or Wildact Trail. I find that my leanings are now in line with Jason, our site admin, who sold his CF Moto for a Rzr 900 due to its refinements. So I did a lot of research on what those 'refinements' were, and let me tell you, he is right. The airbox is tucked up on top of the bed, where it is easy to both service and access. The spark plugs and oil filter both accessible by a panel between the seats ... the list goes on and on, and it shows why they are selling so well. But ... that price !!! Ughh .... so  I now have started looking closely at the Wildcat Trail, and it too offers a level of refinement above what you will receive with the CF Moto. Price-wise, its lower than the Rzr 900, so I am going to test fit one next weekend. It is a smaller cockpit than the Rzr, but I can justify that for a cheaper price. 

[Wheels]

Just buy whatever makes You happy, all Offroad toys break. But you don't always get what you pay for. So throwing a large amount of money doesn't mean it's quality and won't break.

[gfmoto]

Have to say, I've had some small issues with mine but the Cfmoto company was great to deal with.  No hassles just fixed it and done. Been a great toy so far though. And as NMKawierider said just have to keep up with it. As ALL toys taking some kind of beating. Let's face it no one is taking these to church on Sunday morning. I never abuse mine but I do use it for its intended purpose. Even the great RZR's had a major 133,000 + recall on all 2013/2016 900s &1000s. So nothing is impervious to malfunction.
As far as reviews go, the company has been great, has a great BBB rating and as far as the ZFORCE goes, I have went everywhere a RZR 1000, wildcat 1000, RZR General , & can am has gone and kept up. So if that helps.

[chuddly]

I came from a Yamaha and was kinda worried about how the Z force would hold up.  Now I have not had time to really thrash on it yet BUT I can tell you that even buying a Yamaha it took A LOT of work to get it up to snuff and not break things every ride.  If you ride a heavy rig (like a SxS) off road then you will break parts.  Get used to it, its part of life.  You have to remember pretty much EVERY SxS on the market has a quads drive train that is carrying 2 people and weighs 4x's as much as it would if configured as a quad.  That alone is going to wear parts faster.  Anyway im not saying they are prefect but I am saying they seem to be pretty good.  Its an expensive sport when you are pushing them hard so just know that going into it.

[NMKawierider]

In all fairness it's been a lot of fun, worked flawless on every trip and hasn't left me walking yet...and it runs like a watch so..not bad. I did order some light bars and a custom switch for it so I guess I still want to play....lol

[WalkinTarget]

Its an expensive sport when you are pushing them hard so just know that going into it.

Amen to this statement. When the SxS market started to take off, I had rider friends that sunk serious $$ into them. After having modded their ATVs for years, they were pretty much done with them. But the new SxS now demanded the same types of mods, only they were never-ending due to the size and extras that the SxS offered. BT speakers, doors, roofs, LED light bars, windshields ... all items that didn't go on an ATV, but everybody wanted them on their SxS. They told me back then that if I ever made the jump, I had better plan on spending $$, because rarely did someone leave their ride stock.

I've never beaten my ride, simply because I never had the $$ to replace a part if I broke it. Now, I'm trying to keep my ATV in working condition so that I can sell it to finance the purchase of a SxS, so I am even more careful when I ride. I avoid deep mudholes like they are filled with alligators !! But I'm also worried that I won't be able to slowly upgrade a new SxS and possibly need to repair something that I break as well. Not that I'll ride it dangerously, but it's a completely different ride than my ATV, so I will need to get acclimated to what it can and can't do.

 TL;DR: If you buy a SxS, expect to invest a LOT more money than you ever did when you had an ATV. There is no end to the number of mods and upgrades you can add.

[Jason]

WalkinTarget summed up my pain points with my ZForce, but honestly it wasn't a bad machine in my opinion.  They just needs to make some adjustments with creature comforts and user-maintenance in mind.

As an example:  I can check my air filter, oil, radiator and antifreeze with no tools (other than a paper towel for the dipstick) on my RZR in less than 5 minutes and I'm ready to ride.  Changing the oil is a breeze and the spin-on filter is accessible between the seats with a removable access panel - again no tools to get to it.  If the radiator needs hosed out the grill snaps out - again with no tools and it's easy to get a hose to it to clean.  When washing it the floorboards have drain plugs that will allow water/mud to fall through.  The driver's seat has a sliding adjustment.  There's an accessory busbar under the hood to add electrical accessories.  It's just the little things that make ownership easy and maintenance simple.  However, don't think a RZR is perfect.  The stock front a-arms belong in the trash and bend entirely too easily, the recall issues are well-known, and voltage regulators have been a widespread issue.  Wheel bearings are good for maybe 600 miles (unless you buy a bearing greaser like I have to get some grease in the bearings).

I hope CFMOTO listens to North American demand, though, and make adjustments.  I think the brand has a lot to offer, but just needs some additional time to mature.

[chuddly]

Jason and WalkingTarget got it right also.  IMO there is no "perfect SxS".  They all have weaknesses.  The CF Moto may have a few extra that others dont but the price is so much cheaper on the initial buy in that IMO it makes up for it.  But you have to know all of this going in.  With a CF Moto you have to be ok with a few quirks and know that you may have a few repairs to do to get it to where it needs to be sooner than you would with some other brands.  Now those other brands also will need things like Jason said but your also buying in at a much higher price.  It comes down to knowing what your getting into and being ok with that situation.  I bought my Z Force 800ex as a wreck/total and I knew there would be a bunch of work to get it back in shape and there would be things pop up that I had not planned/budgeted for.  I have done this many times before so in my mind I had made peace with it.  Some people if you even mention the work wrecked or total they flip out and think it should be thrown in the scrap bin.  Neither way it right or wrong.  Its all about the amount of work you are willing to put in for the amount of money saved.  Im in mine at 1/2 the price of what I could have bought one for...but I have a lot of labor in it and I'm not done modding it (probably never will be LOL).  But if I had bought a new RZR then I would have changed up things on it and modded it also so I cant count that stuff against the CF Moto.  I hope you get the feel of what we are all saying.  The Z Force is not a PERFECT machine but then again neither are any of the other ones. 

[Drlaurin]

I own 2 2016 SxS's.... A 2016 Kawasaki Teryx 4 LE EPS (this is my second, I traded a 2013 same model) and a 2016 ZForce 800 EPS Trail. I have a cabin in northern Wisconsin which I and my family use all the time. Because I work weekends I am solo during the week a lot and wanted a smaller ride that I could do some exploring with while on my own. I had been looking at the CFMoto for a while and after reading a bunch decided to pull the trigger. My first day out I took off from the cabin (close to Crandon) and headed for the Michigan boarder (Iron River) to get my MI. trail stickers. I did 25 miles or so nice and easy as to give things a chance to settle in. After that I got a chance to do a little off trail. Mud, water, rocks, logs and what ever else was around were no problem. The stock tires are great for what I like to do. Back to the railroad grade for a bunch of gravy miles. On the way I ran across a couple of spots off trail to test hill climbing.... no problem there either. All in all I got 160 miles on a day ride. 240 for the trip up. Here are my impressions for what they're worth.

1 - It goes where you point it.... If you are brave enough to try it, it most likely make it. No guarantees of course but it is very competent.
2 - The EPS is spot on. Every bit as good as my Teryx.
3 - The 800 V twin is smooth and predictable. No excess driveline lash (not really any at all) and the engine braking works well on tight, down hill stuff.
4 - The suspension on the ZForce Trail is adequate. Not plush like my Teryx, but it shouldn't beat you up. The ZForce EX has a better ass end set up...
5 - My Teryx is rev limited to 50MPH..... Not so the ZForce. Gets to 60 pretty quick and I got 69 on graded gravel. Fast enough for me in a machine with that small of a foot print.
6 - Element protection is as expected in a ride with no doors or windshield. You will get a bit wet and dirty.... but if that ain't your thing, well, stay home on the couch!
7 - And last but certainly not least, reliability. The only problem I can tell you about is the fan vibrates when running. It didn't when I started the ride. It works fine. Comes on as it should and my temp never goes above 3 bars (83 degrees out on Tue.). It just vibrates... no mud to throw the balance off.

I did a maint. check before heading home. My air cleaner has a foam sleeve  over the paper element. The foam was dirty so I cleaned and oiled it. Checked the break in oil also. level was fine. Both the oil and paper element from the air filter were cleaner that a preachers sheets even though the trails were very dusty. every thing else I checked was fine. No weird rattles, clunks, shimmies or the like. Every thing feels and sounds fine.

All in all I can see that it will take more preventive maintenance than my Teryx what with the zerk fittings all over the suspension, and the motor running on a quart and a half less oil means more frequent oil and filter changes. For the price, I can live with it. Time will tell if it will dependably get me in and out of the bush on my outings but I am confident it will.... and that to me is what really counts!

I hope this very long winded reply helps....