If you’re unfamiliar with Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, ZXMoto, you won’t be for long. The company was founded in April by Zhang Xue, who also founded Cove, and we’ve seen how successful that brand has been on- and off-road. But ZXMoto aims to address a different market than Cove; It’s taking the supersport world by storm.
The brand has released the specs for its latest model to hit the market, the 820RR-R, and established brands may be in for a rude awakening.
ZXMoto’s 820RR-R only recently hit dealerships in China, and while bikes inevitably arrive at Chinese dealerships without coverage all the time, none of them have taken a World Supersport win to their name. The platform on which the 820RR-R is based has helped Valentin Debbies take six WorldSP wins and reach second place in the overall championship at the time of writing. The question of what the road-going version will be like remains unanswered, but we do have specs.
The 820RR-R sits between the brand’s entry-level 820RR and top-spec 820RR-SP, but make no mistake, its spec sheet doesn’t read like it sits in the middle of anything, but rather at the top.
Photo by: ZXMoto
Powering the 820RR-R is an 819cc three-cylinder engine with titanium valves and a higher compression ratio than the standard 820RR’s engine. The engine upgrade results in a claimed power output of 145 hp at 13,500 rpm and about 61 lb-ft of torque at 10,000 rpm, putting it well ahead of the competition, but ZXMoto lists its weight as 410 pounds, making it lighter than the competition.
If the 820RR-R’s power-to-weight ratio doesn’t inspire you, its brand-name parts will. The bike stops with Brembo M50 calipers, a Brembo master cylinder and dual 330 mm discs. The Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 tires on the forged wheels should also come in handy when you need to decelerate a few mph quickly.
Photo by: ZXMoto
The bike should be built through the corners thanks to adjustable KYB suspension front and rear and diamond-like carbon coating on the fork internals. The KYB setup makes do with an aluminum perimeter frame, which ZXMoto has invested heavily in. The bike has adjustable rake, ride height, swingarm pivot points and rearsets, putting the 820RR-R at the sharp end of the production supersport class in terms of adjustability for track riding.
The hardware and attention to detail is top shelf in terms of what track riders want, but it’s promising in terms of software. The 820RR-R uses a 6-axis IMU, cornering ABS, lean-sensitive TC, launch control, wheelie control, engine brake adjustment and an up-and-down quickshifter. But it’s not entirely performance-oriented technology, as riders will also benefit from cruise control, a tire pressure monitoring system, and keyless ignition. All the information you need is shown on the 6.2-inch Android-powered TFT display.
In China, the ZXMoto 820RR-R is priced at around $9,100, and there’s no timeline or guarantee of it reaching the US. If the 820RR-R is brought to the States, it will be priced significantly higher than in China, but it can still compete against established supersport models.
