Five Minutes with Christofer Ratcliffe, Founder of Langen Motorcycles

Welcome to our Five Minutes With series, where we sit down with the engineers, builders and innovators who depend on Venhill components to help bring their unique motorcycles to life.

This time, we caught up with Christofer Ratcliffe, founder of Langen Motorcycles - the Manchester-based motorcycle manufacturer that’s quickly earned a global reputation for doing things differently. From the raw, attention-grabbing Two Stroke 250 to the striking new Lightspeed, Langen’s machines blend meticulous engineering with genuine emotion and character.

We spoke to Chris about what it takes to make low-volume, high-performance motorcycles in the UK today, why bespoke components matter at this level, and why Venhill cables have become a natural part of the Langen build philosophy.

For our readers who don’t know you, what's your background? Have you always worked in  engineering or with motorcycles, or did you come to it from another route?

I’m an engineer by trade and a motorcyclist by nature. I spent years in the industry developing bikes for other manufacturers, and I’ve always been the bloke in the garage tinkering with my own bikes too. I like things that are simple, light, and feel alive.

Was there a particular event or moment where you thought: “Right, I’m going to build my own motorcycles”, or was it a gradual process?

Pretty much, yeah. I left my job, woke up one morning and thought: I want to do something special, and made in Britain. I turned to my wife and said “...we probably have to sell the house.” Luckily she’s used to me coming up with ‘exciting ideas’. Just not always at that scale.

For more mainstream manufacturers the two stroke has largely become consigned to the history books, what drew you to the format when most of the industry moved in the opposite direction?

Because it’s pure. The sound, the smell, the way it delivers power - it’s a completely different experience. And honestly, it also got everyone’s attention. The moment we said “road-legal two-stroke”, the press went from “send it over” to “we’ll run it this afternoon.”

The new Lightspeed looks like a very different proposition. What can you tell us about the thinking behind that shift?

The Lightspeed is the bike I’ve wanted to build for years: streetfighter handling and weight, but comfortable enough to ride all day; an ‘animal in an armchair’. It’s built to take Langen to a global audience, without losing what makes it a Langen.

What does a typical Langen customer look like - if there is such a person? Are they collectors, hardcore riders, or something else entirely?

There isn’t one, really. Some are collectors, some are proper riders, lots are both. But most appreciate engineering, craftsmanship, and the idea of owning something genuinely individual.

Langen’s bikes are beautifully crafted, but they’re also serious performance machines. How do you go about balancing art vs engineering?

Engineering comes first. It has to work, and it has to be right, but if you do the engineering properly, it often becomes beautiful. Then you refine the details and finishes until it feels like a piece of craftsmanship, not just a machine.

What are the biggest challenges in building low-volume, high-performance motorcycles in the UK today? Is it sourcing parts, legislation, production, getting everything to the standard you want?

The biggest are supply chain and consistency, especially when you’re trying to do everything to a very high standard. We’ve been forged in fire a bit, with Covid, Brexit, material shocks, but we’ve just kept pushing on. The upside is it builds staying power, and it forces you to build proper systems early.

Venhill specialises in custom hoses and cables - do bespoke parts become essential at this level? Would it be possible to achieve the packaging and design you want using off-the-shelf components?

Absolutely, yes. Once you care about packaging, feel, routing, and the final detail, off-the-shelf parts often don’t cut it. Bespoke isn’t a luxury for us, it’s part of building the bike properly.

What makes Venhill components a good fit for Langen motorcycles? Is it the quality, the custom options, the faster turnaround compared to non-UK based manufacturers?

Two things: quality and people who get it. We aim to use UK supply partners wherever possible, and Venhill consistently meets our technical and quality requirements. I’ve used Venhill cables on my own motorcycles for years, long before Langen existed, so bringing them into the Langen supply chain felt natural.

Looking ahead, what’s next for Langen? Are there new models, new engine concepts, and a long-term ambition for the brand?

We’re focussed on taking the brand global in a controlled way, building on what we’ve already proven in the UK. There’s plenty coming - new derivatives, new ideas - but the mission stays the same: build motorcycles that feel special and move you in a way mass production never can.

Find out more about Langen Motorcycles and their upcoming projects at https://www.langenmotorcycles.co.uk/