“If I was any good at marketing, I’d have capitalised on that, but it really is just a coincidence,” said Ratcliffe. And thanks to a grant-funded project to design a modular battery for a motorcycle, he also managed to establish the Langen headquarters in Makerfield, Wigan – the small town whose MP will be the next prime minister.
Gut feeling
“I had enough money to commit to a workshop and take on my first member of staff. I was taking some big risks, but I had this gut feeling that it was right – even though it looked insane from the outside.”
Just as Langen had its first machine ready, Covid struck. “So we spent more time developing until there was a window in the lockdowns when we could launch the bike.” The appropriately named Two Stroke duly made its debut at the Salon Privé motor show and concours at Blenheim Palace in late 2020.
“It was great. We took a lot of orders, so it was a case of ‘OK, this is real now’.” Ratcliffe quickly expanded his workforce and the first batch of 100 machines is now sold out.
The detailing on the Two Stroke is exquisite, with threaded handlebars, gold-trim chains and carbon-fibre casings. Each is fully customisable to suit the rider, with bespoke geometry and ergonomics. Its 250cc V-twin engine was hand-built by Vincenzo Mattia, a Ferrari F1 engineer,. “Vincenzo is a very talented engineer and was really excited about the prospect of working on a two-stroke engine, but it’s like working with an artist – you can’t rush him because what he does is so incredible,” said Ratcliffe.