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Britain was once home to the motorcycle. From the early 20th century through to the 1960s, a number of pioneering names helped the UK dominate the global industry. BSA made its own in Birmingham, in the same factory it made its rifles; Brough Superior hand-built its bikes in Nottingham; Royal Enfield had its factory in Redditch. Triumph and Norton were made in Coventry and Birmingham respectively. Today Britain’s motorcycle industry looks very different, and many of the old names have gone. Where, then, are the finest motorbikes still made in the UK? They might be found in Wigan. 

Langen, founded by engineer Christofer Ratcliffe in 2018, is based out of an unassuming small unit in an industrial estate in Greater Manchester. Inside, a small team develops and hand-assembles every one of its made-to-order bikes. If the engines and forks are outsourced, everything else, from the frame and foot pegs to the switch gear, is developed and produced in the UK. The company’s first creation was the Two Stroke, a lightweight naked with a powerful, 76hp 250cc V-twin two-stroke engine. Reminiscent of an old race bike, it was a bold choice to launch with – but that was entirely the point. 

Two Stroke bikes in the Langen workshopTwo Stroke bikes in the Langen workshop

“I wanted to do something that would really make an impact,” says Ratcliffe. He worked with Vincenzo Mattia, an ex-Ferrari F1 engineer who developed a two-stroke engine under his company Vins. It was a “really clean and durable race engine”, but the challenge was to turn it into a road engine for the bike. “People thought it couldn’t be done.”

The bike is all about the noise, the sensation of the acceleration, the way it handles

Chris Ratcliffe, founder of Langen

Today Langen is finalising its next project, the Lightspeed. Limited to a production run of just 185 bikes, it has 185hp and weighs 185kg, achieving the golden ratio of 1,000hp per tonne. Powered by a 1190 cc V-twin, it’s a larger, more imposing machine built to rival muscle bikes like the Ducati Diavel. And due to the handmade nature, it can also be highly personalised. Clients can come up with their own design for the forged aluminium wheels with custom paintwork and finishes. The bike’s performance can also be tweaked, with different engine maps available. Included in the sale of each is a fitting where you can adjust the pegs and bars, turning it either into more of a cruiser or something racier if you wish. 

“Our bikes are all about how they make you feel,” says Ratcliffe. “We try to be as analogue as possible and the bike is all about the noise, the sensation of the acceleration, the way it handles. That customisation only adds to that feeling that you’re sitting on something very special.”’ 

The 185hp, 185kg Langen LightspeedThe 185hp, 185kg Langen Lightspeed © Gun Hill StudiosThe pegs and bars can be customised by customersThe pegs and bars can be customised by customers © Gun Hill Studios“Customisation only adds to that feeling that you’re sitting on something very special,” says Ratcliffe“Customisation only adds to that feeling that you’re sitting on something very special,” says Ratcliffe © Gun Hill Studios

Bikes have always been in Ratcliffe’s life. His mother was the first female dispatch rider in Manchester at 17, while his father worked as an apprentice fabricator for Cotton and CCM. Ratcliffe’s first job in the motoring industry was at TVR, where he worked in the development department in the Blackpool factory under Peter Wheeler. When it was forced to close, it left a mark. “I just remember watching a couple of hundred people walking out of Bristol Avenue on the last day. There was a lot of history in that place.”

He eventually followed in his father’s footsteps and got a job at CCM, where he worked for nine years as chief design engineer. “I got to the point where I’d sort of done everything I wanted to do in my career,” he says. “I always had an itch to scratch about creating my own motorbikes, so in 2018 I decided to sell the car, sell the house and set up Langen.” To help fund the project, Ratcliffe did contract engineering, designing fireplaces for Harrods and other “weird, wonderful things by day”, while designing the Two Stroke on the kitchen table at night. 

The Lightspeed out on the roadThe Lightspeed out on the road © Kel Edge

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The Lightspeed is a bike he always wanted to make, inspired by a 1996 Yamaha V-Max on which he toured Europe for his honeymoon. I try it one cold, rainy December afternoon, down the road from the workshop. On startup it sounds like thunder: the full race exhaust, without baffles, leaves no guesses as to the capability of its Rotax-developed, Buell-made V-twin. It’s a big bike with a wide stance, but it’s surprisingly easy to move thanks to its light weight and the fact that most of it is kept down low. On the move you only have to breathe on the throttle for instant overtakes. Maximum power is delivered at 10,600 rpm, so the surge keeps on coming all the way to the red line. 

Starting at £44,400, it isn’t cheap. “The main goal really was to create the absolute best bikes we could from the best materials, using the best manufacturers in the UK,” says Ratcliffe. “In order to do that, the bikes are expensive. It comes back to the lifestyle I want for the rest of my career; making the best vehicles we can for people who appreciate them.”