Horex VR6 first ride: "It feels slick and classy"

Two long years have passed since the ambitious Horex project was first publically unveiled and now, at long last, we can tell you what it’s like to ride.

The all-new, Augsburg-based factory has so far completed two production machines (all the bikes are hand-made) and we were granted a world first, exclusive test ride.

One prod of the starter button and you get the bassy rumble of a triple mixing with the unmistakeable fast-spinning hiss of a six.

Into gear and we’re off, instantly feeling slick and somehow classy, yet boosted by a unique thrill with every twist on the throttle: the sound and sheen of the VR6 dominates proceedings and invigorates like little else.

The 160bhp VR6 engine responds instantly to every twitch of the wrist, has a sublimely creamy delivery and yet also an ever-increasing hunger for revs as the tacho approaches the limiter at 9000rpm, all of which is accompanied by a harsh, yet unique soundscape; a new overture of engine sound composed by Horex.

Despite the bulky-looking engine, the Horex’s ergonomics are uncompromised: the rider sits ‘in’ the bike in a comfortable, classic roadster seating position with a relaxed knee position but leant forward slightly over the wide handlebars.

Read the full test in the August 8 issue of MCN.