Boutique UK motorcycle manufacturer, Langen Motorcycles, is set to revive the long lost road-going 2-stroke motorcycle, but the limited production Langen Two Stroke comes at quite a price...
While the major manufacturers have long since put the 2-stroke engine out to pasture for road bikes, British boutique manufacturer Langen Motorcycles is set to bring the lost snarl of the oil-burner back to the streets of the UK and possibly the world with its limited run debut model.
Following its highly successful world debut at Salon Privé́ in late September Langen Motorcycles is kicking things off to a smoking start with its first production model, the Two Stroke.
The Langen Two Stroke uses a 250cc 2-stroke V-Twin which combines 75bhp with a featherweight 114kg to achieve a 660bhp to ton power-to-weight ratio, which should mean the little 2-stroke twin should outstrip most supercars.
Langen was founded only last year by former CCM Motorcycles Chief Design Engineer Christofer Ratchliffe, who decided he wanted to break the shackles of a larger company and establish his own to do something quite different.
Making its public world debut at the prestigious Salon Privé́ vehicle Concours at Blenheim Palace in late September 2020, the handmade 250cc V-Twin Two Stroke was instantly meet with huge interest, with around a third of the bike’s planned limited production of 100 examples now already reserved in under three weeks since its launch.
Priced at £28,000 plus taxes (just shy of NZ$55,000) Langen will commence hand building the Two Stroke customers in mid-2021 at a rate of two-to-three examples per week. Already certified as fully road legal for the UK, Two Stroke riders will also be able to enjoy their Langens in other countries for track use.
Good news for us is Langen says that while the 100 bike allocation is reserved for the UK, if there is sufficient interest from overseas clients they will also consider producing a further 150 Two Strokes in homologated form for the rest of the world.
Ratcliffe's inspiration for his new 250cc limited production Two Stroke has been to create a pure, performance-orientated two stroke bike in the best café racer traditions. Unlike traditional performance two stroke motorcycles of the past however, the Langen Two Stroke cleverly combines modern technology and inherent power/performance advantages with an environmentally considerate V-Twin engine with a modern fuel injection system, ECU-controlled oil injection and electronic exhaust valves, yet also passing the all-important two-stroke ‘sniff test’.
The result is a healthy 75hp backed up with 45Nm of torque, courtesy of Langen’s tailored Vins injected 250cc V-twin lightweight motor. This engine is housed in a bespoke and painstakingly-built aluminium tube space frame with high-specification motorcycle parts, including Öhlins front forks, K-Tech twin shocks suspending the rear, Hel Performance brakes and Dunlop tyres to ensure the Langen Twin Stroke stops and turns as well as it pulls.
To help achieve the Langen’s weight of just 114kg (including oil and water) the Two Stroke’s bodywork and fuel tank are produced in hand-laid carbon-fibre, complete with hand-finished gold leaf detailing, although a range of customisation options are also available.
A 1990’s Grand Prix racer-style dual-exit exhaust system, complete with right-hand-side and under seat pipes, emits the pleasingly smoky sights and smells that bike enthusiasts relish with two-stroke motorcycles.
Speaking of the enthusiastic response to the Two Stroke’s debut at Blenheim Palace, Langen Motorcycles founder, Christofer Ratcliffe, said: "My dream has always been to create a small piece of British motorcycling history. To be able to launch this special motorcycle under a completely new brand really is a hugely rewarding realisation of this dream. I just want to create some interesting bikes and my aim is to continue to push boundaries, which I hope will really please people."
Ratcliffe is under no illusions that the heyday of the 2-stroke is long since in the past, and while the limited production Two Stroke is road legal the future of the 2-stroke engine remains bleak.
“For me, with all these electric bikes now launching, the first Langen is a final swansong for the two-stroke; an intriguing modern twist on a proud performance café racer tradition.”