Motorcycles

Langen unveils a gorgeous, featherweight 2-stroke cafe racer

Langen unveils a gorgeous, featherweight 2-stroke cafe racer
This gorgeous, lightweight roadster is the Langen 2-Stroke
This gorgeous, lightweight roadster is the Langen 2-Stroke
View 6 Images
Vins provides the 250cc 2-stroke engine, a 90-degree v-twin with CNC-machined engine casings and an impressive 80 horsepower
1/6
Vins provides the 250cc 2-stroke engine, a 90-degree v-twin with CNC-machined engine casings and an impressive 80 horsepower
The Brits sure know how to make a pretty frame. This trellis job recalls the CCM spitfire, along with some of Spondon's work and some of the buxom curves of the Triumph Speed Triple
2/6
The Brits sure know how to make a pretty frame. This trellis job recalls the CCM spitfire, along with some of Spondon's work and some of the buxom curves of the Triumph Speed Triple
This gorgeous, lightweight roadster is the Langen 2-Stroke
3/6
This gorgeous, lightweight roadster is the Langen 2-Stroke
Spoked, tubeless rims look great
4/6
Spoked, tubeless rims look great
Super-slim profile gives you an idea of the incredible lightness of this bike
5/6
Super-slim profile gives you an idea of the incredible lightness of this bike
Weighing just 112 kg, the Langen 2-Stroke will be an exceptionally fun bike to throw into corners
6/6
Weighing just 112 kg, the Langen 2-Stroke will be an exceptionally fun bike to throw into corners
View gallery - 6 images

Langen Motorcycles is a vintage British brand from Manchester with a storied history reaching back to ... Oh, 2019. Well it certainly looks vintage, in the finest hipster tradition. It's a new concern started by Christofer "Langen" Ratcliffe, the ex-Chief Design Engineer at CCM Motorcycles, which explains some of the visual similarities between the new Langen 2-Stroke and the CCM Spitfire we first saw in 2017.

That was a beautiful bike, and so's this with its tastefully curvaceous trellis frame and swingarm, spoked tubeless rims, carbon tank and bodywork, 24-karat gold leaf detailing, rubber fork gaiters and neo-retro cafe racer styling.

The big news, of course, is in the model name. A two-stroke road bike, the kind of thing we all thought died out with the mighty Aprilia RS250 back in 2004. Indeed, the motor comes from the manufacturer of the only other two-smoker streetbike we've seen in the last ten years: the Vins Duecinquanta, a featherweight 250 weighing just 95 kg (209 lb) in road trim and even less in a track version.

Vins provides the 250cc 2-stroke engine, a 90-degree v-twin with CNC-machined engine casings and an impressive 80 horsepower
Vins provides the 250cc 2-stroke engine, a 90-degree v-twin with CNC-machined engine casings and an impressive 80 horsepower

The sound of this thing on a dyno should put a few smiles on the right faces. The Vins bikes cost nearly US$50,000, though, so back in 2017 we found ourselves hoping that somebody might put that same crazy motor into something a little more approachable. Perhaps this is it!

In the Langen 2-Stroke, this fuel-injected, 250cc, 90-degree v-twin motor is tuned for a very feisty 80 horsepower and 45 Nm (33.2 lb-ft) at 11,700 rpm. And while Langen hasn't put quite the same obsessive focus on lightweighting that Vins has, the 2-Stroke is as light as a 450cc dirtbike at just 112 kg (247 lb). This bike will change direction like a frickin' mosquito and be terrific fun to ride.

The Brits sure know how to make a pretty frame. This trellis job recalls the CCM spitfire, along with some of Spondon's work and some of the buxom curves of the Triumph Speed Triple
The Brits sure know how to make a pretty frame. This trellis job recalls the CCM spitfire, along with some of Spondon's work and some of the buxom curves of the Triumph Speed Triple

As a small-run machine with Ohlins forks, a pair of "bespoke" K-Tech shocks, HEL billet brake calipers, a removable 6-speed gearbox and the aforementioned carbon and gold leaf bodywork, this is sadly not going to be the affordable street stroker many are hoping for. Langen is floating numbers around the £30,000 (US$37,700) mark, and says the engine, with its CNC machined casings, is "the majority of the cost of the bike."

So it seems these nutty, featherweight beasts will remain out of reach for the majority of riders for the time being. But what beauties they are, and we can all dream!

Source: Langen Motorcycles

View gallery - 6 images
4 comments
4 comments
Tanker_Man
These pictures, except for the engine, must be an artist's rendition since the chain doesn't look real. They need a fairing option for the track. The specs make it sound like it would be fun on the track.
Nelson Hyde Chick
2 stroke is so last century, and should not be a power source for the future because of their heightened emissions.
Kevin Ritchey
I thought my old '74 Kawasaki 2-stroke that I still have was only street legal because of grandfathered legalities as they were made illegal for production due to high emissions. What has changed?
Padus Badook
It looks simply magnificent. I’ve always wondered...KTM has compliance for its off road 2-strokes, surely a single cylinder 250/300 in the RC390 frame with a little bit more refinement in the suspension and brakes as well as road focused gear ratios would be a seller? At the very least for a limited run.