Electric bikes may be well on their way now, but that does not mean that the nostalgia for two strokes is going away.
Two-strokes in motocross are almost as popular now among fans as they were in the 1980s and 1990s when the discipline’s heroes like Roger de Coster, David Bailey, Jean-Michel Bayle and countless more made waves in both Europe and America to the high-pitched sound and the hazy visuals of a two-stroke motocross bike.
But, on the asphalt, things are different. Emissions laws are more restrictive in this area to what the manufacturers are inclined to build, so the days of production RG500s, RD500s, TZ250s and such are long behind us.
But, if Max Biaggi’s parade lap earlier this year at the Italian Grand Prix on his Aprilia RS250 Grand Prix title-winning machine taught us anything, it is that the sound of a two-stroke will never tire.
The British manufacturer, Langen, is hoping to satisfy this desire for two-stroke nostalgia, and is currently building its own 250.
The bike, called - un-inventively - the “Two Stroke”, will feature a 250cc motor that Langen has purchased from Vins. These engines are “made by ex-Ferrari engineers in Italy,” according to Christofer Ratcliffe, who runs Langen. “It’s a V-twin race-engine which we’ve developed for the road. We worked on the fuel-mapping, throttle control and cooling to make it durable. It’s the first two-stroke bike to meet current emission standards for many years. “
Ratcliffe describes their motor as the “cleanest two-stroke ever,” with a fuel to oil ratio of 200:1, compared to the 30:1 of conventional two-strokes. “Our Vins engine injects oil directly to the crank, exactly where it’s needed,” Ratcliffe says is the reason for the efficiency of the Langen’s V-twin.
Outside of the engine, the Langen Two Stroke’s components come from a UK supply chain, with F1 and the aerospace industry being utilised by Langen to create its limited edition cafe racer.
That aerospace and F1 tech means the Two Stroke - which features carbon body panels around its aluminium frame - weighs just 120kg, and so its 76 horsepower will take you a lot further than the same output in a four-stroke production bike.
The Langen Two Stroke will retail for £28,000 - before tax - and if you want one, you will need to act fast - they are only building 100.
Langen is also currently developing a four-stroke bike, as well as an electric. On the electric side, Langen was awarded innovation funding for its scalable battery technology.
Images and story courtesy of Rod Kirkpatrick/F Stop Press.
You can check out this bike for yourself at Motorcycle Live 2022.
