Well I told you a while ago that the 400 to 500cc sector would become the new battleground and these two bike epitomise that more than any others right now I think.
I told you about the upcoming ZX Moto 500 Four Naked Roadster a while ago now and because of the furore around its release Honda have now followed, so lets not have any of the rubbish about Chinese copies.
If anything it is Honda who have done the copying this time although both these bikes do obviously have design cues that go back to the original Honda Super Four that was such a beloved bike by so many.
But the new Honda is not a development of the old Super Four it is a completely new bike.
What I want to ask you is the question, who do you think got this new Super Four right.
And let us be clear from the start, both of these bikes will be built in China, not just the ZX Moto.
Something else I would like to add is that we have seen a massive spate of Honda recalls recently, Honda are no longer the company they once were.
The iron hand of Soichiro Honda is not the one that leads and guides the company now. Whereas with ZX Moto, you have a CEO with his own money on the line and an attitude that seems very refreshing in this world of shareholder payouts, designs built by number crunchers and quite honestly an attitude to customers that often stinks.
He put up the money himself to start ZX Moto and has launched the company with some very exciting new bikes.
I featured the 500RR sports bike almost a year ago now in November 2024 https://youtu.be/KTSt_ABR7n0
and then featured his new 820 triple sports bike in July this year. That bike will undoubtedly be the fastest bike produced in China so far, despite many bigger engines in various bikes.
Whatever you may think, he has broken the mould when it comes to Chinese bikes. First at Kove and now under his own banner it is he who rules the roost when it comes to innovative Chinese designs.
So we aren’t comparing like for like when it comes to companies even if we are with the bikes.
Honda are a massive and well established multinational corporation, with dealership networks across the globe, whereas ZX Moto only passed their 10,000 unit production point earlier this year, and they are launching the new bikes at EICMA after a first showing at CIMA in China.
They are fighting to gain a foothold outside of China, looking for distributors who can offer the company a launch pad into western markets.
That in itself means in my opinion both companies have both plus and minus points.
Honda are now governed by shareholders and bean counters, an organisation with one goal, profits, they have fallen from grace in both MotoGP and World Superbikes and are quickly becoming an “also ran” rather than a winner. If a bike fails, so what, they have plenty more.
Whereas Zhang Xue will not get another chance so easily. He is a man on a mission with motorcycles in his heart and DNA, and failure of any one of his new bikes could well lead to personal losses and much less chance of the company succeeding outside of China.
He is certainly the one with the most to loose.
But let us look at the bikes.
The Honda Is a 502cc engine and is said to be producing around 80HP but that is still a provisional figure.
It comes with a ride by wire throttle and 5 rider modes and is built using a steel perimeter frame, an aluminium swingarm and Honda’s pro link rear suspension.
Brakes are from Nissin with 4 piston calipers on the front and Honda say the top speed will be 180 to 200 kph which translates to between 111 and 125mph.
So they are being vague, but they say 0 to 100kph or 0 to 60 mph acceleration will be between 4 and 5 seconds. So again, vague.
It comes with the Honda selectable torque control system and Bluetooth roadsync connectivity for GPS and music. Undoubtedly it will have a Bosch ABS system but there is no mention of it being switchable in any way, and if we look at its larger siblings, none are, so that will be unlikely I think.
Suspension is taken care of by Showa upside down forks at the front but it again seems unlikely they will be adjustable except if a higher spec SP version is launched.
To finish the package off, we get a round LED headlight, a cheap 5 inch TFT display and the Honda electronic auto clutch mechanism that was fitted to the not so succesful CB650RR. So it is weighed down with all the tech Honda can throw at it.
It also comes with a mild steel chrome plated exhaust system that will look miserable after a few of UK winters however good Honda’s plating is.
Seat height is around 790 mm, and all they would say about weight is that it will be under 200 kg And 200kg would seem about right, because they are talking about selling a restricted A2 licence version too. So they wouldn’t want to make it too light, or power restrictions would be ridiculous.
Now let us look at the competition.
The ZX Moto 500F is a 470cc four cylinder engine tuned to produce smooth low end torque but will still make around 75 HP at 12,000 rpm and 45Nm or 33ft/lbs of torque at 10,500rpm.
It is described as an analogue bike, but it is fitted with traction control, and it does come with ABS, but that I am told is switchable, and there are two rider modes, eco and sport.
It also comes with a push pull cable throttle not one of those damned ride by wire systems that promise so much but rarely if ever deliver.
More importantly for me as you heard in my recent video talking about the downside of TFT screens, it is fitted with a real analogue speedo and rev-counter, with just a tiny digital screen between for the idiot lights.
It also comes with a standard clutch and a straight six speed gearbox, although it will have a slipper clutch direct from the gearbox from the 500cc sports bike.
So you can see differences emerging already in the design philosophy of these two very similar looking bikes.
The ZX Moto 500 comes with damping adjustable upside down front forks made by Yu’an and it also has a preload adjustable monoshock at the rear.
Now Yu’an might not be a big name yet, but they are seen as the Ohlins of China, and have been doing what they do a long time now. They are a well established company with a growing reputation, and in the ZX Moto bikes they have a way of proving they are as good as any other brand on the market, so we will see.
Brakes are made by Taisko who have been around just as long as Nissin, and we get similar 4 piston calipers. We get a few more details too with twin 300mm discs on the front that will give you more than adequate stopping power.
Top speed is quoted as 205 kmh which translates to 127mph, and they say 0 to 100kph or 0 to 60 mph acceleration will be around 4 seconds, and so far at both Kove and ZX Moto, Zhang Xue’s quoted figures have been far more accurate than those often touted by the more established brands.
So it will almost certainly be faster than the Honda, and maybe significantly quicker.
Steering should be sharp with a 25.5 degree rake, but there aren’t many more details yet other than that I know it has a 180 section rear tyre.
I have just got my hands on the full spec for this and the 821 RR series of sports bikes, but that will have to follow in a different video.
The key here for me is weight, and the ZX Moto is set to come in at just 175kg.
That is a full 25kg less than the Honda, which is immense.
So it will be both lighter and faster.
The Super Four was always a riders bike, not a bragging rights machine, but it was a bike that would sail through the twisties and scrape the pegs around corners in ways many bikes could only dream of.
The gearbox was slick, the suspension somehow both plush and firm, and the general build quality was as good as any of Honda’s bigger bikes of that period.
So which of these bikes will live up to the Super Four’s reputation?
Which do you think will be the better riders bike?
As I have said, the Honda is equipped with a TFT dash and electronic auto clutch mechanism, with a complex electronics suite, whereas the ZX Moto is a traditional design with real analogue gauges and a straight six speed gearbox that relies on getting the basics right.
Have Honda got it right with their heavily tech laden TFT screened automatic electro pop idol?
Or have ZX Moto been truer to the original design with their minimalist traditional design.
Who come closest to the original Super Four and CB1’s designs ethos in their effort to create the best riders bike in its class?
Time will tell and for some of us, despite all of Zhang Xue’s efforts, we might sadly never even see it.
But if we shout loud enough and the launch at EICMA goes well, hopefully there are distributors that will be prepared to take the chance and bring this bike into Europe, the UK, Australia and America.
If they do, then we will have a genuine battle on our hands.
So fingers crossed for this new company. I for one hope they succeed in their endeavours and get some good distributors signed up to back up their brand.
