Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Words on factory building reading "Chongqing Zhangxue Locomotive (ZXMOTO) Industry Co., Ltd."
2. ZXMOTO founder Zhang Xue walking into workshop, talking with reporter
3. Slogan reading "speak with data, prove with precision, deliver with results"
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Xue, founder/owner of ZXMOTO (with reporter asking question) (starting with shot 3):
"Our current daily output from the first production line is 200 units. The second line is expected to be completed around the middle of this month, and once it's ready, it will add another 100 units per day."
(Reporter: "Can you meet the current order volume?)
"No, we can't. This month alone we've sold the equivalent of half our annual production volume."
5. Various of ZXMOTO production floor, engineers working, new motorcycles
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Xue, founder/owner of ZXMOTO (partially overlaid with shots 7-8):
"For our ZXMOTO 820RR, we refuse to sell it to anyone with less than a year of riding experience. And guess what? We've even gotten complaints. We thought this restriction might cut our orders by about 10 percent. But now it looks like the hit is even bigger, more than 10 percent. I know these bikes are dangerous. Big-displacement motorcycles are thrilling. The higher the revs, the more intense the excitement. Young riders can easily get carried away, and that's when accidents happen. This move might cost me some money now, but if it sparks public debate and actually pushes China toward a graded licensing system, that would be a great thing. Sure, I might make less this year, that stings a bit. But I have my eyes on becoming a world-class premium brand. Ten years from now, when I look back at this decision, I'll know I did the right thing. The loss will be like nothing."
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7. Various of engineers working on production line
8. New motorcycles in warehouse
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9. Various of Zhang walking in factory, talking with staff member
10. Various of Zhang working at computer in office
11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Xue, founder/owner of ZXMOTO (partially overlaid with shots 12-13):
"There will definitely be times when we build a bike just for a race, like the 450 RALLY, born for the Dakar. It's not something you'd ever use in daily life. It's pure racing machine. It barely makes any money, but it's a flagship product, a symbol of the brand. Taking on that kind of challenge pushes our entire research and development team. I deliberately set the bar high to test their limits. Pulling off something truly exciting helps the team grow. If all we did year after year was crank out unchallenging products, the team's passion would slowly fade away."
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
12. Various of staff members working in factory, new motorcycles
13. Various of engineers working at computer in office
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14. Various of factory interior, equipment in operation

Zhang Xue, founder of a rising Chinese motorcycle brand ZXMOTO, has voluntarily restricted sales of high-powered bikes to inexperienced riders, using his company's recent historic victory at a world championship to push for a graded licensing system in China.

Zhang's call for reform came shortly after his brand shattered the long-standing dominance of European and Japanese manufacturers at the World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK) in Portugal. French rider Valentin Debise, riding a ZXMOTO machine, won two consecutive races, the first time a Chinese brand has ever won in the category.

The victories triggered a surge in pre-orders, with estimated annual sales of nearly 60,000 units and revenue of about 1.8 billion yuan (about 263.6 million U.S. dollars).

"Our current daily output from the first production line is 200 units. The second line is expected to be completed around the middle of this month, and once it's ready, it will add another 100 units per day. We are still unable to meet the surging demand though. This month alone we've sold the equivalent of half our annual production volume," Zhang said.

Despite booming demand, Zhang remains firm on limiting sales to inexperienced riders, a stance that comes at a substantial cost, yet one he considers a worthwhile sacrifice.

"For our ZXMOTO 820RR, we refuse to sell it to anyone with less than a year of riding experience. And guess what? We've even gotten complaints. We thought this restriction might cut our orders by about 10 percent. But now it looks like the hit is even bigger, more than 10 percent," Zhang said.

When asked why he would choose to stick to the decision, Zhang said, "I know these bikes are dangerous. Big-displacement motorcycles are thrilling. The higher the revs, the more intense the excitement. Young riders can easily get carried away, and that's when accidents happen. This move might cost me some money now, but if it sparks public debate and actually pushes China toward a graded licensing system, that would be a great thing. Sure, I might make less this year, that stings a bit. But I have my eyes on becoming a world-class premium brand. Ten years from now, when I look back at this decision, I'll know I did the right thing. The loss will be like nothing."

Zhang has set a goal of ranking among the world's top ten motorcycle brands within a decade, using top-tier competitions such as WorldSBK, the Dakar Rally and MotoGP as proving grounds for technology.

"There will definitely be times when we build a bike just for a race, like the 450 RALLY, born for the Dakar. It's not something you'd ever use in daily life. It's pure racing machine. It barely makes any money, but it's a flagship product, a symbol of the brand. Taking on that kind of challenge pushes our entire research and development team. I deliberately set the bar high to test their limits. Pulling off something truly exciting helps the team grow. If all we did year after year was crank out unchallenging products, the team's passion would slowly fade away," he said.