Brits go big! Wigan-based Langen launch crowdfund plan to open up world market and boost production

Wigan-based Langen Motorcycles have this week gone live with a new crowd funding scheme, hoping to raise £600,000 of additional investment to create tooling and meet homologation standards on their incoming Lightspeed muscle cruiser.  

Accessible online through europe.republic.com, the investment program will allow people to become shareholders in Langen. A £300,000 minimum target has been outlined on the website, although it’s hoped that this figure will be doubled.  

The Lightspeed concept was first seen November 2023, making its public debut at the Motorcycle Live show at Birmingham’s NEC. It’s powered by a Buell-derived 1190cc V-twin, with Langen’s own electronics package, harness, ride-by-wire throttle system, and ECU. 

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Power sits at a claimed 185bhp, with a tubular steel frame, raked out proportions, and its sights set on the likes of Ducati’s £23,995 Diavel V4. 

It’s hoped that the funding will allow the brand to achieve homologation standards to sell the bike into Europe, with a slightly more powerful version coming to UK customers courtesy of Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval (MSVA) rules. 

“We’re going for higher volume production tooling, and we want to try and bring the cost of the bike down if we can, and hopefully we can sell more because it’s a more affordable price for everybody,” Langen founder, Christofer Ratcliffe explained. 

“To give you an example, for the chassis and bodywork tooling we need £150,000, but then the cost of the parts is decreased and the quality stays very high over time,” he continued. “If we are successful with the raise and we get the figure that we want, then we’ll also start working on type approval concurrently.” 

Ratcliffe added: “Since the very beginning, we’ve designed the Lightspeed with type approval in mind, so we’ve got ABS, we’ve got the right ECU to do OBD 2 diagnostics. There are a few tweaks needed, because the UK bike is still going to be noisier and more power than perhaps we’re allowed to do in Europe, but that’s part of our USP.” 

Ahead of going live with the crowd funding, the company had attracted £212,241 of investment from 33 bodies. It’s hoped that they can raise a total of £600,000 to bring their bikes to a more globalised market in a shorter space of time.  

In Europe, bikes sold must currently adhere to Euro5+ emissions rules, which came into full force at the start of 2025. Chris and his team hope to appear at the EICMA trade show in Milan in 2026 to showcase the production bike for export.  

“We’ve got a very clear plan on our objective and time frame,” Ratcliffe continued. “If we raise above and beyond that, then we can accelerate the type-approval plans, we can do everything concurrently. 

“If we raise slightly less than the £600,000 then all the plan still works because we’re still a functioning operating business.” 

Turbo time 

The money will also assist with the development of a Lightspeed Turbo model, which was teased to the public in early February at the first announcement of the crowd funding plans.  

Prices are still to be finalised; however, we’re told that the power could be as high as 300bhp in bursts – with some customers registered to a Lightspeed already upgrading their orders. 

“We’re starting with a good system, a very robust system, but not a very refined system, so that’s our job now,” Ratcliffe said in reference to the drag-racing-derived turbos being used. “If you look at the design of the swingarm, it’s kind of a gull arm and that was done to make room for the turbo, so it was always meant to be. 

“The key is the electronics for us, and the next step is to apply our harness, our ECU, our throttle bodies, we can manage the waste and boost very accurately. The goal is to make it rideable,” he explained.  

“In standard mode, where you’d want it for riding around on the road, it’s going to be 220-250bhp, but we’ll have a switch. We’ll advise nobody to push the switch, but it will unleash around 300bhp at that point.” 

No more Two Strokes 

The first Langen production model to reach the UK market was the £29,400-on (+VAT) Two Stroke. Launched in 2022, it blends an almost retro roadster chic with 249.5cc two-stroke V-twin engine, built by Italian firm Vins.  

Assembled in Wigan, over 80% of the 100 available units have now been reserved, with the revenue generated by the model so far said to stand at £2.7million. Now, Langen founder Christofer Ratcliffe has told MCN that no more will be produced.   

“We will never make more of the 250 Two Stroke,” Ratcliffe explained. “We are limiting it to the 100. We want Langens to retain value over time and be not only fantastic bikes to ride, but collectable as well.”

Despite being sold in the UK through Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval (MSVA) two bikes have now also gone to customers in Japan, equipped with market-specific ABS.   

“We’ve got a few more to go there,” the Langen founder continued. “We’ve got a bike on the water to New Zealand at the moment, and the US are going crazy for the Two Strokes as well. 

“We can’t sell to Europe because there’s too much red tape for us. In Japan, there’s a unique rule for bikes under 250cc and we’re 249.5cc.” 

Despite capping Two Stroke production, Chris admits that other smoking engine designs could grab his attention in the future, adding: “If in the future another engine was developed then we’d be first in line with our hands up to try and build a bike with it. 

“Everybody dreams of doing another one, but at the moment there is no immediate plans.” 

For more on the Lightspeed, visit Langen’s website today.