Zhang Xue Motorcycle Sales says that after winning the championship, orders surged significantly within two or three days and are now scheduled through June.

Local time on March 28, in the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) Portugal round SSP class race, French rider Valentin Debise drove a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer Chongqing Zhangxueji Motorcycle Industrial Co., Ltd. 820RR-RS to win the championship—this was the first victory in SSP class history for a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer. Then on March 29, in the second race of the Portugal round, Zhangxueji once again took the win and, in the final moments, squeezed through on the inside to “eat” two Yamaha R9 motorcycles.

Zhangxueji’s founder, Zhangxue “legendary journey from a repair shop apprentice to the boss of a motorcycle manufacturing company,” has made many netizens, especially motorcycle enthusiasts, extremely excited. These two victories have also broken the decades-long monopoly of traditional overseas motorcycle brands such as Ducati, Yamaha, and Kawasaki over this event.

Although Zhangxueji was founded less than two years ago, it already has multiple motorcycles that are selling hot. Recently, a reporter from Hongxing News also interviewed multiple owners of Zhangxueji, and some owners said that when buying a domestic Zhangxueji, “sentiment” is one of the important considerations. There are also owners who said that higher value for money is the real appeal. A sales staff member of Zhangxueji told the Hongxing News reporter that, from winning the championship to now over these two or three days, purchase orders have already been queued up for June this year.

Riders talk about the championship: 20+ riders watched the race in stores; only 1 person predicted Zhangxueji would win

“I watched the race with other riders at Zhangxueji’s Guangdong Qingyuan Qingcheng store. When I saw the vehicles cross the finish line first, you could say everyone there was moved to tears—we were so excited.” Huang, who has 25 years of motorcycle riding experience, is among the first batch of owners of the Zhangxueji 500RR. Two days later, he still clearly remembers the shock of that championship night.

Weisheng, former owner of the first Zhangxueji 500F in Fujian, told Hongxing News on the 30th that his first reaction was surprise. “I think Zhangxueji’s victory this time is no less than Liu Xiang’s win at the Athens Olympics back then, because after all, this is the first time a Chinese brand has broken into this space.” Weisheng himself has also raced on professional tracks, so he knows that even a difference of a few tenths of a second in top-level events is already an unbridgeable gap—let alone the nearly 4-second lead. “I didn’t expect to win the championship, and I definitely didn’t expect a 4-second lead.”

On local time March 28, 2026, in Portimão, Portugal, French rider Valentin Debise led the track in the first round of the SSP class on the second day of the Portugal round of the World Superbike Championship, driving the No. 53 ZXMOTO 820RR. Photo courtesy: Visual China

“I didn’t think it would happen this fast, and we left behind all those traditional big-name motorcycle manufacturers. When I saw the news, my first reaction was like I had won the championship myself—I was just as excited.” Riding along with Zhangxue since his “Keeway” days, Mr. Ma, a longtime follower-owner, even said outright: “Seeing Zhang Zong grow from a repair shop mechanic into a pioneer leading China into WSBK—now that he has gone from challenger to champion—this is a huge encouragement for the entire Chinese motorcycle community.”

On the day of the race, multiple Zhangxueji motorcycle stores across the country also organized offline viewing events.

On March 29, 2026, Nanjing, Jiangsu: motorcycle enthusiasts gathered at the Empty Coffee shop to watch Zhangxueji win the WSBK world championship. Photo courtesy: Visual China

Huang, a sales staff member at Zhangxueji’s Chengdu Wuhou store, told Hongxing News that it was raining in Chengdu on the race day, but more than 20 riders still came to the store to watch. “Before the race, we did a prediction pool. Out of more than 20 people, only 1 person guessed Zhangxueji could take the championship. Most others guessed seventh or eighth place, and some even guessed they would withdraw from the race and crash.” Huang said that when the footage of crossing the line came in, the whole room instantly ignited.

Staff at Zhangxueji’s Beijing Changping store told Hongxing News that on the night of the championship, multiple stores in the Beijing area jointly organized a centralized viewing. He also attended the second race in person. “The riders who came were especially proactive. When people saw the moment of winning the championship, their most direct feelings were excitement and pride. Everyone felt like the times have changed—our Chinese motorcycle brand has finally reached the top at the world’s highest-level race venue.”

Riders talk about the advantages: besides sentiment, also value for money and after-sales service—“He builds good bikes that young people can afford.”

In interviews, Hongxing News noted that almost all Zhangxueji owners mentioned Zhangxue’s early-life story—when he was 19, chasing the media convoy in the rain, just to show off his riding skills and seek an opportunity—the boy from western Hunan.

Zhangxue was born in 1987. After graduating from junior high in early 2003, he, who liked motorcycles, went to a repair shop as a repair apprentice. At 17, he opened his own repair shop. In 2017, he and two co-founders jointly founded Tibet Qomolangma Keeway Industrial Co., Ltd., building the Keeway motorcycle brand. In April 2024, Zhangxue established Chongqing Zhangxueji Motorcycle Industrial Co., Ltd., named after himself—Zhangxueji.

On the afternoon of March 30, 2026, inside the Zhangxueji factory located in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, Zhangxue received an interview. Photo courtesy: Visual China

On the afternoon of March 30, 2026, in the Zhangxueji factory located in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, Zhangxue was surrounded by the media. Photo courtesy: Visual China

Zhangxueji’s official website shows that currently, multiple motorcycles are for sale, including the Zx820RR, ZX500RR, ZX500F, and others. In addition, Zhangxueji’s sales are also introduced via online livestreaming platforms. The 820RR standard edition is already a “double-champion model,” and orders for the 820RR that have already been placed are now starting to be shipped.

“Buying a Zhangxueji is about sentiment and dreams.” Huang told Hongxing News that he was deeply captivated back in middle school by the sound of the imported Honda CBR series four-cylinder motorcycles. And the movie “Fire Riders” starring Andy Lau further planted, quietly in his heart, a seed of a motorcycle dream. In his view, what attracts him isn’t only the specific setups like the four-cylinder configuration and single swingarm, but also Zhangxue’s personal growth story and that “refuse-to-lose” drive.

Owner Huang said he has 25 years of riding experience. After he sold the imported motorcycles, he switched to the domestic Zhangxueji motorcycles. Photo provided by the interviewee

Chen, who switched from an imported scooter to the Zhangxue 500RR, is usually a kindergarten teacher in his day job, and he is also a devoted fan of Zhangxue. When he replaced the hands-on model he had—his Guangyang AK550 and Yamaha XMAX300—with Zhangxue’s 500RR, many nearby riders felt it was an “unexpected” choice. “For someone without a high level of education to build such a large motorcycle company—his money is to race, to make his dream come true. I really admire that,” Chen said.

Of course, besides sentiment, many riders said the core reason they choose Zhangxueji is that it truly lowers the barrier for large-displacement motorcycles. “I think Zhangxue has made a very big contribution to China’s motorcycle industry. After the Keeway 450 came out, it pushed the race 600 in the same segment down to prices above 40k. After the Zhangxue 500 came out, a bunch of domestic four-cylinder bikes directly cut prices to within 30k. ” Owner Mr. Ma said that it was Zhangxue who let many ordinary consumers buy configurations and performance that used to be available only on imported bikes at civilian prices. “He knows what kind of bikes young people like, and he also builds bikes that young people can afford.”

Owner Chen and his Zhangxueji motorcycle with fellow riders. Photo provided by the interviewee

Several other owners also expressed recognition of Zhangxueji’s after-sales service. “I used to always think domestic bikes have lots of minor issues but not major problems. But once you truly deal with it, you could say Zhangxueji’s after-sales is at a ‘ceiling level.’” Owner Chen said that previously, his bike couldn’t start due to a sensor fault. The store not only arranged free towing back for repair, but also reimbursed him in full for his transportation costs to and from the store. The response speed far exceeded expectations. “Before that, my other brand’s motorcycle was only a minor scratch and scrape; just changing the outer shell logo cost more than 500 yuan, and the parts waiting period was long. Compared with that, Zhangxueji’s after-sales service and value for money really moved me.”

Owner Mr. Zhangxueji also frankly admitted that he isn’t a fan of Zhangxue. “I won’t buy a bike because of sentiment. I care whether the bike is good—whether I can buy a bike that’s both cheaper than an imported one and actually usable. Then I have to thank the person who built these bikes.”

Owner Mr. Zhangxue and his Zhangxueji motorcycle. Photo provided by the interviewee

Sales talk about feedback: winning with the 820RR became the consultation hotspot; they will still set a “riding-experience threshold” for buying a bike

After winning this time in the WSBK race, it has also brought the most direct market feedback to Zhangxueji’s sales.

“After the championship, whether it was the number of people consulting in person at stores, or the number of viewers watching online livestreams, there has been a very clear increase.” Huang, the sales staff at Zhangxueji’s Chengdu Wuhou store, said that the championship race’s bike, the 820RR, became the focus of consultations. Even though there is a threshold of “only being able to purchase if you have held a driver’s license for a full year,” it still can’t stop users’ enthusiasm. “Zhangxueji is actually a brand that delivers bikes relatively quickly. The original orders were scheduled for May, but within these two or three days right after the championship, they have already been queued directly for June.”

Huang said that the reason they set the “riding-experience threshold” for buying a bike is based on some considerations. “The 820 has extremely strong power. For new riders, the risk is high. Setting a threshold blocks part of new riders’ impulsive desire to buy. Even if someone reports it because they can’t buy the bike, this rule likely won’t change.”

Li, a sales staff member at the Beijing Changping store, also said that after the championship, both the stores’ consultation volume and the number of people visiting the stores increased significantly. Not only did consultations for the 820 model keep rising, orders for the previously launched 500-series models also increased. “In the local riders’ circle, people’s evaluation of the brand has changed noticeably. More people have been praising it. Everyone feels that having such an owner for a Chinese brand, and being able to take this step, is truly an amazing thing.”

On March 30, 2026, Chongqing: Zhangxueji exclusive store. Photo courtesy: Visual China

Owners talk about shortcomings: some details are a bit rough, some tuning feels somewhat impractical, the look still needs improvement, and the App functions also need optimization

However, Hongxing News also noticed that the owners interviewed do not blindly praise Zhangxueji. Even owners who highly recognize the brand still openly pointed out some shortcomings they believe the current vehicles have.

“I’ve always felt that Zhangxue and Zhangxueji are two different things. I really admire him personally, but we should separate the person from the bike.” Wei, the owner of the first Zhangxueji 500F in Fujian, said that not long ago he sold his own bike. He told Hongxing News that the reason he chose this bike was that he liked its retro appearance, which is rare among domestic brands, and its power that belongs to the first tier in the same displacement category. But after getting it, he still felt there were some shortcomings.

“Some details are a bit rough. It hasn’t grasped the core needs of retro-bike users. Second, the bike’s tuning is somewhat impractical: it’s not easy to ride at low speed, and at high speed it feels a bit floaty. If you want to ride stably, it doesn’t feel comfortable; if you want to ride aggressively, you don’t feel satisfied.” Wei said. “Also, the problems that appeared on the earlier 500RR were originally easy to resolve. But when they show up again in a successor model, I think it still lacks refinement in details. ‘Imported bikes have iterated for decades. Domestic bikes have made huge progress in the past few years, but the time for ‘accumulation’ is still too short.’”

“On a replica superbike, it’s relatively hard to slow the speed down. With a four-cylinder bike, the handlebar vibration is stronger. But other than that, I’m pretty satisfied.” Huang, who has owned the bike for a year, said.

On March 30, 2026, Chongqing Zhangxueji production workshop. Photo courtesy: Visual China

Mr. Ma said his bike has already been ridden over 9,400 kilometers. Overall, the riding experience is almost no different from the imported bike he had rented before. The aspects that make him most satisfied are the handling and after-sales of Zhangxueji. “If I have to point out downsides, the looks still have room to improve. Also, the supporting smartphone App functions still need further optimization.”

According to information publicly disclosed by Zhangxueji, in early March this year, Zhangxueji completed a Series A financing round. The actual funds raised in this round were 90 million yuan. The company’s post-investment valuation is about 1.09 billion yuan.

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责任编辑：刘万里 SF014