Langen are a small-scale boutique motorbike builder based in Wigan. Four years ago they breathed new life into the two-stroke with a lightweight 250cc V-twin which proved smelly old strokers could still go on sale (albeit in very small numbers) in today’s emissions controlled environment.
Called, rather matter-of-factly, the Two Stroke, this rolling work of art mated its 75bhp Italian built motor with a handcrafted chassis which, together, weighed just 125kg. Limited to just 100 units and priced at over £35,000, the Two Stroke was certainly exclusive. Now Langen is back with another pricey limited edition motorcycle. Meet the LS12 Lightspeed.
Langen say they’ll make 185 Lightspeeds, each built bespoke to the new owner’s specific order, priced from £44,000. What’s more, they’re planning to become the makers of the world’s fastest production motorcycle, with a 300bhp turbocharged version also in the pipeline.
But for the naturally aspirated Lightspeed, 185 is the key number, with 185bhp claimed from the Buell sourced engine and a dry weight of just 185kg, which is pretty impressive considering it’s a real brute. It’s not a feisty super flyweight in the vein of the 250, but it certainly packs some figures which suggest it will deliver a pretty hefty punch out on the road – and its certainly much lighter than anything that’s remotely similar.
Not that we expect to see too many Langens down at the local bike meet. It’s an exclusive motorcycle likely to be picked up by collectors and enthusiasts who’ll take them out only on the sunniest of sunny days. Langen says that the Lightspeed is ‘incomparable’ and they’ll work with buyers to create a very personalised machine. Ergonomics and chassis geometry are set up for the individual buyer, while colours and materials can be modified, with things like exhausts, wheels and seats all able to be specced by the purchaser.
The gold-coloured high tensile steel tubular space frame echoes that of the Two Stroke, and all around there’s lovely detailing and beautifully machined components. The Langen branded brake calipers come from Devon company HEL Performance, suspension is by Ohlins and Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres adorn the lightweight forged and CNC machined wheels. That rear is a massive 240-section number, the same kind of tyre you’d find on a Ducati Diavel or Triumph Rocket 3, which tells you a lot about what type of bike it is. Power output is the same as those two machines too, but with less weight to carry around it should haul harder than pretty much any other road legal motorcycle.
Langen has developed its own electronics package for the Rotax-designed Buell engine, and includes the usual traction control, wheelie control and launch control, and Lightspeeds fully homologated for sale and use in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Japan and Australia should start rolling off the production line this time next year. Langen say they will make UK specification machines, which will no doubt go through less stringent Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) from this summer. These can also be ordered without ABS and catalytic converters, which should reduce a little weight and add some extra power.
The LS12 Lightspeed is expected to be joined by an even more limited edition turbocharged version, with which the company hope to capture the title ‘world’s fastest production motorcycle’. The company say that dyno figures suggest the boosted version will be capable of delivering a reliable and tractable 250bhp in ‘road’ mode, with full power unlocking 300bhp.
Wanna place a deposit? Head to Langen’s website and let them know you’re interested!
