A New 300 HP Turbo Beginner Bike Just Dropped

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SQUID 🦑 🏍️ 📖

1. UK Based Langen Motorcycles has done the unthinkable. They’ve created a new beginner bike that could finally rival a Turbo Busa. The Langen LS12 Lightspeed Turbo is a 300 horsepower naked bike that might just be the wildest motorcycle to hit the market since the Kawasaki H2. This bike uses a turbo charged Rotax engine, is outfitted with carbon fiber body work, and has HEL brakes and Ohlins Suspension. Christofer Ratcliffe, the company’s founder, says that 2025 is going to be a milestone year as they scale up production and expand into new markets. Does that mean they want to send one of these bikes to Texas for me to ride? I’m volunteering my services. Instagram Flex Offender Motorcyclists just got a new holy grail. You think your H2, M1000RR, or Panigale V4 is going to get clicks? You drop a 300 HP Turbo V-twin on your feed and the algorithm might just explode.

2. When I ride a motorcycle, I can’t help but think “I wish I was wearing a seatbelt”. Jk, I’ve never thought that. But it looks like someone at CFMoto must have given in to that intrusive thought. The photos of their upcoming 750SS sport bike indicate the inclusion of what appears to be a seat belt. The company actually submitted a patent filing in early 2024 for such a system - a seat belt designed to restrain the rider in a direct frontal impact, preventing them from being thrown forward, while detaching in other side-side crash scenarios which will allow the rider to be separated from the bike. We’re already seeing bikes with radar adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, and blind-spot monitoring, I suppose the seat belt is the final frontier.

3. I think it is fair to say that electric motorcycles haven’t been particularly well received by the riding community. Every few months we get news about another EV brand going under. Energica and FUELL kicked the bucket, and it sounds like LiveWire ain’t doing so hot either. Didn’t they sell like 200 bikes in 2024? Despite the challenges of selling electric motorcycles, Swedish brand RGNT is trying to spark renewed interest through a new electric racing series. They’ve partnered with the Swedish Motorsports Association and Dunlop to launch the RGNT TURBO Championship. Competitors will ride the aforementioned RGNT TURBO, an electric machine that makes 52 kW (about 70 HP). The races will be comprised of 8 to 10 laps where riders will reach speeds of around 120 mph. Yeah, that’s about as fast as the average morning commute in Texas. Competition breeds innovation, so I am all in favor of new racing events. But if its anything like MotoE, it will just be something to play in the background while you fold your laundry.

4. There has been a lot of discussion around the declining popularity of motorcycles. But according to new data, the European motorcycle market experienced very strong growth in 2024. Across the continent, new motorcycle registrations grew on average a whopping 10%, with Germany and Spain leading the charge, seeing 16% and 14% growth respectively. The rise in demand has been theorized to be the result of an increased interest in urban mobility, sustainability, and leisure. No wonder we don’t see the same growth here in the States. Americans want big suburban houses and to work 60 hours a week until they die. Leisure?! Sounds like socialist propaganda! But really, I think if young people here start approaching motorcycling from the same perspective, combined with more approachable and practical models landing in showrooms, we’ll start seeing growth in the US as well.

5. This last story is sad and kind of bizarre. It sounds like the beginning of an X-Files episode. Apparently Emmett Brown, a grandfather from North Georgia, disappeared after a minor motorcycle crash near Jasper. Witnesses saw him “layerr down” on Highway 136, only to get up seemingly unharmed and walk off with his helmet and backpack. This happened back in December, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Brown was a real Chad, riding without a phone (as god intended), so his location couldn’t be tracked. I hope he is okay, and literally decided the embarrassment of the crash was too much to bear and he just up and started a new life somewhere. Truly a mystery.

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