Chapter 451: Iron Rider: Second Generation

The test track at Shenzhen Bao'an Industrial Park had its asphalt softened by the scorching southern sun, steaming up a hazy heat wave.

He Xiao wore sunglasses but still squinted, his gaze fixed on the motorcycle at the start line covered with Camouflage fabric.

His heart beat a little fast.

His palms were slightly sweaty.

It wasn't because of the heat.

"Brother Xiao, we've checked it three times, no problem," a young man in oil‑stained work clothes ran over, wiping sweat from his forehead, his face brimming with excitement, "James Lao Yezi personally tuned the carburetor, says it'll be powerful!"

He Xiao nodded, saying nothing.

He walked to the motorcycle, reached out, and brushed the icy cold frame.

Under the Camouflage cloth was a streamlined silhouette, its lines harder and fuller than the first‑generation 'Xunfeng' produced from Japanese‑sourced technology.

This is the second generation 'Iron Rider'.

It is the 'son of their own', forged by digesting Japanese technology, blending the chassis‑tuning experience brought by James's British senior engineers, and the bits of inspiration picked up over more than half a year in the Pingshan automobile project team.

"Unveil!" He Xiao inhaled deeply and shouted.

The Camouflage cloth slipped away in response.

The silver‑gray body suddenly burst into a cold metallic sheen under the sun.

The shape was simpler and stronger than the first generation, with a full fuel tank, a wide thick seat, and a stout exhaust pipe.

The headlamp featured a retro square‑with‑rounded design, yet housed a brighter halogen bulb.

The most striking part was the engine, visibly bulkier than the previous generation.

"One‑hundred‑fifty milliliters, single‑cylinder four‑stroke, air‑cooled."

He Xiao seemed to talk to himself, yet also introduced to the gathered engineers and workers, "The compression ratio is higher, we used new piston‑ring material, power is fifteen percent up from the last generation."

He paused.

"The key is that we can produce it ourselves. The cylinder block, crankshaft, gearbox gears—except for a few bearings and electronic components, all core parts come from our Bao'an production line."

Low murmurs of admiration rose around.

From wholly relying on Japanese blueprints and parts assembly to now being able to forge the engine core ourselves, this step took almost two years.

How much foreign exchange was spent, how many nights were burned, how many arguments were had—only they know.

"Where's the test rider?" He Xiao asked.

"I'll go!" a dark‑skinned, lean short guy squeezed out of the crowd and swiftly put on his helmet.

He was an old test rider poached from Wuyang Honda, surname Chen, not much of a talker, but his hands were extremely steady.

He Xiao patted his shoulder: "Lao Chen, take it easy, mainly test mid‑low speed torque and vibration control. No rush on top speed."

"Got it!" Lao Chen straddled the bike and pulled the starter lever.

"Hoom—!"

A deep, powerful roar burst out, shattering the afternoon's dullness on the test track.

Unlike the first generation's slightly thin, sharp timbre, the second‑gen 'Iron Rider' roared with a richer, more confident tone.

The idle was steady, vibration noticeably less than the previous generation.

Lao Chen nodded, shifted gears, and released the clutch.

The motorcycle started smoothly, acceleration was linear and strong, quickly gaining speed on the straight.

In corners, the bike leaned heavily yet remained stable.

He Xiao's eyes tightly followed that silver‑gray silhouette, his ears catching the engine's roar at varying RPMs.

Steady.

Powerful.

That was his most immediate impression.

"Brake!" he grabbed the Intercom and shouted.

In the distance, the motorcycle's speed dropped sharply and it stopped steadily.

Lao Chen raised his thumb.

He Xiao exhaled, only then noticing his shirt at the back was soaked through.

It was from nerves.

"Preliminarily looks good," came James's heavily accented voice from nearby.

The old man had somehow also arrived at the side, arms crossed, expression blank, but his eyes held a hint of approval.

"Chassis rigidity is solid, suspension match better than last time. Engine output is smooth, vibration control has been worked on."

He rarely gave praise, adding, "But the exhaust note could still be tweaked; it's a bit muffled now. Also, high‑speed stability needs longer road testing."

"Copy that!" He Xiao grinned, flashing white teeth.

Getting this stubborn old man's approval meant more than anything.

"What's the pricing?" the market manager leaned in to ask.

He Xiao restrained his smile, thought for a moment.

The first‑gen 'Xunfeng' sold for 2,800 yuan, then a relatively high price for a domestic bike, but thanks to the Japanese‑tech label and decent quality, it sold well.

The second‑gen 'Iron Rider' had overall performance upgrades, a higher self‑production rate of key parts, and cost was actually kept fairly well.

"3,200 yuan," He Xiao quoted, "four hundred more than the Xunfeng. But our power is stronger, more stable, and more fuel‑efficient. Marketing will highlight 'Power Upgrade, Steady as Iron Rider.'"

He looked at the market manager: "The first batch will target cities in the affluent provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang. Individual Households, small bosses, and wealthy families are our main customers. They're willing to spend on a better, more reliable tool."

Almost at the same moment the second‑gen 'Iron Rider' roared on the test track,

in a lab building of Longgang Electronic Industrial Park, the atmosphere was completely different.

Quiet.

Only the instrument indicator lights flickered weakly, accompanied by the hiss of the air‑conditioning airflow.

Xu Jiaming and several engineers gathered around a workbench covered with an anti‑static mat.

On the table were a few items.

A black plastic chassis, slightly larger than a palm and shaped like a soap box, with a single‑line LCD screen and several buttons.

This is the second‑generation Wanshang Pager.

Beside it lay a larger, thicker black plastic block, its top sprouting a short antenna, heavy in the hand.

This is the first‑generation Wanshang handheld mobile Telephone.

Commonly called the "big brother".

Xu Jiaming gently lifted the pager.

Compared with the first generation, which used Japanese‑sourced technology, the second generation is slimmer, the screen can display more characters, and it can show Chinese surnames and simple numeric codes.

"We have made the core decoding chip ourselves."

The engineer in charge of the project, a young man wearing thick glasses, introduced it softly, his tone proud, "Although it still lags behind Japan's latest models, stability is fine. Standby time has been extended to five days. The Chinese character font file solidified five hundred common surnames and phrases."

Xu Jiaming nodded and pressed a few buttons.

The screen lit up, displaying clearly.

"Cost?"

"Thirty percent lower than the first generation's imported component assembly. If mass‑produced, it can drop further."

"Price?"

"Planned at 1,100 yuan—about fifty percent cheaper than Motorola's comparable model."

The engineer adjusted his glasses, "Mainly aimed at corporate managers, sales staff, and… the early‑rich segment."

Xu Jiaming set the pager down and picked up the "big brother".

It felt heavy, close to one kilogram.

Its shape is square, edges sharp, a typical engineering prototype style—hardly elegant, but exuding a solid, clumsy feel.

"This…" Xu Jiaming weighed it, his brows slightly furrowed, "Is it too heavy?"

"Director Xu, there's no way."

The Group Leader, a man in his forties with thinning hair, sighed, "The battery accounts for almost half the weight. Analog signal, high power, drains quickly. We're still using nickel‑cadmium batteries and have optimized the circuit as much as possible. Antenna technology is still being tackled; efficiency is low, so the device's power can't be reduced."

"Call quality? Coverage?"

"Near a city base station, call clarity is decent, comparable to a wired telephone. Farther from the base station, noise rises and drops occur. Coverage… currently relies mainly on the analog cellular networks of Shenzhen and Hong Kong; outside that area, it's just a brick."

The Group Leader spoke frankly.

This thing is now an expensive toy, or rather a status symbol.

Its practicality is far inferior to a landline, even less convenient than a pager.

But it is the future.

Everyone can see that.

"R&D investment is huge," the Group Leader added, "RF, baseband, battery, antenna… every link is a pitfall. Japanese and American companies started far earlier than us."

Xu Jiaming remained silent and pressed the red power button.

The device emitted a faint zz‑zz sound, and the signal light on top began to flash.

The screen lit up, showing simple signal strength and battery indicators.

He dialed an internal test number.

The waiting tone was long.

After a few seconds, the earpiece transmitted a muffled "Hello? Hello?"

Connected.

"It's me, Xu Jiaming. Can you hear me clearly?"

"Director Xu! Clear! Just a bit… buzz." The tester's voice came from both the earpiece and the speaker of another test unit beside it, with slight delay and distortion.

Xu Jiaming said a few brief words and hung up.

The call wasn't perfect, but it indeed achieved wireless mobile communication.

In 1987 China, this itself was an astonishing technological breakthrough.

"Price…" Xu Jiaming looked at the Group Leader, already harboring a bad feeling.

The Group Leader gave a figure.

Xu Jiaming's eyelid twitched.

"Twenty‑eight thousand… yuan?"

"That's still our estimated cost price with profit minimized as much as possible," the Group Leader chuckled wryly, "Many key components still need import, tariffs are high. Moreover, network entry fees, monthly fees, call charges… the postal‑telegraph bureau's costs aren't small either."

Twenty‑eight thousand eight hundred.

In an era when a regular worker's monthly salary was under one hundred yuan, this was undeniably an astronomical figure.

"First, a small‑batch trial production," Xu Jiaming finally decided, "One hundred units. Mainly for internal senior executives and key business department testing, and… as top‑tier corporate gifts."

He set down the heavy "big brother".

"Continue tackling the challenges; the goal is to reduce weight, increase standby time, cut cost… by at least one‑third. That takes time—maybe three to five years, maybe longer—but the direction is correct."

He turned to the pager team: "Your product, mass‑produce and launch as soon as possible. That's the more realistic market demand now. Ensure quality, and keep after‑sales service up to speed."

"Yes!"

"The big brother project remains confidential, low‑key development. When the technology matures and costs become more advantageous, we'll discuss it."

Xu Jiaming finished the arrangements and walked out of the lab building.

The setting sun fell, and Longgang Gongye Yuan was cloaked in a golden glow.

In the distance, from the Bao'an direction, a faint motorcycle engine sound seemed to come.

It was the second‑generation Iron Cavalry racing.

Nearby, in the laboratory, there were weak wireless communication signals.

One connecting the earth.

One connecting the sky.

Both were the cutting‑edge pulse of this era.

A few days later, at Wanxiang Group's internal new product briefing.

He Xiao presented the test data and sample of the second‑generation Iron Cavalry motorcycle, full of vigor.

Xu Jiaming then brought the second‑generation pager and a prototype of the big brother phone, speaking calmly and cautiously.

Li Ping'an sat in the main seat, listening quietly.

When he saw the motorcycle, he nodded.

When he saw the pager, he picked it up and looked at it.

When that brick‑like big brother phone was placed on the table, his gaze lingered for a moment.

"Motorcycle, arrange mass production and launch as soon as possible. Quality is key; brand reputation must be built bit by bit," he said to He Xiao.

"Pager, clear positioning, cost‑performance is its advantage. Advertising can begin," he said to Xu Jiaming.

Finally, his finger lightly tapped that big brother phone.

"Take this and keep it. Continue investing; don't worry about short‑term gains or losses. One day in the future, people will depend on it. And then, I hope we will already be ready."

After the meeting adjourned, Li Ping'an stood alone by the office window.

In the dusk, Shenzhen's lights were just turning on.

On the streets, bicycle traffic wove like a fabric, with occasional cars passing.

He seemed to see that, in the near future, more Iron Cavalry motorcycles would weave through streets and alleys, becoming partners on countless people's path to wealth.

He seemed to hear countless "beep‑beep" pager alerts rapidly sounding between office buildings and the business sea, conveying information and opportunities.

And farther in the future, that heavy "brick" will become lighter and smarter, eventually weaving an invisible network that covers the world and changes everyone's way of life.

Wanshang's steps are treading the starting point of the two future pillar industries of manufacturing and communications.

The road is still long.

But the engine is already roaring.

The signal has already been sent.

The world is racing toward a tighter, louder future at an unprecedented speed.

And he must ensure his team always stays in the first echelon.