Like many a racer, the Isle of Man TT course is close to 2019 Supersport TT class winner Lee Johnston's heart. So, what better a place to take the Langen Two-Stroke for a test ride and show off the sights and sounds to both the people there in person, as well as his YouTube channel audience?
It is, without a doubt, an absolutely stunning work of art to look at, and seeing and hearing it in a video like this is probably the best that you can do if you aren't actually seeing it (or riding it) in person. What a video like this tells you is far beyond what even fantastic photos can do; there is, after all, a reason why so many of us love to see those fancy moving pictures, even on tiny screens like the ones on our phones.
The engine is a bespoke unit built in Italy to Langen's specifications, used specifically for this application. It is not simply an engine repurposed from something else. It's a 249.5cc 90-degree V-twin configuration, and makes a claimed 76 horsepower alongside 45 newton-meters (about 55.3 lb-ft) of torque. The gearbox has six speeds, and redline is a screaming 12,700 rpm. It's a fuel-injected two stroke, and it seems to stop just about every motorcycle maniac that spots it in this video, dead in their tracks.
They must know more; it's just one of those bikes. And, I mean, who can blame them? Look at this thing.
To hear Johnston tell it, this is one of those bikes that exceeds at making you feel like you're going faster than you really are. All the while, the handling is nimble, and you have a grin on your face the whole time without necessarily having to get into three-digit mph territory. Isn't that what you want? Isn't that, at the end of the day, what everyone wants?
There's a time and a place for faster speeds (and bikes), and that time and place are usually the track. And while it's difficult to justify the idea of a two-stroke machine that costs around £30K (not including VAT) as an everyday ride, it's still exciting to see someone making an extremely niche machine like this. Unlike some higher-priced, limited-edition machines, you can tell that this one is absolutely meant to be ridden, not simply to be stored away in someone's climate-controlled collection somewhere, only ever having zero miles on the clock until it's eventually sold at auction.
It's a rider's machine, through and through; and for that reason, it's extremely cool to both see and hear. But what do you think? If you've ridden one, or if you'd ride one, let us know in the comments below.
