Kove 800X Maintenance Schedule and Service Information
This is the maintenance schedule and related information from the manual for the Kove 800X, the adventure bike from Chinese manufacturer Kove.
The Kove 800X is a small family of adventure bikes based on a 799 cc parallel twin. It’s a dual overhead cam liquid-cooled engine with a 270-degree crankshaft and four valves per cylinder. With a 13:1 compression ratio, it makes a feisty 71 kW / 96.5 CV at 9000 rpm. Final drive is via a 6-speed transmission and chain.
The 800X comes in a number of configurations that affect its brake, suspension, and tyre setup, noted below. But they all have the same engine and drivetrain.
As the 800X is still pre-market at time of publication (though the maintenance schedule is published), this will be updated as further information becomes available with more maintenance information, including oil and spark plug specs, chain tension specs, and more.
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Service Intervals
The Kove 800X has fairly short 5,000 km / 3,000-mile service intervals. At every service, change the oil and filter, and do a host of checks.
Kove also recommends doing most service items — other than the valve service, notably — every year. They even want you to change the spark plugs and filter every year, even if you’ve done no distance. (Whether you do so is up to you!)
The Kove 800X thankfully has wider 20,000 km (or 12,000 mile) valve clearance service intervals.
In general, the 800X’s service schedule is quite aggressive, but whether you keep up to it precisely depends on how and where you ride your bike. If you do regularly ride it on dusty roads, then you might want to follow it precisely.
Maintenance Schedule
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Kove 800X.
- The service intervals are every 5000 km or year. Observe the earlier of the two.
- Keep following this schedule in the pattern shown.
| km x 1000 | 1-1.5 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | Every |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspection checklist (see below) — Check all items | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Engine oil — Change | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Oil filter — Change | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Air filter — Inspect / (R)eplace | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | R | Year |
| Spark plugs — Inspect. Replace if necessary | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Valve clearances — Inspect / Adjust | ✓ | Year | ||||
| Brake fluid — Replace | Year | |||||
| Coolant — Check level, and system for leaks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Coolant — Replace | 2 years | |||||
| Battery — Check voltage and connection tightness | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Fuel pipe, fuel filter — Replace | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Swing arm bearing — Inspect and lubricate | ✓ | Year |
Inspection checklist
Below is the list of items to inspect at every service. A few items are not explicitly mentioned in the maintenance schedule (e.g. checking brake fluid level), but are common sense and common to other manuals for similar motorcycles.
| Kove 800X Inspection Checklist |
|---|
| Timing chain tension — Check |
| Throttle — Inspect operation |
| Tire tread, condition, and pressure — Check / adjust |
| Brake pads and discs — Check for wear, replace as necessary |
| Brake fluid — Check levels, check system for leaks |
| Clutch — Check free play and correct function |
| Fasteners — Check tightness |
| Steering bearing — Check tightness and for notches |
| Suspension — Check free movement, no damage or leaks |
| Wheel spokes — Check tightness |
| Wheel bearings — Check for free play, no notches |
Chain Maintenance
You need to regularly clean, lubricate, and check and adjust the chain tension of the Kove 800X.
Generally, check the condition of the chain and clean it after every ride in adverse conditions — dirt, mud, or rain. After washing it, be sure to lubricate it using a good chain lubricant, like Motul chain lubricant or Motul chain paste.
About the Kove 800X
The Kove 800X is a suite of three adventure / rally bikes from Chinese manufacturer Kove, which has built a reputation for affordable, high-spec adventure and off-road bikes.
The engine in the Kove 800X is the old 790 design also used in CFMoto’s 800 range (like the Ibex 800). It’s a parallel twin with a 270-degree crankshaft, tuned to make great midrange power with a decent top-end — one that most riders won’t use if they’re going off-road, anyway.
The engine is already a well-liked one. It has a lot of character, it’s easy to service, and it’s so widely used that parts are available for it from many sources (KTM, CFMoto, and now Kove). It’s used in both road bikes and off-road bikes. In short, it’s likely to be around for while, as are parts.
The bikes are all mid-spec — they have ABS and traction control, with nice add-ons like a TFT display, steering damper, and slipper clutch. The Pro even comes with a quick shifter. However, there’s no cornering ABS, nor cruise control. It’s up to you to decide whether they’re important!
But the best news is just how light these bikes are. These are bona fide lightweight adventure bikes. The Pro weighs around 200 kg ready to ride with a full tank of gas, which is phenomenal. Most bikes in the class weigh 20kg more — or much more.
Despite this, the maintenance schedule looks quite different from CFMOTO’s. It also looks different from how KTM presents it. Why, I’m not sure — different country standards, different engineers, or different expectations of usage.
Below are the major differences between the different specs of the Kove 800X.
| Spec level | Adventure (Base) | Pro | Rally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak power | 71 kW / 96.5 CV @ 9000 rpm | 71 kW / 96.5 CV @ 9000 rpm | 70 kW / 95.2 CV @ 9000 rpm |
| Suspension | Yu-An adjustable USD, Yu-An monoshock | KYB adjustable USD, KYB monoshock | Yu-An adjustable USD, Yu-An monoshock |
| Front/Rear suspension travel | 210/210 mm | 240/240 mm | 270/250 mm |
| Front brakes | 2 x 310mm discs, 2 piston sliding calipers | 2 x 320 mm discs, 4-piston radial calipers | 1 x 310 mm disc, 4-piston radial caliper |
| Front tyre | 90/90-21, tubeless | 90/90-21, tubeless | 90/90-21, tube type |
| Rear tyre | 150/70-18 CST, tubeless | 150/70-18 Pirelly, tubeless | 140/80-18, tube type |
| Seat height | 835/845 mm | 865/875 mm | 895 mm |
Reference — Manual Screenshots
The above maintenance schedule came from the maintenance schedule for the Kove 800X, which is part of a general document of maintenance schedules. A screenshot is below.
Some other information came from the press releases as well as other public info about the 800X.
You can download materials from the Kove website’s service section here.
