Horex VR6 leads classy retros
German firm showcase highest-spec six-cylinder naked
Connoisseur manufacturers Horex used their home event to showcase a new version of its VR6-engined naked and indicated that they may be coming to the UK. Designed and built near Munich, the bike features an across-the-frame V6 engine with a very narrow V-angle of just fifteen degrees, three camshafts and three valves per cylinder. It makes 163bhp from its 1218cc capacity.
For Intermot, the Germans added a new version dubbed the RAW, which boasts stunning detailing and an obsession with black. Available in gloss or matt black, there’s also a new seat, a new TFT dash with an iPad-like glass screen and facility for extra connectivity and navigation. The level of fit and finish is stunning. The bike features an aluminium chassis, steel steeringhead and a single-sided swingarm and there has been a lot of effort to keep the weight down. At a claimed 220kg it is, on paper at least, lighter than an Indian FTR1200.
Horex were rescued from insolvency in 2015 and since then, there has been heavy investment in their factory and lots of development of their six-cylinder motor to make it lighter, stronger. No other manufacturer can match its engine configuration. Of course there is a price for all this, with the RAW starting at £33,000 and no UK dealers at the moment, though the firm says they would welcome UK buyers and have plans for expansion.
‘No other manufacturer has a 1218cc VR6 engine’ MCN’S MATT WILDEE