Reborn Horex’s first motorcycle to reach production and go on sale in the spring of 2012 will be a roadster powered by a naturally aspirated version of the company’s ultra-compact, 1.2-liter, 15-degree VR6. Original production plans called for a supercharged V-Six; a naturally aspirated model was never mentioned in the press kit distributed at Intermot in 2010 or in subsequent releases.
Horex confirmed that a recent upswing experienced by the German automotive industry has delayed delivery times for special components, forcing the change in production plans.
Validation tests of the non-supercharged machine are proceeding, with the latest pictures revealing more technical details of the project. The main frame, for example, uses sculpted aluminum twin spars that are neatly molded like the lower halves of the gas tank. Using “structural creativity,” the steering head is supported by a mini-trellis steel-tube subframe to which the aforementioned spars clamp. The engine acts as a partly stressed chassis element.
Toothed belt final drive was deemed inadequate for the power/torque potential of the supercharged (by mechanically driven centrifugal blower) VR6 and has been replaced by chain drive.
Rear suspension works through a single-sided swingarm, while a massive inverted Marzocchi fork is fitted up front. Brembo 320mm twin rotors and radial-mount four-piston calipers were selected for the front braking system. Metzeler’s latest Interact Z8 Roadtec radials were the natural choice for this sporty German roadster that should produce no fewer than 160 hp and about 95 foot-pounds of peak torque; corresponding rpm figures were not released.
That’s a lot less than the 200 hp and 110 ft.-lb. previously announced for the supercharged VR6, but it should be plenty to play with on a naked bike that will surely weigh less than its more powerful brother.
