More triples, boxers and V5s: ZX Moto becomes a full-range supplier with EICMA innovations

The ZX Moto brand is barely more than two years old. Founded in 2024 by Kove veteran Zhang Xue, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled the 820 RR at EICMA as early as the end of 2025. With the racing version of this supersport bike, the Chongqing-based brand made its debut in the Supersport World Championship this season and, with the Evan Bros team, became runners-up in the world championship straight off the mark, securing six race wins in the process.

This meteoric rise in motor racing has been accompanied by an equally dramatic surge in sales figures. In 2025, the young brand’s first year of sales, 25,000 motorbikes are said to have been sold to customers. In the current year, 2026, the Chinese manufacturer is already forecasting sales of around 100,000 units. This would mean, almost from a standing start, selling roughly twice the volume of long-established manufacturer Ducati. At the same time, the workforce has grown from 300 to 1,700, yet prospective buyers in the key Asian market are reportedly having to wait for months in some cases. Following the company’s first victory in the Supersport World Championship in April, the young firm’s website is said to have crashed under the weight of enquiries. It is no coincidence that ZX Moto is relying on motorsport as a development and marketing tool so early on in the brand’s history: even at Kove – where former CEO Zhang Xue is said to retain a stake – the 39-year-old had already promoted motorsport as a brand driver. The Dakar campaign with the Kove 450 Rally EX can be traced back to the former mechanic. With the ZX Moto 820RR-R, he is now focusing on the Supersport World Championship.

Mit der 820R kommt die Naked-Variante der Supersportlerin 820RR auch zu uns

Foto: BMHoehne

Its customer version, the 820 RR, is set to form the basis of an entire model range in future, which the Chinese manufacturer also announced for Europe at the leading trade fair in Milan: The 820 R is set to arrive on local markets in 2027 as a three-cylinder streetfighter, and the adventure version, the 820 X, is also set to be available here. With a 27-litre fuel tank, radar-based assistance systems and a 115 PS triple engine, it would compete in the lower premium segment in German-speaking markets against rivals such as the Triumph Tiger 900 and the Honda Africa Twin.

No world premiere by the brand in Milan has yet been linked to a finished motorbike: ZX Moto unveiled the prototype of a boxer engine for the first time at EICMA. The engine is currently being developed under the project number ZX299M1 and, following the BMW model, is set to transmit its power to the rear wheel via a cardan shaft. A displacement of just under 1,100 cubic centimetres is said to be sufficient for 121 PS, whilst the torque, at 125 Newton metres at 6,750 rpm, falls between that of the BMW F900 GS and its boxer-engine rival, the R1300 GS. However, ZX Moto has yet to produce a finished motorbike in which the engine will be fitted.

The same applies to another sensational project from the Chongqing-based brand, which was already doing the rounds before EICMA: the company’s founder announced on social media that the manufacturer is working on a V5 engine, which is due to be operational by 2028. Technical specifications and details circulating online, such as the possible use of a supercharger, could not be confirmed and are in some respects contradictory. Such a design has not yet been used in a road motorcycle and is considered extremely complex. As things stand, the engine would not be eligible for use in the Superbike series either.

Mit einem Boxer-Motor mit Kardan will ZX Moto in Zukunft BMW angreifen

Foto: BMHoehne

Nevertheless, the newcomer is set to double its range of road models in the near future: Currently, alongside the 818-cubic-centimetre triple, there is a 470-cubic-centimetre four-cylinder engine available, which is fitted to the retro roadster 500F and the mid-range sports bike 500RR. In addition, the company is establishing its own off-road range with the MX250, 350 Dualsport and 3000 models, as well as the road-legal 450Rally.

Expanding existing model ranges in such a short space of time whilst simultaneously developing two additional engine families – presumably with very few shared components – represents an immense development effort. Government loans and funding rounds are securing the necessary investment. At the same time, the targeted production volumes are not yet available: With further support from the Chinese government, the manufacturer aims to build a new development and production facility in Liangjiang by the end of 2027, which is expected to have a capacity of up to 500,000 units, whilst the Chinese domestic market is shrinking. In 2025, the two-wheeler market in China contracted by 3.4 per cent, and market observers expect a similar decline for 2026. As early as 2025, around half of the 22 million two-wheelers produced in China were destined for sale abroad. For Zhang Xue, this is no reason to pursue less ambitious goals. Speaking to India’s *Economic Times* in the summer, the CEO said: “If you don’t seriously back up your goals, you’ll be wiped out by the market!”