Chapter 28: Frame and Fang
Design Begins
With the Morning Star engine tested and proven, the next question was obvious:
"What kind of motorcycle deserves to carry it?"
Chen Rui gathered the small development team in the toolroom, where a whiteboard stood scuffed and faded. He drew a simple outline.
125cc.
Urban commuter.
Fuel-efficient. Easy to repair. Agile in city traffic.
But it had to look modern. Sharp angles, tighter profile, less "state factory" and more "1995 on the move."
Li Wei suggested: "Make the seat lower — comfortable for both men and women."
Xu Lian added: "Use resin fairings. We can mold them in-house if we adapt the press machines."
The young mechanic Yu Dong, normally shy, mumbled, "The chain cover should be full… keeps clothes from getting caught."
Chen Rui grinned. "Exactly. This isn't a race bike. It's a workhorse for the people."
They called it the Kaiyuan Light Rider.
Blueprint and Bones
Over the next two weeks, Rui skipped several afternoon classes to oversee frame adjustments. The factory repurposed one welding bay for light steel prototype work.
He borrowed a welding mask himself — and after three failed attempts and a scolding from the foreman, finally helped tack together the first test chassis.
It didn't look pretty yet, but it was theirs.
And more importantly — it fit the engine perfectly.
Meanwhile, at Haotian Motors
In a sleek boardroom across town, Assistant VP Gao Yuan frowned as he reviewed a confidential memo.
Subject: Kaiyuan's 125cc Engine – Test Leak
Summary: Prototype performed at or above Haotian baseline.
He muttered under his breath, "They actually pulled it off."
Haotian had written off Kaiyuan months ago. A failing SOE shell with a teenage manager? No threat.
Now?
They were getting rumors from vendors. Tooling orders. Interest from resellers. A new bike in development.
One of his underlings asked, "Do we counter?"
Gao Yuan nodded. "Two ways. First — let's leak that we're releasing a new 150cc next quarter. Get their resellers nervous."
"And second?"
Gao leaned back. "Offer one of their engineers a job."
"Which one?"
"The woman. Xu Lian. Find her number."
Back at Kaiyuan
Xu Lian received the call while reviewing the front fork design with Li Wei.
A polite voice. "We're from Haotian. We're very impressed by your recent work. If you're looking for a more stable opportunity, we can offer—"
She hung up before they finished the sentence.
Then she marched straight to Chen Rui's office and dropped her phone on his desk.
"They're making their move."
Rui stayed calm.
"They know we're for real," he said. "That means we keep building. Faster."
He looked at the engine blueprint on the wall. Then at the half-built frame by the garage door.
"Let's give them something they can't copy."
Light, Fast, Ours
That night, they ran the first fitment test of the new frame with the Morning Star engine. The bike wasn't even painted yet, just raw steel, exposed wires, and temporary tires.
But when they rolled it out under the floodlights…
…it looked like the future.
Lean, simple, strong.
Not a clone.
Not a Haotian knockoff.
A Kaiyuan original.