CCTV News | Chongqing Motorcycle Global Breakthrough: Zhangxue Motors Wins WSBK, Showcasing China’s Manufacturing Chain

Not long ago, at the Portuguese round of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK), Zhangxue Motorcycle, a manufacturer from Chongqing, China, swept both races in the middleweight category, achieving a double victory in a single round. This feat broke the decades-long monopoly of European and Japanese manufacturers in the event and showcased the “hardcore” strength of China’s motorcycle industry. Behind this breakthrough on the track, how has the industrial chain provided solid support?

The World Superbike Championship requires that all participating vehicles be based on mass-produced road models with limited modifications, making it a crucial stage for manufacturers to demonstrate the technological prowess of their production bikes. Zhangxue Motorcycle’s winning bike was modified from this standard model. According to Zhang Xue, the bike’s localization rate exceeds 90%, while the three core components—engine, electronic control system, and frame—are 100% self-developed.

“To the industry, this is a shot in the arm,” said Zhang Xue, founder of Chongqing Zhangxue Motorcycle. “It makes us more confident that we can aim for the high end. It sets a benchmark, boosting everyone’s confidence. About 50% of the parts come from Chongqing, with Chongqing taking the largest share.”

Chongqing is a major industrial hub in China, with deep foundations in mechanical manufacturing and industrialization. Its hilly and steep terrain also makes motorcycles a popular mode of transport. Over the years, it has formed a relatively complete motorcycle industry cluster. This industrial agglomeration means shorter supply chain radii for components, which reduces trial-and-error costs for enterprises and significantly improves R&D and production efficiency. Zhangxue Motorcycle chose to base its headquarters in Chongqing largely because of the completeness of its industrial and supply chains.

Currently, Chongqing is home to 51 motorcycle manufacturers above the designated size and over 410 parts suppliers above the designated size. It has formed a comprehensive production capacity of over 20 million complete vehicles and 20 million engines annually, with a local supporting rate for fuel motorcycles exceeding 80%.

Luo Tengfei, Deputy Director of the Automobile Industry Office of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, said that leveraging Chongqing’s profound motorcycle industry base, they are continuously promoting efficient collaboration among motorcycle manufacturers, parts enterprises, and research institutes. Focusing on high-end, electrified, and intelligent directions, they are strengthening technological innovation and continuously reinforcing and extending the industrial chain. In 2025, the city’s motorcycle output reached 7.857 million units, ranking first among Chinese cities.

Continuous Technological Breakthroughs, Polishing the “Made in China” Brand

The victory of Chinese motorcycles in top-tier international events has shown the world China’s technological breakthroughs in original R&D of large-displacement, high-performance motorcycles. This heightened attention is rapidly translating into market recognition, bringing more orders to enterprises.

After the news of the victory went viral online, Zhangxue Motorcycle’s flagship model received widespread attention, with order volumes growing significantly.

“To be honest, orders have increased after the win,” Zhang Xue said. “Previously, we had about 300 units per day. Now, half a month after the race, daily orders have roughly tripled.”

Relying on its complete motorcycle industry system, deep technological foundation, and the synergistic advantages of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the China-Europe Railway Express, and the Yangtze River Golden Waterway, Chongqing’s motorcycle exports have accelerated in recent years. In the first two months of 2026, Chongqing’s motorcycle exports reached 4.84 billion yuan, an increase of 8.5% year-on-year.

Looking ahead, Chongqing has designated high-end motorcycles as one of its six key distinctive and advantageous industrial clusters within the city’s modern manufacturing cluster system. Currently, seven of the top ten national electric vehicle manufacturers in terms of production and sales have already established operations in Chongqing. By 2027, the output value of Chongqing’s motorcycle industry is expected to reach 140 billion yuan.

The “Hidden Champions” Behind Zhangxue Motorcycle

The impressive performance of Chinese motorcycles on the world stage is backed by the collective strength of manufacturing across various regions. Besides the final assembly in Chongqing, Zhangxue Motorcycle’s components also include chains, crankshafts, and pistons from Shandong; engine cores and bearings from Jiangsu, and more. This supply chain network, spanning multiple provinces, is composed of numerous specialized and sophisticated SMEs and industry “hidden champions.”

Jiangsu: Strengthening R&D Capabilities to Break into the High-End Market

The “power heart” of Zhangxue Motorcycles—the large-displacement crankshafts, connecting rods, and engine casings—was developed and manufactured by an enterprise in Hailing, Taizhou. These precision components enabled Chinese racing bikes to overtake competitors at full speed on the world’s top tracks.

In May 2024, the newly established Zhangxue Motorcycle came to Hailing, Taizhou, to collaborate with a local enterprise specializing in the R&D and manufacturing of precision shaft parts, jointly developing six types of large-displacement motorcycle crankshafts. In December of the same year, the company took on an even more challenging order: developing the three-cylinder 820cc crankshaft, connecting rods, and engine casing for Zhangxue Motorcycle’s WSBK entry.

Mao Zhiyuan, the head of the enterprise, said their R&D team overcame multiple technical bottlenecks, using special alloy materials to enhance component strength. Combined with special heat treatment processes, they significantly improved the fatigue strength of the parts, ensuring the engine runs smoothly and reliably at high speeds exceeding 10,000 revolutions per minute.

The outstanding performance on the track has also propelled this enterprise, which started with motorcycle crankshaft production, to now account for over 60% of the national market share for crankshafts, solidifying its new strategic direction of producing high-end motorcycle components.

Inside Zhangxue Motorcycle’s “championship machine,” the core needle roller bearings that keep the engine running stably at extreme speeds come from a bearing manufacturer in Changzhou, Jiangsu. For race-spec motorcycles, the engine can reach speeds of up to 15,000 rpm, with rolling elements inside the bearings rotating hundreds of times per second in the raceway. Under such extreme conditions, even microscopic metal shavings or grinding dust invisible to the naked eye can scratch the mirror-like surface of the raceway. To improve cleanliness, the company’s special task force visited over 20 steel mills to minimize impurity content in the raw materials. After hundreds of tests, the product quality finally reached the stringent standards of world-class racing.

Xu Weiming, the head of the enterprise, said they developed this needle roller bearing in parallel with Zhangxue Motorcycle. The production volume is low, and they did not do it for profit, but to capture the high ground in the large-displacement motorcycle bearing market and to pursue a path of “specialized and sophisticated” development.

Shandong: From Manufacturing to “Smart Manufacturing,” Making Dreams a Reality

At this power transmission equipment manufacturer in Pingdu, Shandong, chains of different specifications and configurations continuously roll off production lines through processes such as cold forming, heat treatment, and assembly. The company’s monthly production capacity for motorcycle chains alone is about 3.5 million units. Digital and intelligent upgrades have enabled the company to take on orders from various application fields while breaking foreign technological monopolies and achieving self-sufficiency.

Chen Lipeng, the head of the enterprise, said they have built an industrial cluster for “chain system” manufacturing and production by collaborating with over 100 local industrial chain enterprises in steel manufacturing and mechanical processing.

Another machinery manufacturer not far away supplies crankshafts for Zhangxue Motorcycle engines. On its newly expanded intelligent production line, 40 processes operate fully intelligently. The company currently holds over 100 patents and exports products to more than 30 countries worldwide.

Wang Taoyuan, the head of the enterprise, said they currently have six such intelligent production lines. Through intelligent transformation, upstream and downstream enterprises can better align and collaborate, forming a more efficient industrial and supply chain ecosystem.

This electromechanical enterprise in Liaocheng, Shandong, supplies piston pins for Zhangxue Motorcycles. In recent days, the company has experienced a new peak in orders. It has set up five piston pin finishing lines, and production plans are already scheduled until July 2026. The factory operates three shifts around the clock to meet the growing market demand.

Li Zhenguo, the head of the enterprise, said the products currently being processed on this line are destined for Germany. Orders for export to Germany in 2026 have increased by about 20% compared to 2025, showing a clear growth trend.

Achieving Dreams with Strength, Sailing Far with Development

Zhangxue Motorcycle’s track victory is a microcosm of Chinese manufacturing’s shift from “point breakthroughs” to “coordinated across the board.” Beyond the components mentioned above, Zhangxue Motorcycles are also supported by exhaust systems from Guangdong, frames from Zhejiang, and engine cylinder heads from Anhui. With multi-point coordinated strength, Chinese manufacturing has helped Zhang Xue realize his “racing dream,” and together, it illustrates the deep foundation and collaborative innovation capability of China’s manufacturing industry. This path of pursuing dreams has no end. Advancing towards higher-end segments and broader markets is the direction in which the giant ship of Chinese manufacturing sails.

Source: CCTV News
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