ZX Moto are at it again. This time with a bike to take on the world in the 250cc class in MXGP, but there is a 450 coming too. The ZX Moto MX250F and MX450 are set to shake up the pack, so hold on to your hats.
It all starts to get a bit messy right from the start, because in the states I am told the MX250 is retailing for just $4,300 dollars, but in the UK, we being told it won’t be available until 2027, and its retail price will be £5,455. and I don’t know if your maths or world awareness can make sense of that, but £5,455 is a bit different to $4,300 dollars, It is over $7,000.
That sort of discrepancy puts a bad taste in my mouth and with a customer base that is globally connected, I think it will leave British riders feeling like they have had a punch in the face from the start.
But aside from the price difference, what is the bike and will it be competitive?
Well for American riders I can see it being an obvious starting platform. At around half the price of the competition it will mean for the same money you can literally have 2 bikes. Or get a shed load of upgrades on the original.
For us Brits it is a closer call and it will have to be competitive and reliable at the price it is being advertised for.
At 40hp it is almost on a par or ahead of all the bikes from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Triumph, and not far from the KTM. Even Ducati don’t have much more power really.
It has been confirmed that ZX Moto are entering MXGP in 2027 too, so we will see how they perform in expert hands.
The real question is, if this isn’t just another cheap Chinese dirt bike, is it a better motorcycle than the competition? But the actual question maybe should be why do the others cost twice as much?
If the spec sheets are to be believed it produces maximum power at 12,500rpm, which gives it the same sort of rev range as the Desmo Ducati.
ZX Moto have already proven they can win at the top level. Their results in their first year in the World Supersport championships have been unbelievable really. The closest comparison would have to be Aprilia, and it took them 2 and a half years to get their first win. To be precise, it was actually 2 years and 5 months but let us not get too pedantic.
ZX Moto won both races in the 2nd round at Portugal in the World SuperSport championships, and they already have 6 wins in their first season of racing on a brand new bike.
So if you are asking are these motorcycles the real deal, the answer in my mind is a resounding yes.
As with everyone, there will undoubtedly be differences between the bikes being sold to customers and the ones sent to race in the factory team, but the stock bike looks good to go for the average Joe.
The chassis is aluminium which is stiffer than the steel frames, but in some ways it looks more similar in geometry to the KTM than any of the Japanese bikes. It shows again that Zhang Xue is not copying anyone. This is a brand new design from the ground up.
You might ask how is that possible when the company is so new? But that my friends is the joy of having a huge industry with a centre of excellence the size of Chongqing, where every part you could possibly need for any motorcycle is being manufactured somewhere in the city.
They might be getting inspiration from the other manufacturers, but ZX Moto are going their own way and definitely trying to produce a genuinely better bike.
I will show you some of the specs more later, but let us do some basic comparisons first.
The bike runs a Bosch twin injector EFI system and in the companies words, “The MX250F delivers lightweight precision and explosive control, with a high-compression 13.9:1 engine and advanced intake system for strong power across the rev range”.
They take a poke at KTM with the use of the term race ready, but with lightweight forged pistons, titanium valves and DLC coated valve-train components, the engine has obviously been built to rev hard.
ZX Moto UK go on to say, “It has a class-leading 1.14 power-to-weight ratio for confident, high-performance riding.”
Well I’m not sure how they got that figure, but 30kw divided by 102kg as they are quoting as a dry weight gives it a power to weight ratio of 0.294 kW/kg, or if you use the 106kg kerb weight quoted elsewhere, you get 0.28 kW/kg.
The Honda comes in at 0.277 kW/kg but that is dry weight, the Kawasaki at 0.264, the Yamaha at 0.265, the Triumph at 0.276, the KTM at 0.308 and the Ducati at 0.318.
So it isn’t technically class leading, but it is only bettered by the KTM and the Ducati.
All the Japanese bikes and the Triumph come in slightly down on the ZX Moto.
They have obviously worked hard to keep the weight down, and at the front you get dual chamber 48mm KYB forks that are fully adjustable with between 300 and 305mm of travel depending who you believe.
I don’t have any details about adjustment levels or if there is low and high speed damping separation, or if they are cartridge based or with cone valves. Very little really other than they are fully adjustable, made by Kayaba, and the travel.
A Lightweight alloy front hub, aluminium swingarm and 7075 aluminium wheel rims all help with the overall weight saving.
Rear suspension is KYB again. It is once again described as fully adjustable, but again I have no details about damping adjustment. You get 302mm of travel on the rear.
You even get a lightweight carbon fibre exhaust guard for heat protection, and a bit of carbon bling always helps.
In the UK, the road bikes come with a 3 year warranty, but I’m not sure what they will do with any guarantees on the MX bikes yet.
I have put a comparison chart together to show some differences more easily.
Looking at the chart, you have to see past certain things, one is that quoted weights are notoriously wrong, some companies do include more fluid than others, but so far, Zhang Xue has been pretty close with most of the released weights, it doesn’t help when different distributors quote different figures either.
It looks like Kawasaki weighed theirs with more fuel in it, but these numbers are all so close that to be honest, unless you are fighting for a title, the difference is almost irrelevant.
When it comes to performance, obviously the KTM and Ducati are at the top, but the ZX Moto looks at least on a par if not ahead of the rest, and I am sure it will give the KTM’s and Ducati’s a run for their money.
I guess the choice boils down to a few things really, but use case is obviously a starting point. If you are just starting out or at local club level, then to be honest, all the bikes here are probably faster than you are.
If you are looking at national level races, then that is maybe a harder call. Cost, reliability and performance are as yet unproven, but Zhang Xue’s track record tells me these will outperform the Kove at very least.
Cost difference is a factor, especially in the States, and this is where it gets complex and you need to be honest with yourself. What is the biggest limiting factor with the bikes you are on? Is it power? Acceleration? handling? Or you?
If you are at a stage where sponsorships are starting to play a part in your life, then the sponsors may well have something to say about your choices too. Being associated with a recognised brand can bring a Kudos that is hard to get past with some sponsors.
To see what these bikes will do on the international stage, we will have to wait and see.
40hp with a weight as low as the Honda, which is the lightest of the Japanese offerings, means it should be competitive, but we all know the proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say.
Let us say for arguments sake that you have a £10,000 or $11,000 budget for the bike alone. Do you buy the ZX Moto knowing you have cash left to sink into tuning, cone valve suspension, better wheels or triple clamps etc.? Or buy a KTM or Ducati knowing you already have a head start but no money left for extra’s?
Using the UK prices as my benchmark, do I pay £2,000 more for the Honda or Kawasaki? Well, the Honda is light and nimble but a bit down on power these days? The Kawasaki has a bit stronger engine, but the chassis is a bit heavier, so the package doesn’t notice the extra power it has.
Or do I pay nearly £4,000 more for a Yamaha that is both a bit heavy and a bit underpowered?
Then we come to Triumph, or should I say the TVS bike. It is up to the mark on power, but the power to weight ratio is down on the ZX Moto, and it is the most expensive of all at £4,000 more than the ZX Moto MX250F. It still isn’t making any real waves in top level competitions either.
I could pay just over £2,000 more for the KTM, and I would know the bike is fast enough to win, but that the future is still far from rosy for the big orange machine.
Lastly, do I pay £3,000 more for the Kudos of having the fastest bike out there with the best power to weight ratio?
The last 2 do obviously come with a more expensive parts bill to consider over time, but the stock suspension and wheels are probably as good as many aftermarket parts would be, so there will likely be less upgrade costs.
The ZX Moto parts are sure to be a damn site cheaper than all the other bikes on the list here. The question is, how many of those parts will you need in an average season?
It doesn’t matter if all the parts are half the price if they have to be replaced twice as often. And I am not saying that will be the case. But be realistic, think seriously about and compare the overall running costs of all the bikes before you hand over the cash.
The tuners will be much more acquainted with the KTM’s and the Japanese, and the Ducati won’t be far behind, but we have seen how pro active Zhang Xue has been since his days with the Kove Dakar team, so I am sure he will be doing everything he can to help any new buyers get the absolute most from his bikes.
Add the price of cone valve suspension, a better rear shock, new triple clamps and wheels, possibly a clutch upgrade and tuning and you can easily add £5,000 to the price, so the ZX Moto MX250F would start to look more expensive, but maybe more race ready than any of its Japanese rivals would be at that point for sure.
Don’t get me wrong, even in the UK, this is a much cheaper bike and in my opinion more bike for your money than probably any of its rivals.
In the states it is much more of a no-brainer, when it is literally half price and less compared to the competition.
Going on numbers and gut feeling, would I buy the new ZX Moto MX250F?
If I was just having fun or racing at club level, then I would say it seems the obvious choice. Good power, light weight, and cheap cost on the bike and parts is a winning formula.
If I was fighting for podiums at National or International levels and buying in the UK? I would probably go Ducati as long as my pockets were deep enough, but that is just my opinion.
If balancing long term cost and a chance to win was more of an issue, then I would be choosing the KTM for now, as long as the parts keep flowing.
But none of that alters the fact that it is likely that ZX Moto will eat their way into the MX world just like Kove did with the Rally bikes.
The thing is, if you have the Ducati and don’t win, there are no excuses. If you have the ZX Moto, no one will expect you to win, so if you do pull off a few good results, it will be put down to your riding. Rightly or wrongly.
If the ZX Moto MX250F is 40-50% cheaper, but has 90% of the performance of the best of the bikes out there, it is going to be a winner just by weight of numbers.
Every dirt bike manufacturer on the planet is now watching the new ZX Moto MX250F.
ZX Moto are not here just to make up the numbers, and they are not here just to make a name for themselves. They have come at the MX world to steal a big chunk of the market from the more established players, and I am sure they will succeed given time.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.