ZXMoto 820RR-R

ZXMoto is one of the newest names in performance motorcycles, but it has already rewritten the script. Founded in April 2024 in Chongqing by Zhang Xue—the former co-founder and CEO of Kove—the brand spent barely two years going from a startup to a WorldSSP race winner. The 820RR-R is the up-spec street version of the very bike that took French rider Valentin Debise to multiple victories in 2026, including doubles at Portimão and Most. It is the middle model in a three-tier family that also includes the base 820RR and the lighter, more extreme 820RR-RS.

The company behind it
Zhang Xue started as a teenage mechanic and stunt rider in Hunan, moved to Chongqing in 2013, and co-founded Kove in 2017. After a strategic split over in-house engine development, he launched ZXMOTO with a clear mission: build proprietary engines and compete at the highest level. The company debuted the 500RR in late 2024, sold tens of thousands of units in 2025, and arrived at EICMA in Milan with a full lineup. By early 2026 it had raised Series A funding at a valuation over one billion yuan and was already exporting the first batches to Europe. The 820 platform is the proof of that strategy—an 818.8 cc inline-three developed entirely in-house.

Engine and performance
The heart of the 820RR-R is the same liquid- and oil-cooled, DOHC, 12-valve triple used in the race bike: 818.8 cc, 80 × 54.3 mm bore and stroke. On the RR-R it runs a higher compression ratio of 13.3:1 (up from 13.0:1) and titanium intake valves instead of steel. Claimed output is 145 hp (107 kW) at 13,500 rpm, with peak torque around 83 Nm at 10,000 rpm and a redline of 14,750 rpm. Bosch electronic fuel injection and ride-by-wire handle the throttle. A RAM-air intake adds a few extra horsepower above 180 km/h, and the manufacturer claims a top speed near 290 km/h and 0–100 km/h in 2.81 seconds.

Chassis and weight
The aluminium perimeter frame is shared with the base model but dressed in lighter components. Forged alloy wheels, carbon-fibre winglets and exhaust tip, and magnesium and titanium parts drop the wet weight to 186 kg—about 7 kg lighter than the standard 820RR. Dimensions are 2,050 mm long, 745 mm wide, 1,160 mm tall, with a 1,419–1,423 mm wheelbase, 825 mm seat height, and 16-liter fuel tank. Rake is adjustable, and the rearsets are CNC-machined and adjustable.

Suspension, brakes, and electronics
Suspension is fully adjustable KYB at both ends: a 43 mm inverted fork with DLC coating and a KYB monoshock. Braking uses Brembo M50 monobloc calipers, a Brembo master cylinder, and dual 330 mm floating discs up front, with a Brembo rear caliper. Tires are Pirelli Supercorsa V4s. The electronics package is comprehensive for the price: six-axis IMU, cornering ABS, lean-sensitive traction control, launch control, wheelie control, engine-brake adjustment, bidirectional quickshifter, cruise control, TPMS, keyless start, and a dual-chamber steering damper. Five riding modes and a 6.2-inch Android-powered TFT display round it out.

The bigger picture
What makes the 820RR-R notable is not any single spec—plenty of middleweights have Brembo and KYB—but the combination of race-proven hardware, an in-house triple, and a price that undercuts established rivals by a wide margin. Whether the long-term reliability and dealer support match the headline numbers remains to be seen, but as a statement of intent from a brand barely two years old, it is hard to ignore.