IF you'd asked most cynical journalists about the chances of the Horex VR6 reaching production when the bike was first shown a couple of years ago, they'd have unanimously chorused that it stood no chance. Radical ideas are something that are often talked about but rarely get past the mock-up stage, and the Horex was packed with them.
Now it's yet another step closer and while we don't expect to see a Horex on every street corner any time soon, it's starting to look like the bike is actually going to make it to customers.
That's great because it means that impractical, unnecessary bikes are still in demand. And they're the best sort.
Nobody needs a narrow-angle V6 engine, much less a 1215cc one with 161bhp (and the promise of a supercharged version with well over 200bhp later on). But it's not a question of need. It's a question of want. And the fact that Horex has managed to find the funding to get this far down the road towards production gives hope that there are still people out there prepared to invest in crazy motorcycle projects even in times when most big manufacturers only seem keen on developing new commuter bikes for the Indian market.
This new video, released by Horex, shows the VR6 in production-finished form undergoing some final tests, giving a chance to hear what that engine sounds like (albeit overdubbed with a retro-style drum-machine-and-synths sountrack that feels like it's been borrowed from a mid-80s made-for-TV action movie).
