Hi Ger,
I too am a Welshman, from Ogmore Valley, sadly I left Wales many decades ago, I am now located near Tidworth in England, very close to military tank training grounds where the public can take their quads on non-training/firing days across the tank track proofing grounds i.e. the formal byways "BOATS"
I love your image of your quad in the Beacons with the snow it reminds me of the many times I spent there training with the military Cwmgwdi, and many more place like it the Beacons. I also miss other places around the dams such as the Clarewen valleys. We do hook up the trailer and take the our quad bike off to Wales see attached image on top of the mountain near Pentrefelin overlooking the Conwy estuary in the background in North wales, there is also another image from a trip to the National Park mountains in Northern Spain. 


I am driving a heavily modified C Force 800 X8 Euro 4 spec beast, one day I will discuss the modifications with you if you are that way inclined. Ok let's talk about your brake bleeding issue, I am not sure where you are with it, resolved or not as the original post is from Aug this year?

The CFMOTO manual is as clear as mud, this is the case with most foreign vehicle imports, translation is always an issue, technical translation coupled with grammatical issues is a nightmare. The UK importer and dealers are also poorly supported by CFMOTO with zero technical training and after sales customer support in place. So get use to stabbing in the dark, you must be living where you are and doing what you do, my Welsh farming mates are some of the best improvisers on the planet, they have to be as you know. 

Ok sounds like fluid is not getting through to the rear, firstly check that the master cylinder pedal is set at the correct height from footrest i.e. 120mm in height. This will ensure that the master cylinder piston is getting its full travel in the master cylinder bore and sending fluid to the four wheels. The piston can sometimes partially seize especially under the conditions you operate your machine, check it is moving its "Full travel" in the master cylinder bore, its located just behind your right foot. The right handlebar lever operates front axle brakes, the left handle bar lever operates the rear axle brakes. The left also operates the handbrake via a cable and some levers on the rear callipers.

A pressure pump or "Pressure Bleeder" can be used to bleed the brakes, I am sure one of your farmer buds will loan you one however they are not too expensive to purchase. Whoops sorry I forgot Welsh farmers have no money, well that is what my Welsh farmer buds told me, no wonder I ended up buying all the rounds in the pub!

Take care enjoy Wales and you ride............Grandmaster Splash & His Furious Ride

Hi ctdls,

All points noted especially flat rate or zero rate for warranty work from most brands these days, in fact if the dealer diagnosis is in-correct for some the brands do not pay the labour warranty rate. Its a night mare as you state and these days warranty is not a profitable part of the business. Selling labour and parts are the most profitable elements of the business.

As a seasoned professional Technical Consultant of 45 years working for major Franchised European Vehicle manufacturers I also acknowledge the other valid points you make concerning the Automotive industry as a whole and yes it is the same in the Quad bike world for some but not all.   

However my point concerning the post was if CFMOTO and or the dealer authorised a strip down of this engine it is bizarre to do this without simple diagnosis checks/tests before hand, with or without warranty labour payment guaranteed from CFMOTO.

Also acknowledge your extremely valid point of "After Sales Customer Support" treat your customers poorly and you loose loyalty, treat your customers well and they return time after time. Amazon, good old Geoff hey, spend a pound with him and you get 6 emails confirming your purchase. Spend 1,000's of Dollars or pounds for a CFMOTO product and they do not even acknowledge that, let alone responding to an email for assistance. 

Take care enjoy your ride............Grandmaster Splash & his Furious Ride

[Lights on:-]

Your countries dealer and importer will have little or zero knowledge of this as their dealer support technical training network and technical bulletin reporting is potentially non-existent if it is the same as is here in the UK. Here in the UK they do not have the time or inclination to begin to understand or want to understand.  Their only aim being to sell quad bike bikes and quad bike parts, the majority of dealers here in UK are Garden Machinery providers for this type of quad bike, there are few that specialise in off road and on road quad bikes and the in depth technicalities and requirements. There are some professional & knowledgeable quad bike dealers, but they deal exclusively with racing quad bikes only.

Lights on:- This is a Euro 4 spec bike, under Euro 4 road use regulations you must have "Day Running" lights on your quad bike. Should you attempt to disconnect, remove a fuse, or modify your wiring or switch to turn them off you will be breaking the law. The bike will also fail its MOT because the "Day Running lights" will have been deactivated.

It is normal it's been specifically designed this way to conform with Euro 4 Road use regulation, sorry you have little choice in the matter if you wish to use this bike on the roads of UK.

Embrace it & enjoy it I fitted an extra two LED day running lights to the front wings of my 800 X8, its brilliant especially for those junctions on tight country lanes where you have to poke out your nose to see if there is oncoming traffic. They cannot fail to see me especially with bespoke wing indicator repeater LED lights as well, it's like Christmas but, more importantly they see me and therefore much safer for all of course.

Dash lights/display: - There is moisture or a poor connection on the dash harness connection, check the connection & repair if required, remove the moisture if present with a suitable moisture repellent. If this does not solve the problem, there may be an issue with the dashboard PCB.

Take care & enjoy your ride......Grandmaster Splash & his Furious Ride

If you want a vast overall improvement to hot/cold start, hot/cold idle, improved acceleration and improved fuel economy consider replacing your stock factory fit NGK spark plugs with an equivalent NGK replacement Iridium spark plug.

I fitted them to my CFMOTO C force 800 X8 Euro 4 spec V twin cylinder, liquid cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 8-valve, 800cc engine. It changes the whole running/handling of the machine, most importantly on overrun and throttling off to slow down there is now zero mini or maxi backfires. The stock fit NGK plugs have a large ceramic tip, after analysis I noted that they would turn to a brown colour, even after low miles and cleaning. This indicates overheating/glowing of the plug when engine reaches operating temp. Therefore, historically when I throttled off on overrun and get a slight backfire, the plug running hot and glowing would cause premature backfires as the combustion chamber ignited small residue particles of fuel.

Be "VERY CAREFUL" where you purchase these NGK Iridium plugs from, checkout the splinternet for issues concerning supply of "Fake" NGK Iridium spark plugs before you proceed. If the cost is too good to believe and too low, trust me it will be fake plugs. A guy on Ebay selling stuff from his bedroom, please avoid like the plague or these days Covid 19. A fake plug will destroy your engine, the tip will melt off inside your engine and terminate it.

Go to an exceptionally large Motorbike outlet, one that has a large chain of outlets nationwide, they cannot afford to sell fake goods their business cannot afford the consequences of selling fake goods. They will be dealing with and obtaining their NGK goods from your countries bespoke NGK agent/supplier, you will pay a premium price, but it will worth every penny or cent you spend.

Contact NGK direct in your country for confirmation but, in UK they recommend you leave the spark plug gapped as is from the box. They will also inform you that the plug requires zero cleaning or servicing if it is matched to the injection system and combustion chamber configuration on your bike it will clean itself. Because the tip of the Iridium plug is ridiculously small when compared to the stock plug there is zero after glow on the plug when hot and therefore in my experience zero mini or maxi backfires.

Take care enjoy your ride....Grandmaster Splash & his Furious Drive

["VERY CAREFUL"]

Hi Steve, I am pleased to learn that you found the main culprit with hot idle issues.

However, if you want a vast overall improvement to hot/cold start, hot/cold idle, improved acceleration and improved fuel economy consider replacing your stock factory fit NGK spark plugs with an equivalent NGK replacement Iridium spark plug.

I fitted them to my CFMOTO C force 800 X8 Euro 4 spec V twin cylinder, liquid cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 8-valve, 800cc engine. It changes the whole running/handling of the machine, most importantly on overrun and throttling off to slow down there is now zero mini or maxi backfires. The stock fit NGK plugs have a large ceramic tip, after analysis I noted that they would turn to a brown colour, even after low miles and cleaning. This indicates overheating/glowing of the plug when engine reaches operating temp. Therefore, historically when I throttled off on overrun and get a slight backfire, the plug running hot and glowing would cause premature backfires as the combustion chamber ignited small residue particles of fuel.

Be "VERY CAREFUL" where you purchase these NGK Iridium plugs from, checkout the splinternet for issues concerning supply of "Fake" NGK Iridium spark plugs before you proceed. If the cost is too good to believe and too low, trust me it will be fake plugs. A guy on Ebay selling stuff from his bedroom, please avoid like the plague or these days Covid 19. A fake plug will destroy your engine, the tip will melt off inside your engine and terminate it.

Go to an exceptionally large Motorbike outlet, one that has a large chain of outlets nationwide, they cannot afford to sell fake goods their business cannot afford the consequences of selling fake goods. They will be dealing with and obtaining their NGK goods from your countries bespoke NGK agent/supplier, you will pay a premium price, but it will worth every penny or cent you spend.

Contact NGK direct in your country for confirmation but, in UK they recommend you leave the spark plug gapped as is from the box. They will also inform you that the plug requires zero cleaning or servicing if it is matched to the injection system and combustion chamber configuration on your bike it will clean itself. Because the tip of the Iridium plug is ridiculously small when compared to the stock plug there is zero after glow on the plug when hot and therefore in my experience zero mini or maxi backfires.

Take care enjoy your ride....Grandmaster Splash & his Furious Drive

Oil light coming on under heavy braking and cornering CFMOTO C force 800 X8 Euro 4 spec

Your countries dealer and importer will have little or zero knowledge of this as their dealer support technical training network and technical bulletin reporting is potentially non-existent if it is the same as is here in the UK. Here in the UK they do not have the time or inclination to begin to understand or want to understand.  Their only aim being to sell quad bike bikes and quad bike parts, the majority of dealers here in UK are Garden Machinery providers for this type of quad bike, there are few that specialise in off road and on road quad bikes and the in depth technicalities and requirements. There are some professional & knowledgably quad bike dealers, but they deal exclusively with racing quad bikes only.

This is a common problem on the V twin cylinder, liquid cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 8-valve,  800cc engine, more of a problem if you believe the engine dipstick indicated "Full Oil Level" position on the dipstick as produced and exited the CFMOTO factory.


If you follow the instruction in the CFMOTO manual the engine is filled with oil when at the top of the taper bit on the dip stick, well it might be but the oil light will come on under heavy braking and cornering. With extensive testing and different combinations in my experience fill the engine until the oil level is approx. 25% above the taper on the dipstick. I am not sure what this equates to in oil quantity or if indeed it matches the extra quantity of oil your dealers have recommended. This definitively worked for me, with zero issues of oil light coming on under heavy braking and cornering once filled as recommended above.

To recommend an engine strip down and check from your dealer is in my opinion unwarranted and sounds like an excuse to generate some labour income without extensive diagnosis beforehand. Like for example checking oil pressure with an oil gauge checking and testing the oil light switch and its circuitry. All which will cause an oil light to come on if there are issues, oil samples should also be taken and sent away for analysis before and engine strip down. But if there are true oil pressure oil circulation issues, drain some oil out, squiggle it around in your fingers and look for metal particles, smell it for clutch material, use a magnet to check for metallic parts. It is referred to as a rough and quick finger check, not scientifically accurate but a good pointer, if you see/smell bits of metal or clutch material then and only then should and engine strip down be considered.

The engine strip down should be the last resort, there are many basic checks and tests as above to be considered before we reach engine strip down

Take care & enjoy your ride Grandmaster Splash & his Furious Drive

There is not a problem with your rear transmission.
Your countries dealer and importer will have little or zero knowledge of this as their dealer support technical training network is potentially non-existent if it is the same as is here in the UK. Here in the UK they do not have the time or inclination to begin to understand or want to understand.  Their only aim being to sell quad bike bikes and quad bike parts, the majority of dealers here in UK are Garden Machinery providers for this type of quad bike, there are few that specialise in off road and on road quad bikes and the in depth technicalities and requirements. There are some professional & knowledgably quad bike dealers, but they deal exclusively with racing quad bikes only.

Fitted to the rear axle of your model X8 I suspect is an Eaton Detroit Locker NoSpin Diff unit. Be sure to use a quality petroleum/mineral based oil, it works best in the Detroit Locker units. Something like a recommend synthetic oil, friction additive/modifier is not required, i.e. Comma EP 80W-90 GL-4 Mineral Gear Oil. I use Fuchs Gear Oil Silkolene Boa 80W-90 Mineral oil designed specifically for these axles. I change that oil in both axles every year irrespective of mileage and use as it will prolong axle life. You will get premature failure of the axles and diff units if you use the wrong lubrication. If you are putting your machine through hard off-road use change the oil every year or more often. Some dealers may refer to this a "Jaw" diff, only because that is what their parts systems tell them. The term "Jaw Diff" is not a Brand name it is a lose technical term derived from the fact that the planetary gears on each end of the half shafts have dog clutches on them. These dog clutches are a set of matching dog teeth on each end of the diff gears and half shaft gears. A dog clutch system has been used on incredibly old a basic manual gearbox for decades, the two sets of dog clutch gears on each side of the diff are loosely referred to as a "Jaws". Confusing yes, can the dealers and importers explain this no, I hope it helps and makes sense to you? 

In short what happens is this: -
•   Driving straight ahead on a tarmac road at high speed or low speed off road the diff is locked, i.e. the wheels will not turn at different speeds, they are locked as one solid drive same speed to both wheels.

•   When you turn a corner especially on tarmac the diff unlocks & permits the rear wheels to turn at different speeds like a normal diff. Especially the inside wheel of the corner as it has more traction/resistance and difficulty in turning. The increased torque on the inside wheel cause the spring to unlock the locked diff. Because you are on tarmac and turning slow you get a clunking type of noise from the rear diff area. This is normal, there are some hefty springs disengaging the planetary wheel of the diff unit to allow the wheel to turn at different speeds. The tyres are providing excellent grip and will not slip hence the diff gear mechanism clunks and clicks as the mechanism engages and disengages. The Clunk/click noise from the rear diff unit is more pronounced on tarmac road than loose ground surface. As you corner at slow speed on tarmac you may also notice/feel a kind of jerking or clunking from the rear wheels, its as if you have poor throttle control. However, it is the dog clutch gears engaging and disengaging as you corner, try as you might to control throttle it will always happen with this design diff. Decades ago the majority of manual gearboxes on cars and trucks had dog clutch gearboxes i.e. no synchromesh units on every gear. To prevent the gears from stripping their teeth every time a gear was selected one and to double clutch and rev the engine between gear. This process matched the speeds of the layshaft and main shaft in the gearbox prevent the gears from crunching when you changed gear. It is not possible to adopt a driving technique with the CFMOTO 800 X8 to prevent the clunk/click from the rear axle as the whole process is automated. Be aware of it keep the axles topped up with oil and change the oil more regular than recommended by CFMOTO.

•   The noise will be less pronounced on lose ground off road when cornering at low speed, the noise is not so noticeable on tarmac at high speed cornering but this as you know is not advised on quad bikes due to your high centre of gravity. 

I attach the Eaton manual for you, there is also a test/check sequence in the manual,  you will also find some videos on You tube if you want a more in-depth appreciation of how this works, please link to bespoke Eaton video on you tube below FYI. After watching the video hopefully all the pennies will drop it is fairly straight forward.

Take care & enjoy your ride Grandmaster Splash & his Furious Drive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuZqG7pTabw

Hi Both,

I too share the same problem with these shocks.

There is no information in the CFMOTO manual and after much time spent searching on the splinternet I cannot find any link or website to YIT as a manufacturer.

Any updates appreciated.

Thanks Grandmaster Splash and his Furious Drive