Since Zhang Xue announced his departure from Kove, there have been many riders left wondering what the motorcycle maverick was going to do next.
With the approach of the Chongqing Motorcycle Exhibition, there had been much talk about Zhang Xue’s new company leaking out, and the man who insisted on chasing his dream of winning the Dakar seemed to be coming back.
Today opens another page to this engineer’s interesting role in the motorcycle world.
We knew that a 3 cylinder 800cc Adventure bike and Sports bike were in the pipeline, but this latest release was a surprise.
The return of Zhang Xue would always be noticed, but with the unveiling of another brand new Sports bike he is making waves again.
Now, this isn’t just another Chinese motorcycle hitting the market
Some of you will remember when I introduced Zhang Xue as the founder and chief engineer of Kove Motorcycles.
Then he mysteriously stepped down earlier this year with no real explanation, leaving everyone scratching their heads.
Well, he’s back with a bang, and he’s brought A 500cc four cylinder screamer of a sports bike that takes Kove’s own 400cc four cylinder sports bike to a whole new level.
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The “ZX” in the name isn’t exactly subtle, so you can see exactly the market it is aimed at. But having the name Zhang Xue, the use of term ZX does seem quite apt.
Let’s take a proper look at what this new ZX-500RR is all about. First off, we’re looking at a high revving, 4 valve per cylinder inline-four 500cc engine that will push out around 85 HP at 13,500rpm. With maximum torque of 46Nm or 34ft/lbs coming in at 12,000rpm.
That is some serious punch for a bike in this class. Especially when so many 500’s are now so lacklustre when it comes to performance.
The Zhang Xue bike might have a few more cc’s than the Kawasaki ZX4R which is it’s most obvious competitor, but the Kawasaki is producing just 77 HP from its 400cc engine. So on power the Kawasaki now seems like it is lagging a little.
Where there is an even bigger distance is with weight. The Zhang Xue bike weighs in at just 168kg dry. That’s properly light, especially when you compare it to the ZX4R at 189kg.
So more power from less weight means a significant advantage when it comes to power to weight ratio, which as we know is what makes the real difference when it comes to performance.
Zhang Xue is claiming a top speed of 150mph or 240 km/h and a 0-100 km/h time of just 3.4 seconds. That is almost the equivalent of a 0-60 mph time but not quite. Regardless, it is not too shabby at all, and could be a real problem for Kawasaki when it comes to the success of the ZX4R in Asian markets.
The chassis specs are pretty impressive too. You’re getting a 1390mm wheelbase, which should make it nice and nimble, and a seat height of 795mm – that’s going to make it accessible for most riders regardless of their height. The fuel tank holds 15 litres, which should give you decent range between fill-ups unless you are on track, and that is somewhere I think this bike will be perfectly suited. As a track day toy it would be easier and lighter than many bigger bikes, and with a cheaper price point too, it would just make great sense.
In terms of the hardware they haven’t skimped either. You’re looking at fully adjustable upside-down forks up front, radial-mount brake calipers, and the ubiquitous TFT display, I may not like them, but they are on everything these days. At least with this one you get some trick information included like a bank angle indicator so you can see how far you managed to lean the bike over. That suggests that there’s at least a basic IMU in there somewhere, but it could be the same 6 axis IMU we see on some of the more expensive bikes on the market.
The single-sided swingarm is a nice touch too, and from what I have seen it isn’t just a copy of someone else’s. It does mean that they have been able to use a fatter 180-section rear tire that the Kawasaki uses too.
The build quality looks pretty decent throughout. The welds are clean, the finish appears top-notch, and they’ve used proper branded components where it matters. The aluminium top yoke is nicely machined, and the overall fit and finish seems to be right up there with the best on the market.
These are all the things that made us all take a longer look at the Kove than we do at most Chinese brands. So again it looks like the hand of Zhang Xue is more concerned with quality long term than improving short term profit margins.
The styling is… well, let’s be honest, a bit of a mish mash. It’s borrowed quite a few design cues from various Japanese bikes. But you’ve got bits that look like they’ve got Ducati, BMW, Suzuki, and Kawasaki DNA in there.
They’ve even gone with that distinctive, historic Kawasaki lime green color from the 80’s race team.
What I find striking is the attention to detail. The exhaust system looks more like it came as an aftermarket system and puts the huge horrible looking systems we see so often these days to shame.
Then there are various bits of carbon fiber details dotted around the bike, again, something you will only see on the top of the range bikes from most manufacturers.
Then we get a tail light that has a distinctive “Z” shape to it to emphasize the name of the engineer as well as his inspiration from Kawasaki.
Because let us get something straight. As I said after his resignation from Kove. This is a man who I can’t see sitting on his hands for too long.
Zhang Xue isn’t just stopping with this bike either. He’s already announced plans for a naked version called the 500F which is likely to take on the 400cc Kove bike head to head, and there’s already talk of an 800cc Adventure bike and an 820RR with a three-cylinder engine coming in 2025.
The 800cc three-cylinder engine, is touted to have a maximum power of 136 hp which is just a little higher than the Triumph 765 interestingly enough and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 2.8 seconds.
Now, I know what some of you might be thinking – “It’s just another Chinese copy.” But I reckon there’s more to it than that. The only mid sized 4 cylinder sports bike is the Kawasaki ZX4R now, and with a market devoid of 600cc 4 Cylinder sports bikes, there is an empty niche in the market.
This isn’t some backyard operation either, this is a proper engineering effort from a man who has shown his passion for the industry we all love. Someone who has already proven they can build competitive bikes with Kove.
CF Moto were talking about a new 4 cylinder 500cc bike along with the new 675 triple, but it hasn’t arrived as quickly as the triple, so this is a sector that is wide open, and I think we need some good mid sized sports bikes.
What’ I find fascinating is how quickly this has all come together.
Zhang Xue only left Kove in February, and less than 10 months later, we are looking at a fully developed motorcycle. Yes they had a head start from the work he had already done working with the Kove Supersport 300 race team, and their 400cc road bikes, but they have got a seriously efficient development process going on.
The real test, of course, will be how it rides. On paper, the performance figures look promising, but we all know numbers only tell part of the story. The proof will be in the pudding, as they say, but this is someone with a good track record on delivering his promises.
One thing is for certain – this bike represents something bigger than just another entry in the middleweight sportbike category. It’s shows how quickly the Chinese motorcycle industry is evolving and how they are now targeting both bigger engines and the performance market head-on.
Whether it’ll be a success or not, only time will tell. But you have to admire the ambition.
Zhang Xue could have played it safe, but instead, he’s come out swinging. This is a proper sports bike that, on paper at least, looks like it could give the established players yet another headache.
It does pose more questions about what happened at Kove and what his relationship with them is now. Has he sold his shareholding to fund the new company? Or does he still have any influence there?
I guess if we ever get the full story that it will be another case of “time will tell”.
Another thing that intrigues me is the interconnected web of the different Chinese companies that we in the west can only guess about. Zhang Xue has worked for many of the big manufacturers already. From Loncin with the BMW 800 and CF Moto with the Kove 800 version of the KTM LC8C engine, but also QJ Motors and more.
He is obviously very well respected inside the Chinese industry and has made a lot of friends and contacts along the way. What he has proven already I think is that if you are looking for someone in the Chinese Motorcycle industry who can “get the most” out of an existing package, Zhang Xue is quickly becoming the go to guy.
In China they have a concept that that translates vaguely as “face”. It is a measure of the standing with which any individual is seen by his co-workers and contemporaries. A term that involves respect, honour and social standing. The term in Chinese is Mi An Ze. And I surmise that Zhang Xue has very strong Mi An Ze.
CF Moto, Zontes and Loncin all have 3 cylinder engines in various stages of development, how much they owe to the old MV Agusta Brutale triple engine we may never know, but at least one of them is obviously working with Zhang Xue to push the development of the engine forwards.
I for one am really looking forward to seeing how this one develops, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out to see if these upcoming models ever make it into Western markets.
If nothing else, it’s going to make the middleweight sports bike market a lot more interesting, especially because we have lost all the high performance 600’s now.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments. what do you think about this new challenger from China.
