British start-up Langen Motorcycles desires to bring back two-strokes, engine made of aluminium

There was a time when racing bikes sounded a lot more like enhanced lawnmowers. In the 80s, two-strokes like Yamaha’s fabled RD250 dominated the domestic racing scene in many countries, and now, a British start-up is attempting a sort of two-stroke renaissance.

Langen Motorcycles from Manchester in the UK is hoping to complete a limited production run of modern 250cc two-stroke performance bikes. The bike, referred to as simply ‘The Two-Stroke’, draws power from a 250cc V-twin motor made by Italian company Vins. The engine is capable to meet modern emission standards while still producing eye-watering power figures.

At a claimed 76PS, the Langen bike will be a whole 50% more powerful than the recently launched Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R. It will also weigh just 112kg compared to the 25R’s hefty 182kg. Langen’s engine is a lot lighter than the Kawasaki’s as it is built with a hefty amount of carbon-fibre and aluminium.

The fuel-tank and bodywork are made from carbon-fibre, with 24-carat gold leaf detailing to seal the deal. Everything is held together by a trellis frame constructed from aluminium tubes, and cycle parts are a similarly top-notch affair. Upfront, there are 320mm twin discs bitten on by radially-mounted callipers, and an Ohlin’s right-side-up fork. At the rear, stopping power comes from a 265mm disc brake and suspension is handled by twin shock absorbers from Ktech.

On the styling front, the Langen goes with a classic round headlight and low clip-on bars that give the bike a cafe racer look.