ZXMoto CEO Zhang Xue Targets 2028 Racing Debut for V5

ZXMoto founder and CEO Zhang Xue has confirmed via social media that he is working on a new five-cylinder V-type engine of around 1,000cc. The eventual aim is to put it into a high-performance production motorcycle, but first, Xue has ambitions to take the engine racing, with 2028 apparently being targeted for a competitive debut.

There isn't much in the way of hard information at this stage. Xue hasn't revealed definitive power figures, dimensions, or even a confirmed name for the motorcycle. Some reports from China, cited by Visordown, have suggested a capacity of around 1,100cc and more than 210bhp, although those numbers should be treated as speculation for now.

Honda's Unusual Engine Push

The timing of ZXMoto's announcement is notable because Honda has spent the past couple of years highlighting its own unusual engine configuration. The Honda V3R 900 E-Compressor first appeared as a concept at EICMA in 2024, featuring a 75-degree V3 layout boosted by an electrically driven compressor.

Honda claims the 900cc engine can deliver performance comparable to a 1,200cc motor while still meeting modern emissions requirements. The basic idea is clever: rather than using exhaust gases to drive a conventional turbocharger, the V3's compressor is electrically driven, meaning it can operate independently of engine speed. Honda says that allows the system to provide boost, and therefore additional power and torque, whenever it is required.

Honda doesn't appear to be viewing the E-Compressor as a one-bike experiment. More recent patent drawings have shown the technology fitted to a range of different engine configurations, including an inline-four, V-twin, parallel twin, and even the six-cylinder engine used by the Gold Wing.

The Logic Behind Five Cylinders

There is no obvious need for a V5 if the sole objective is making a fast motorcycle. Modern four-cylinder engines can comfortably produce more than 200bhp, while V4s have already proved themselves on both the road and racetrack.

Five cylinders therefore isn't an easy, or even obvious, route to more power, but there is some logic behind it. Adding another cylinder allows Zhang Xue to play with firing intervals, power delivery, vibration characteristics, and the physical packaging of the engine. The downside is increased complexity. A five-cylinder engine needs more components, a more complex crankshaft, and careful consideration of cooling, intake, exhaust, and valvegear.

A Development Project

For now, the V5 remains a development project, rather than a motorcycle you can test ride and buy. There are no confirmed production specifications, no official power figure, and no confirmed launch date. The reported 200-plus horsepower output and roughly 1,100cc capacity are not figures ZXMoto has formally published.

There is also the small matter of actually making the engine work reliably, economically, and within modern emissions regulations. What isn't speculation is that Zhang Xue has publicly discussed the V5 project, and given what ZXMoto has managed to achieve with its existing three-cylinder platform, it isn't quite as fanciful as it might first sound.