Langen Technology Limited (Langen), one of the leading automotive engineering and development companies, specialising in hand built, limited production motorcycles, will be returning to MCN’s London show for only the second time since the company started to proudly present their latest model the LightSpeed that was unveiled in November of last year.
The stunning new hypersport bike from Langen, Britain’s most exciting motorcycle manufacturer, was a big hit with visitors to Motorcycle Live in Birmingham hence the decision to bring it to London.
In addition, there will be one of the best examples of a customer’s bespoke Two Stroke machine on display along with a chance to speak with Langen founder Christofer Ratcliffe and his team about the finer details of the machines and how both the Two Stroke and LightSpeed came to be.
Christofer Ratcliffe Founder and CEO of Langen comments: “It will be great to be back in London for the MCN Motorcycle Show! Many Langen customers are based in London and the South East so the show will be a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones – offering the chance to order and start the specification of a new Langen motorcycle.
Langen Technology Limited (Langen), one of the leading automotive engineering and development companies, specialising in hand built, limited production motorcycles, unveiled its new LightSpeed at Motorcycle Live at the NEC Birmingham this week.
The stunning new hypersport bike from Langen, Britain’s most exciting motorcycle manufacturer, was a big hit with visitors to this year’s show. In a specially created presentation experience inspired by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama the assembled media and visitors were treated to an up close and personal view of the LightSpeed. A number of customer curated 2Strokes were also on display along with a chance to speak with Langen founder Christofer Ratcliffe and his team about the finer details of the machines and how the LightSpeed came into being.
The unique, class leading machine boasting a power to weight ratio of 1,000 bhp per tonne not only attracted the crowds but also had some reaching for their wallets to secure a build slot and VIN number, as only 185 of the Launch specification motorcycle will be available – each build individually commissioned for its owner. Whilst targeted for registration on UK roads, the LightSpeed is appealing to a global audience of enthusiasts and collectors of special automotive machines, with reservations being made from around the world.
Christofer Ratcliffe Founder and CEO of Langen comments: “I am overwhelmed with the response to the LightSpeed, in a show full of ‘off the peg’ bikes, to be able to offer something truly unique to our discerning customers with a range of personal options to make each LightSpeed as individual as the customer, it has made all the hard work over the last 12 months’ worth while. I can’t wait to see this pre-production prototype develop further as we move towards delivering the first builds to customers at the start of 2025”.
Langen Technology Limited (Langen), one of the leading automotive engineering and development companies, specialising in hand built, limited production motorcycles, will be proudly presenting their new Langen LightSpeed 1200 (LS-12) at Motorcycle Live 2023 at the National Exhibition Centre Birmingham between the 18th and 26th of November 2023.
Following the huge success of their first production motorcycle – The Two Stroke, Langen’s latest offering continues to demonstrate the company’s ability to build achingly beautiful, high- performance motorcycles using the very best components, fuelled by the team’s passion to combine innovation with emotion.
The LightSpeed is a truly awesome motorcycle with a power to weight ratio of 1,000hp per tonne, built into a head turning street bike – the likes of which have never been seen before.
The machine incorporates carbon fibre bodywork wrapped round a high tensile steel tubular space frame, Ohlins front forks and rear shock absorbers and Hel performance callipers grabbing 320mm twin floating front discs.
The beating heart of the LightSpeed is a liquid-cooled, transverse 72-degree V-Twin, Rotax engine bred on the racetrack. Manufactured by Buell Motorcycles and developed by Langen to deliver 185hp @ 10,600 RPM at the crank.
The UK launch edition will be limited to just 185 units homologated for the UK and as with the Two Stroke, will offer customers a range of bespoke options including paintwork, a choice of handlebars, wheels, and other unique finishing touches. Build slots can be reserved from today with delivery expected in early 2025.
Worldwide type approved models will be available in limited numbers from 2026.
Langen HQ have reported that some existing Two Stroke customers have already placed deposits ‘off plan’ for the Lightspeed without even seeing the bike.
Christofer Ratcliffe Founder and CEO of Langen comments: At Langen we believe that “cars move the body, yet motorcycles move the soul” – it demonstrates the intangible and unmatched human experience of riding and owning a Langen. When you throw a leg over the LightSpeed you soon realise that it’s not just another motorcycle but a heart-pounding, soul-stirring symphony of power and style.
The exclusive handcrafted Langen two stroke motorcycle gets off to a smoking start following its public debut.
After a decade as the Chief Design Engineer at acclaimed CCM Motorcycles, where he created a number of ground breaking motorcycles, in 2019 Christofer Ratcliffe (a.k.a. Langen), took the bold decision to break the shackles of a larger company and establish his own British motorcycle brand with some original and innovative new motorcycles.
Thus Langen Motorcycles was born, with the exciting new Langen Two Stroke being the first evidence of Christofer’s endeavours. 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 instantly meet with huge interest and praise, 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 +VAT for the limited 100-unit allocation, Langen will commence handcrafted Two Stroke production for customers in summer 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. If there is sufficient interest from overseas clients, Langen Motorcycles will also consider producing a further 150 Two Strokes in homologated form for the rest of the world, featuring a high specification, including ABS braking and so on.
Christofer’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’.
This advanced technology results in a healthy 75 bhp with 33lb.ft. of torque, courtesy of Langen’s tailored Vins injected 250cc V-twin lightweight motor which revs to 14,500rpm and features a counter-rotating crank. 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 light 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, allowing clients to personalise everything from the bike’s paint work, the chassis finish, and even the fork type and wheels. 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.”
Christofer added: “Judging by the hugely positive response to the new Langen Two Stroke at Blenheim Palace, included more initial pre-orders than I was expecting, my desire to produce motorcycles with a simplicity and purity of days gone by seems to be shared by countless other bike enthusiasts who really seem to savour the amazing sounds and smells of our new Two Stroke.” He concluded: “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.”
Pre-orders for the remaining first 100 Two Stroke bikes are now being taken, with a £1,000 refundable deposit needed to secure Langen’s inaugural motorcycle.
See the newest British motorcycle brand, Langen Motorcycles, atSalon Privé, Blenheim Palace, next week.
Thrilling new British company, Langen motorcycles, will break cover with their eagerly-awaited new model, the Two Stroke, next week at the prestigious Salon Prive
The event, held from 23rd-26th September at Blenheim Palace, will be the first time the ground-breaking, two-stroke, road legal motorcycle has been seen in public and it is great to see the Two Stroke launched at the same event as other beautiful new cars and bikes this year.
The Langen Two Stroke stands out from the crowd. It defies convention by using the latest two-stroke, 250cc, V-twin engine and will attack your senses through the sound, smell and sheer thrill that only a lightweight, two-stroke can deliver. And its redline? How does 14,500rpm sound!
The Two Stroke’s heart is produced for Langen by Vins, who are based in Maranello, Italy. The engine produces more than 75bhp (56kW) and 45Nm (33lb.ft). Born from an ‘extra-curricular’ passion project from members of the Ferrari research and development department, the CNC-machined engine has been developed over the last five years and suits the Langen Two Stroke perfectly. A combination of fuel injection, ECU-controlled oil injection, carbon fibre reed valves and electronic exhaust valves enable the engine to produce eye-watering performance figures, yet within an environmentally-friendly set up as a highly tractable, road legal motorcycle.
Power-to-weight ratio is the key to the Langen Two Stroke performance, with a design philosophy of simplification and lack of weight. The result is the Two Stroke weighs just 114kg (251lbs). This gives an incredible power-to-weight ratio of 660bhp/ton – more than most supercars.
The Langen Two Stroke is a handmade, bespoke creation. The chassis is made by hand from large-diameter, laser cut aluminium tubing, with bonded and machined connection points. Light, Ohlins front forks and British K-Tech rear shocks control the nimble machine. The bodywork, including the fuel tank is made from hand-laid carbon fibre, as is the gold leaf detailing.
Langen is really proud of its roots and the Two Stroke has been designed, engineered and built in Wigan, Greater Manchester. Partnerships have been made with the best British manufacturing companies to produce components of the bike which require specific expertise and experience such as such as Hel Performance brakes, Dunlop tyres and K-tech suspension. Every detail of the Two Stroke has been carefully considered, crafted and specified to uphold Langen’s values of quality, innovation and tradition.
Each engine will be built to order and individually numbered to match the customers motorcycle, with fully CNC machined casings and custom interchangeable gearbox. Customisation can range from paint colours, chassis finish and suspension type to wheels, along with tailored ergonomics for each individual rider.
Chris Ratcliffe, creator of Langen and designer of the Two Stroke, has more than 10 years’ experience designing successful motorcycles. He says:
‘The company has been founded with the aim of producing motorcycles with a simplicity and purity of days gone by, like the ‘Ton-up boys’ and their Cafe racers – yet pushing the limits of modern technology.
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 dream come true.
The aim is to continue to push boundaries and create more interesting bikes, which we hope will really please people.’
The initial build will be limited to 100 individually numbered Two Strokes, which will be road legal in the UK. Production is targeted to begin in summer 2021. A further 150 motorcycles will be produced starting 2022, which will be available in homologated form for road use in other countries around the world. The total number of builds will be strictly limited to 250 bikes, each of them built to order.
The Two Stroke is priced from £28,000 plus VAT where applicable. Due to the overwhelming response so far, pre-orders are now being taken with a £1000 refundable deposit to secure one of the 100 initial bikes.
Working on the philosophy that motorcycles should provide raw excitement to ride, yet be a pleasure to stand and admire. Form and function working in harmony.
We sincerely hope you enjoy sharing this journey with us and helping to create a new chapter of British motorcycle history.
