A COUPLE of our German counterparts have had the chance to swing a leg over the new Horex VR6 Roadster as the radical machine makes yet more steps towards production.
In a world where every new motorcycle company seems hell-bent on creating electric-powered machines, much of it vapourware that never gets beyond some computer-generated images and unbelievable claims for performance and economy, there's something refreshing about a firm that's aiming to simply make a bike that's interesting, different and fun.
Horex's frankly odd narrow-angle V-6, with all those cylinders covered by a single head with three (count 'em) camshafts, mightn't offer much in the way of quantifiable advantages over conventional four-cylinder machines but it's novel, interesting and above all different – just the qualities that can mark a bike out for success.
German mags Motorrad and 1000PS have both had rides on the Horex, and been kind enough to put on-board videos on YouTube for all to appreciate. Sure, that exhaust note is a little muffled, but it's still unique, and while neither appears to be attempting to show of the bike's performance to the full, the impression is of something that's got the build quality and attention to detail you'd expect from an established bike manufacturer rather than the spit and sticky-tape that so often marks out prototypes from wannabe bike makers.
OK, so it could still be a while before actually buying a Horex is a viable possibility for most real-world riders, even if they can scrape together the asking price. But even reaching this stage is a significant achievement.
