Kove Founder Launches ZXMoto. But Can This New Chinese Brand Stand Out?

Kove founder Zhang Xue launches a new brand as questions rise about its purpose and identity.

Photo by: ZXMoto

By: Enrico Punsalang

Nov 16, 2025 at 8:27am ET

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Zhang Xue is an interesting figure in the Chinese motorcycle world. He founded Kove, built it into one of the more ambitious young brands, and then out of nowhere, quit the company. There was no big statement or long explanation. He just moved on.

But now he’s back with a fresh company called ZXMoto (with Z and X literally being his initials), and the whole thing feels a little curious.

The catalog looks familiar enough that you could mistake some of these bikes for something from Loncin, QJ Motor, or even Kove itself. It feeds into that ongoing question about how much tech, tooling, and production is being shared between Chinese manufacturers behind the scenes. That is not unusual for Chinese brands, but it does raise the question of where ZXMoto fits in and whether it brings anything truly new.

The 820RR is ZXMoto's piece de resistance. But it hardly looks original.

Photo by: ZXMoto

The centerpiece of the lineup is the 820RR. ZXMoto introduced it at EICMA 2025 and positioned it as a bold supersport built around an in-house 819cc triple-cylinder engine. It sits in an aluminum chassis with lightweight components throughout, which helps the company chase a near one-to-one power-to-weight ratio.

The internal name, Project 299, points to its goal of hitting 300 kilometers per hour, or about 186 miles per hour. It sounds impressive, but until the bike hits real roads or real tracks, it's hard to know how much of that is engineering confidence and how much is early marketing.

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I'm sure there has to be some sort of copyright issue with the ZXMoto 500F, which looks like a photocopy of the Honda CB400 Super Four.

Photo by: ZXMoto

The same uncertainty floats around the rest of the lineup. The 500RR is an inline-four sportbike for riders who want something with high rpm energy and quick handling. The ingredients are solid, but the overall package looks close to what we already see from other emerging Chinese brands. The 500F follows the same formula but wraps it in a classic UJM-inspired naked design that looks so lazy that the Honda CB400 Super Four is probably rolling around in its grave.

ZXMoto also stretched its triple-cylinder platform into two more models. The 820R is a lightweight streetfighter meant to feel balanced in daily riding but still fun at higher speeds. The 820ADV takes the same engine and turns it into a mid-size adventure bike that claims stronger performance and better all-around usability than mainstream 800cc competitors. The design looks clean and purposeful, but again, the long-term direction is something we will only understand once the bikes start reaching customers.

The ZXMoto 500R looks very much like a Kawasaki Ninja, especially in this lime green colorway.

The 820R is ZXMoto's idea of a high-performance naked "Streetfighter"

Yes, ZXMoto is going for the entire pie with a rugged adventure bike in its roster.

Photos by: ZXMoto

The 450 Rally has the deepest connection to Xue’s racing past. His teams helped produce Dakar podiums and stage leads before, so this model carries the most credibility on paper. It's built for distance and durability, and it seems like the one bike in the lineup that could truly carve out an identity. ZXMoto also showed a pair of motocross models, the MX250 and MX450, along with a 600V Cruiser for riders who want a relaxed V-twin option.

Chinese motorcycles are clearly in a growth phase. CFMoto and QJ Motor are already present in Moto3 and Moto2, and brands across the board are pushing into higher performance and premium features. ZXMoto arrives right in the middle of that momentum.

ZXMoto's leaving no stone unturned and is even venturing into the world of motocross.

Photo by: ZXMoto

The bikes look competent, and the specs are ambitious, but it's still too early to tell how this new brand will separate itself from the crowd. With so many shared platforms and overlapping designs in the Chinese industry, the real test will be whether ZXMoto can carve out a clear personality and prove it's more than just another name in an already busy space.

For now, the lineup is interesting, the ambition is high, and the timing seems to be right. And maybe the trust will come later, once we see what ZXMoto can actually deliver beyond the spec sheet.