Retro looking Zeths ZFR 500 R Avenger breaks cover

Mar 25, 2024

The new Zeths ZFR 500 R Avenger is a retro sports bike that breaks the mould for motorcycles made in this Asian country

A surprising-looking motorcycle has started doing the rounds this week, as relatively unknown brand Zeths have leaked a funky-looking retro sportsbike.

The Zeths ZFR 500 R Avenger, to give it its full name, is a new machine from the Chinese brand and will be joining the firm’s existing Naja and Boger cruiser-style bikes. Not only is the machine a departure for the firm, as it looks like it will be the first sports bike in the roster, but it’s also actually a fairly interesting machine for a Chinese manufacturer.

Time and time again, bikes from the Middle Kingdom have been un-original and fairly uninspiring, often cut-copy-pasting designs of European and Japanese manufacturers. That isn’t the case here though, as the Zeths is inspired by sports and endurance racing bikes from the 70s and 80s.

Not only that, but the spec of the bike also actually looks quite good. Power comes from a parallel twin 500cc, the suspension is adjustable and features a USD fork, there is a single-sided swingarm, and even four-pot Brembo brakes – at least that’s what the sticker on the fairing states… These might all be commonplace on more familiar motorcycles, but for a bike from China, it makes interesting reading.

There are though some design touches that seem to be lifted from current bikes, with the exhaust looking very much like the item found on the Honda CB1000R, and the rear seat cowl echoing the same machine. We can’t have it all though, and as retro sports bikes go, we are suitably impressed with the look of the machine.

Whether or not it’ll ever land in Europe though, remains to be seen. Zeths only sells bikes in China as it stands, and has made no mention of a desire to expand to the UK, Europe, or beyond.