Zhang Xue Motorcycles (张雪机车) bars new riders from buying its hottest superbike to “hope fewer people die”

Founder puts safety over sales

Zhang Xue Motorcycles (张雪机车) has taken an unusual commercial decision: its founder Zhang Xue said the company will prohibit buyers with less than one year of motorcycle driving experience from purchasing the 820RR model. “I hope fewer people die,” Zhang told reporters, adding he expects the restriction to cut sales “at least 10%” and that “I don’t want that 10%, the company will not die.” The move comes as the firm rides a wave of domestic attention after, it has been reported, a Chinese motorcycle took a first-ever win in the World Superbike (WSBK) series — a milestone that has put homegrown race-style machines in the spotlight.

Bike specs, ordering rules and incentives

The 820RR is the marque’s high-performance offering: priced from 43,800 yuan, it reportedly produces up to 135 PS and accelerates to 100 km/h in 2.81 seconds. The official ordering page warns the 820RR’s power is “too much” for novices and states that buyers with under one year of experience are banned; it also includes a factory-backed reward of 5,000 yuan for customers who report dealers who sell the bike in violation of the rule. The company said 500RR and 820RR pre-orders set records — more than 5,500 orders within 100 hours for its 2026 launch — and that deliveries of some 820RR orders have already begun with roughly a four-week lead time.

Financing, racing ambitions and wider context

It has been reported that Zhang Xue Motorcycles closed a Series A round in January 2026, securing about 90 million yuan at a post-money valuation near 1.09 billion yuan. The startup says it will channel resources into R&D — it reported R&D spending of roughly 69.6 million yuan in 2025 — and into an aggressive motorsport agenda, including an MXGP appearance in Shanghai and preparations for the Dakar Rally. Is this paternalistic safety policy purely ethical, or also a brand-differentiation play for premium positioning? Either way, in an era when Chinese manufacturers are pushing into performance vehicles and global motorsport, the company’s stance highlights a tension between rapid commercial growth and public-safety optics.