A few months ago, we shared the news that a relatively new motorcycle manufacturer, ZXMOTO, was surprising people around the world with its impressive performance at the World Supersport (WSSP) Championship. Surprisingly, the bike was not just a flash in the pan, as proven with rookie Valentin Debbies taking a total of five wins so far this season.
Let me pause for a second to acknowledge the significance of that statement. A rookie rider, on a machine from an OEM that’s only been around since 2024, coming to the World Supersport Championship and winning just… five races? In a year when it was really meant to test them before launching a true championship bid in 2027?
is this real life?
Although the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” mentality is probably not as strong among the general motorcycle buying public as it once was, it clearly still matters to some fans. This is especially true when the ZX 820RR sells for a price equivalent to around US$6,400 in its home market in China. Sports fans will instinctively understand this analogy; If your home team is coming off such a hard-fought win at the moment, wouldn’t you want to immediately wear the merchandise proudly and join the crowd to show your support? New York Knicks fans, I’m looking straight at you.
Again, it’s completely understandable that people turned out in droves to place their orders. How many orders? At least 5,000 were placed before anything serious happened, although only 286 were reportedly delivered into the hands of customers.
So what? Catastrophic engine failure on a bike, and you can watch a video clip in the full-length video above. The credit goes to ZXMOTO, Act immediately to resolve the issue. And then, in a move that is practically unheard of, the company’s founder (and crucially, real motorcycle mechanicNot just some business school suit) Zhang Xue chose to recall All 286 bikes that were there had already gone into the forest to resolve the problem.
This is correct; It doesn’t take months (or even years) for things to drag out, or perhaps gaslighting the customer before finally admitting that there is a problem, and that the customer was not imagining things. Instead, simply have a company founder issue an apology saying they messed up, acknowledged the problem, and are working to resolve the issue and do right for their customers.
From a rider confidence standpoint, this is much more than worth the incredibly low amount that ZXMOTO charges for these machines. Then, if you’ve been following Zhang Xue’s motorcycle industry career so far, it’s clear that this is the same person Is.
Don’t forget, this is the same head of a company (!) who personally issued a heartfelt and emotional apology on social media after Mason Klein’s Dakar dreams were dashed in 2024 due to engine failure, which Zhang Xue felt was 100 percent caused by mechanical error.
At that time, I asked “Who does He?” Over and over again. While it’s true that it’s not often that you, as a company, take extraordinary action to acknowledge and fix a problem you believe you caused; obviously, that’s perfectly fine if your name is Zhang Xue.
And honestly, it’s a breath of fresh air. Although the company and its products may be a little rough around the edges, refinement can certainly happen over time. It is more difficult to develop customer trust when you are at a new company.
These kinds of actions, well, they are extraordinary. Even unheard of.
As a customer, wouldn’t that be how you want to be treated? I don’t know if any other companies will rise to the challenge of offering this level of proactive customer service if things go wrong, but there is hope.
