Langen Lightspeed: 185 Horsepower, 185 Kilos

Langen Lightspeed Enters Production: 185 hp and 185 kg, for 185 owners…

Langen Motorcycles has officially taken the next major step in its young but inspiring history. On 10 November 2025, the British manufacturer unveiled the production-spec Langen Lightspeed at Gunhill Studios — a machine that represents the company’s boldest and most ambitious creation to date.

First revealed as a concept in 2023, the Lightspeed is now fully homologated for the UK and available to order. Limited to just 185 hand-built units, the bike delivers a staggering 185 horsepower and weighs 185 kg — a numerical symmetry that underscores Langen’s obsession with detail, engineering purity, and mechanical beauty.

With production slots now open after its public debut during Motorcycle Live at NEC Birmingham, Langen is poised to redefine what a boutique British motorcycle can be.

A New Chapter for Langen

Founded in 2018 by Christofer Ratcliffe, Langen was created with a single mission: bring back the lost art of building motorcycles by hand, guided not by spreadsheets and mass-production constraints but by creativity, craftsmanship, and emotional connection. The company’s first model — the Langen Two Stroke — quickly drew global attention for its unapologetic celebration of simplicity, engineering, and unapologetic performance.

The Langen: A Modern Street-Legal Two-Stroke Sports Bike!

The Lightspeed represents the next step in that journey. It blends the soul and style of heritage British craftsmanship with modern engineering: a high-tensile tubular steel space frame, carbon-fibre bodywork, Öhlins suspension, and a locally machined braking system from HEL Performance. Wherever possible, components were sourced, machined, or fabricated within the UK — a non-negotiable aspect of Langen’s identity.

The Langen Two Stroke: Where the Story Began

Before the Lightspeed, Langen’s breakout moment arrived with the Langen Two Stroke — a hand-built, featherweight 250cc V-twin two-stroke that instantly captured worldwide attention. Limited to just 100 units, the Two Stroke showcased everything the brand stands for: British craftsmanship, emotional engineering, and obsessive attention to detail.

Weighing just 112 kg (247 lbs) and producing around 75 horsepower, the bike delivered an otherworldly power-to-weight ratio and a riding experience reminiscent of a Grand Prix machine — sharp, raw, and intoxicating. Its high-tensile steel frame, carbon bodywork, and artisan-level finish established Langen as a company unafraid to chase purity over convention.

The Two Stroke was more than a motorcycle; it was a manifesto. It proved that small-batch British engineering still had room for bold ideas and made Langen a serious name among collectors and performance purists. The Lightspeed builds directly on that foundation, expanding the brand’s philosophy into the realm of high-performance, road-focused V-twins.

The Machine: 185 Horsepower at 10,600 rpm

At the heart of the Lightspeed is a 1190cc liquid-cooled 72-degree V-twin, developed by Rotax and manufactured by Buell — the same base engine used in the Super Cruiser. Langen equips it with its own electronics package and EFI system, including twin 60mm Bosch throttle bodies and two-port injectors.

The result:

185 hp @ 10,600 rpm
138 Nm @ 8,200 rpm
More than 1000 bhp per tonne
185 kg dry weight (407 lbs)

While most will focus on the power output, Chris tell us the weight number is the “magic one for me.” For context, the Lightspeed is 85 lbs lighter than a Ducati Diavel, which weighs 223 kg dry (492 lbs) and produces just 168 horsepower.

Add a slipper clutch, six-speed transmission, and Renthal final drive, and the Lightspeed promises the kind of visceral riding experience that most modern machines have filtered out in the name of refinement.

To help riders channel all that power, Langen’s in-house electronics suite includes:

Traction control
Launch control
Cruise control
Wheelie control
ABS braking

Despite the numbers, the Lightspeed is designed as a real-road motorcycle, comfortable enough for long days in the saddle but sharp enough to behave like a modern sportsbike.

A Marriage of Craft and Performance

The Lightspeed’s engineering core is wrapped in signature Langen design language — a fusion of minimalism and subtle 1960s race-bike cues. Carbon fiber bodywork keeps weight low and sculptural detail high. The high-tensile steel space frame is TIG-welded by hand. The forged wheels, CNC-machined dash, and TFT display echo the brand’s obsession with handcrafted detail.

Suspension comes from Öhlins, including FGRT 301 forks with superbike-spec cartridge kits and twin rear STX piggyback shocks. Braking duties are handled by HEL Performance and EBC, with twin 320mm discs up front and ABS all around.

Every component has been chosen for a single purpose: deliver raw, unfiltered riding pleasure without sacrificing Langen craftsmanship.

Made to Order…

Only 185 Lightspeeds will be built, and each one is individually tailored to its owner. Buyers are invited to Langen’s Wigan facility to finalize paintwork, finishes, materials, and hand-crafted details.

A £1,000 deposit secures a build slot, with first deliveries scheduled for Summer 2026. Exports to the United States and additional markets are expected to begin in January 2027. As founder Christofer Ratcliffe puts it:

“The Lightspeed has been part of our story since day one. It takes everything we learned from the Two Stroke and builds on it—more power, more range, more refinement—retaining the emotion that defines a Langen.”

The Man Behind the Machine: Chris Ratcliffe

Langen Motorcycles is inseparable from the personal story of its founder. Chris Ratcliffe was raised in a home where motorcycles weren’t just hobby machines — they were the family language. His mother was the first female dispatch rider in Manchester at just 17. His father worked for Cotton and CCM. Chris grew up in garages, paddocks, and workshops where engineering wasn’t theory — it was heritage.

Torn between music and engineering, he ultimately chose to channel his creativity into design. After studying automotive engineering, he joined TVR, then spent nearly a decade at CCM, where he played key roles in developing the GP450 and the wildly successful Spitfire series.

But over time, Chris sensed that motorcycle design was being restricted by corporate priorities. He wanted to build motorcycles the old way — by hand, led by creativity rather than cost spreadsheets. So he sold his house and founded Langen.

From the Two Stroke to the Lightspeed, every Langen carries that ethos: British craftsmanship revived for modern riders, with every decision driven by passion rather than compromise.

Specs: Langen Lightspeed

Engine
• 1,190cc liquid-cooled 72° V-twin
• 185 hp @ 10,600 rpm
• 138 Nm @ 8,200 rpm
• Langen EFI w/ twin injectors
• Bosch 60mm throttle bodies
• 13.4:1 compression

Chassis & Bodywork
• High-tensile steel tubular space frame
• Full carbon-fibre V-Weave bodywork
• CNC-machined dash; TFT touchscreen interface

Transmission
• 6-speed
• Hydraulically actuated wet slipper clutch
• 520 chain final drive

Suspension
• Öhlins FGRT 301 48mm forks
• Cartridge kit derived from national superbike programs
• Twin rear Öhlins STX piggyback shocks

Brakes
• Front: Dual 320mm EBC discs, Langen/HEL 4-piston calipers
• Rear: 265mm EBC disc, HEL 2-piston caliper
• ABS

Wheels & Tires
• Forged, CNC-machined aluminium wheels
• 3.5 x 17 in. front; 6.0 x 17 in. rear
• Pirelli Diablo Rosso III: 120/70–17 & 240/45–17

Dimensions
• Seat height: 790 mm
• Dry weight: 185 kg
• Fuel capacity: 19 L
• Load capacity: 400 kg

Base Price
• £44,400 OTR (TBC)

Availability

Lightspeed production, limited to 185 units worldwide, is set to begin.

The first UK specification builds (catalytic converter delete and optional ABS delete) will be delivered from Summer 2026.
Fully homologated versions for USA, Japan, Middle East, Europe and Australasia will begin January 2027.
USA customers wishing to secure an early UK specification Lightspeed can do so by registering the bike through the Montana Rule. Please contact us for more information on the process.
Worldwide collectors who do not intend to use the Lightspeed for road use can also secure an early UK specification build.

A New British Icon?

With the production Lightspeed, Langen Motorcycles steps firmly into the realm of modern performance while holding fast to the traditions that define British craftsmanship. It’s a motorcycle built around emotion, individuality, and engineering purity — a machine for riders who value the experience as much as the numbers.