On the afternoon of March 30, 2026, at the headquarters of Zhang Xue Motorcycles in Chongqing, Zhang Xue was surrounded by media. He joked, "If you didn't have connections, you wouldn't have gotten in today."

This remark, tinged with a street-smart swagger, creates a stark contrast. In 2006, as a 19-year-old, he chased a media crew on his motorcycle for three hours in the rain, just to get a moment on camera. Nearly 20 years later, Zhang Xue has changed—wrinkles line the corners of his eyes, and his temper has mellowed somewhat.

But in essence, he hasn't changed at all.

His stubborn, single-minded obsession with motorcycles remains as strong as ever. He is still that grassroots individual, full of earthy authenticity. He is still a loner, having faced the darkest moments of a broken funding chain alone. The difference is, he is no longer entirely alone; behind him now is a group of motorcycle enthusiasts sharing the same dream and a gradually maturing industrial team.

The path from being an apprentice mechanic in Huaihua, Hunan, to becoming the manufacturer of the motorcycle that won a double-header race in a WSBK (World Superbike Championship) round, is a journey he has walked for nearly two decades.

A 4-Second Advantage Rewrites History: Chinese Motorcycle Wins WSBK for the First Time

On March 28, at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, as the finish line lights flashed, the Zhang Xue Motorcycles 820RR-RS race bike held a firm lead. The gap to the second-place rider was close, yet insurmountable: 4 seconds.

In the top-tier arena of WSBK, this was not merely a time difference but a historic milestone: the first victory for a Chinese manufacturer. For a long time, this championship has been dominated by European and Japanese brands like Ducati, Kawasaki, and Yamaha. Now, a brand from China has forcefully carved an opening in this fiercely competitive landscape.

This victory represents more than just a race win; it is a significant boost of confidence for the entire Chinese motorcycle industry chain. The capital market's reaction was the most direct. On March 30, Hongchang Technology (301008.SZ), a listed company that indirectly holds shares in Zhang Xue Motorcycles, opened at the daily limit-up and closed at 35.24 yuan per share. Another related company, Hongquan Technology (688288.SH), saw its stock price surge over 10% that day. Share prices of other industry chain-related companies like Zhenghe Industry and Loncin General also rose.

Authoritative media outlets like Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily Online reported on the event using keywords like "historic breakthrough" and "epoch-making moment," underscoring its significance. Remarkably, the company itself is only two years old. But Zhang Xue knows he has waited far longer than two years for this moment.

The Disruptor: Arriving in Chongqing with 20,000 Yuan, From Repair Shop to Manufacturing Dream

In 2013, 26-year-old Zhang Xue decided to move from Huaihua, Hunan, to Chongqing, known as China's "Motorcycle Capital." He arrived with 20,000 yuan in his pocket, without a single acquaintance or resource.

The real difficulty was taking that first step out the door. It was after the Lantern Festival that year when his wife asked him, "The festival is already over, why haven't you left yet?" "It's embarrassing for a man to be asked that by his wife," Zhang Xue said. He simply hardened his heart, thinking, "Forget it, I'll just go and see."

That step became a watershed moment in his fate. After arriving in Chongqing, he stayed in a hotel above a bank. Downstairs was a buffet hotpot restaurant. The owner, seeing him dining alone, gave him a strange look and asked, "You're eating hotpot by yourself?" Zhang Xue retorted, "Is there a problem?" Later, Zhang Xue saw online that eating hotpot alone was listed as one of the "ultimate forms of loneliness."

Zhang Xue's connection with motorcycles began in his youth. After graduating from junior high school, he became an apprentice at a motorcycle repair shop. At 17, he opened his own repair shop. At 19, he did something he describes as "shameless": he rode 100 kilometers on his motorcycle to chase down a TV program crew, just to争取 a chance to be filmed. "I was basically telling them to come interview me because my riding skills were so good," he recalled. The crew filmed him but thought "that's about it" and showed no further interest. Zhang Xue, however, "wouldn't let them go," following them to other filming locations. "I'm probably still like that now, just even more shameless back then," he stated frankly.

It was this "shameless" persistence that helped him survive three life-or-death challenges in Chongqing.

Three Dire Straits: The Grassroots Entrepreneur's Counterattack

Zhang Xue's methodology was clear from the start: don't wait for resources, but use limited resources to leverage the next one.

The day after arriving in Chongqing, he found a factory doing export work, took a standard model bike, and modified it. The 20,000 yuan was just enough to build one prototype. He posted the modification process on online forums, pricing it at 14,800 yuan, with a 2,000 yuan discount for on-site purchases. But there was one condition: payment had to be in cash, "because I had no money."

Over 30 riding enthusiasts showed up and gave him the money. He had 500,000 yuan. "With 500,000 yuan, I used it to finish modifying all those bikes and delivered them to the riders." He then received orders for 50 more bikes, then another 50. After selling over 100 bikes, competitors began completely copying his model. "I thought, it's over, I can't keep doing this."

From his first venture, he earned over 100,000 yuan, but with the model copied, he had to pivot. Fortunately, he had already mastered his methodology: trade time for space, trade credit for capital.

He spent 100,000 yuan hiring a design company for a new bike design, but it was only enough for a deposit. The design would take a year. He calculated that within that year, he absolutely had to find a way to make money. He took on multiple roles himself: selling bikes on Taobao, writing copy, creating graphics, handling customer service, and managing after-sales, even personally managing keyword bidding. He pushed his store to become number one in its category, "even the official stores couldn't beat me."

After earning several hundred thousand yuan, he finally had enough money for mold development. However, mold development required a 30% advance payment. During the long development cycle, he continued scrambling for funds from all sources. When the new bike was listed on the forum, initial estimates were to sell 50 units, but they sold out in minutes, reaching over 500 orders in a few days.

But he had no money to purchase the inventory. He set up a QQ group and "borrowed" money from riding enthusiasts, offering a bottle of engine oil as interest. One enthusiast was willing to lend him 400,000 yuan, but he only borrowed 100,000 yuan, thinking, "If I fail, I can pay that back." Through this "crowdfunding" model, he secured several hundred thousand yuan in "angel investment."

However, after selling 700-800 units of this bike, he admitted that the "development was a failure." "The total development cost was over 1 million yuan, but now just producing one set of body panels costs over 1 million yuan. It was a very substandard development." The bike, developed using the cheapest methods, had poor quality, received negative feedback, didn't make money, and even resulted in losses. Zhang Xue openly admitted the failure and decided to start over from scratch.

By early 2025, Zhang Xue Motorcycles' first model, the 500RR, was set for release in March. But in February, just before the launch, the company couldn't pay its employees. "I had to borrow money from everywhere—friends, peers, suppliers. I even borrowed 1 million yuan from our landlord. In total, I borrowed 7 million yuan to cover the payroll." "We had to launch in March. If we didn't, the company would run out of money. If the funding chain broke, you'd be forced to admit defeat even if you didn't want to." After the launch event in March 2025, vehicle deliveries began, and the company finally caught its breath.

The Zealot: Doing One Thing Only, Betting His Life on the Bike

In the eyes of his employees, Zhang Xue is notoriously hot-tempered. "I estimate that colleagues who have worked with me have all been hurt by me to some extent, because I never mince words."

But behind this sharpness lies extreme focus. "I have no other thoughts. There's simply no reason not to do this." For 20 years, he has focused solely on motorcycles. This level of extreme focus even led him to avoid getting a car driver's license. "Getting a license takes too much time. I only want to ride motorcycles." His only hobby is riding motorcycles, which he does for his daily commute. He even stated bluntly, "I don't like entrepreneurship. I like building bikes, I like the R&D process." Netizens joke that he doesn't build bikes to make money; it's "pure addiction."

It was also this single-mindedness that meant when he chose to walk away at a "peak moment," his feeling was one of "reluctance" rather than "bitterness." In 2017, he co-founded Kayo Motorcycles with two other founders. Within a few years, Kayo became a leading domestic brand in the mid-to-large displacement segment, with annual sales of around 30,000 units and revenue in the hundreds of millions of yuan. In March 2024, due to "differences between his dream and the investors' interests," he chose to leave and established the brand named after himself.

"Can't be killed? Then work until you die," is his motto. He turned himself into a "media channel," insisting on a weekly live stream every Wednesday to talk directly with users. On Douyin, "Zhang Xue's Motorcycles" boasts millions of followers. "I am very confident that anyone who test rides our bike will place an order." This confidence stems from the trust built with users and, even more, from his stubborn adherence to his product philosophy.

Zhang Xue's product philosophy can be summarized in three keywords: sound, horsepower, and lightweight handling. "Aren't these the three things you look for when choosing a bike?" he asked rhetorically.

In 2025, the Zhang Xue Motorcycles 500RR ranked third in retail sales for a single model in the two-wheeled燃油 motorcycle category (≥250CC). The company's total annual output value reached 750 million yuan, with R&D investment of 69.58 million yuan, accounting for 9.33% of sales. On March 21, 2026, pre-orders opened for the 2026 models of the 500RR and 820RR. Within 100 hours, firm orders exceeded 5,543 units, setting a new record for pre-orders of domestic mid-displacement sport bikes.

In terms of business logic, however, he made a decision that could be called "anti-efficient": he banned riders with less than one year of experience from purchasing the 820RR, with heavy penalties for dealers who violate this rule. "I hope fewer people die," he admitted, acknowledging it would impact sales by "at least 10%." But he quickly added, "I don't want that 10%. The company won't die because of it."

All of this stems from his dedication to motorcycles: it's not a business, it's his life.

From "Dismissal" to "Eye-Level": A Three-Year Window to Target Half the Market Share of International Giants

The victory at the WSBK race hasn't caused Zhang Xue to lose his bearings. "A company's success often hinges on just a few key years. If it can't make it then, giving it 20 years still won't work."

He has set the window of opportunity for Zhang Xue Motorcycles at three years. "Counting from today, we have at most three years. If we succeed, we succeed. If not, there won't be another chance."

Currently, Zhang Xue Motorcycles still faces production capacity bottlenecks. There is a backlog of approximately 3,000 orders for the 500RR and around 3,000 orders for the 820 series. "Our production line is constrained by supplier parts shortages. We used to produce over 100 units a day; now we can reach over 200. A second production line is also under construction."

But the greater challenge lies ahead: when the hype subsides and capital becomes more rational, can Zhang Xue Motorcycles truly rival international giants in scaling up, quality control systems, and channel development?

Zhang Xue is full of confidence. "For any component on the bike, even any part from a MotoGP or F1 car, if the drawings come to China, it can 100% be manufactured, and the quality will absolutely be no worse than from Europe, Japan, or the US." In his view, what the Chinese motorcycle industry lacks is not manufacturing capability, but an "experience database." "When we encounter a problem, the whole team pounces on it to solve it. If we can't solve it in a day, we take a week; if not in a week, we'll solve it in a month."

This confidence stems from the solid foundation of Chinese manufacturing and is further aided by Chongqing's complete industrial chain ecosystem. Currently, the Liangjiang New Area in Chongqing is planning to develop a high-end motorcycle industrial park, providing Zhang Xue Motorcycles with a nearly 200-acre production base.

Zhang Xue mentioned that in the early days when he went to international race circuits, "people looked at you with disdain." After winning, "people talk to you at eye level." When asked if other brands had come to congratulate him, he said, "In the paddock, people do still offer congratulations." This represents not just a shift in personal dignity, but a reshaping of industrial status.

And Zhang Xue has already set his sights on a more distant future. "In the next five years, we will capture over 50% of the large-displacement market share from these so-called international big brands." This seemingly aggressive goal is the challenge he has set for himself and for the Chinese motorcycle industry. This ambition is already taking root starting from the racetrack: the next step is for Zhang Xue Motorcycles to participate in the MXGP Shanghai round in September 2026, and preparations are already underway for the Dakar Rally.

On the afternoon of March 30, 2026, when asked how he felt about being compared to Soichiro Honda of Japan, he said, "I think our journey is quite similar."

Soichiro Honda also started from a repair shop, was also known for a fiery temper and strong will, and similarly possessed an almost obsessive pursuit of technology. Honda eventually grew into the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer. Will Zhang Xue become China's Soichiro Honda? The answer remains to be seen.

But one thing is certain: the 4-second gap at the WSBK has already redrawn the cognitive boundaries of an entire industry.

It took nearly 20 years for Chinese motorcycles to move from being dismissed to being viewed as equals. Zhang Xue has given himself three years to move from "eye-level" to "surpassing."

The three-year window is now counting down.