Menus
- Sixpack Deluxe
- Two Horex a day
- Horex VR6 Classic HL weighs 242 kilos (ready to drive)
- Visually it could be even sportier
8th photos
Jorg Kunstle
1/8
Due to the purchase of Horex by 3C-Carbon and the mastermind Karsten Jerschke, the project of the tightly built six-cylinder was finally set up properly. Now the Horex VR6 Classic HL is ready and it is impressive.
Jorg Kunstle
2/8
The six-cylinder takes on the gas as if it had been programmed by Japanese racing engineers. Nice and direct, but without any jerking.
Jorg Kunstle
3/8
One reason that the Horex does its job so well is Martin Bauer, three-time IDM Superbike champion and brilliantly intelligent engineer. Bauer did a lot of development work on the Horex VR6.
Jorg Kunstle
4/8
Since the company was taken over in 2015, only the concept of a narrow V6 has remained of the original engine.
Jorg Kunstle
5/8
Powerful, easy to turn, full of character and with a crazy sound: this six-cylinder is an experience!
Jorg Kunstle
6/8
Even the fittings are of high quality and uncompromisingly styled.
Jorg Kunstle
7/8
Outrageously expensive due to high-tech, but too dominant in the overall look from a horsepower point of view: the display.
Jorg Kunstle
8/8
The fully adjustable fork leaves enough feeling for country road attacks despite the high and therefore somewhat decoupled handlebars.
Horex VR6 Classic HL in the PS driving report
Sixpack Deluxe
Content of
A bearish, rumbling, powerful six-cylinder, neatly tuned in such a chassis – that would be a force! Should Horex actually have done this?
Gas on! The Horex storms immediately VR6 Classic HL goes, even slightly lifts the front wheel and plays a Symphonica Feroce – on the other hand, every 911 sounds like a dump even with the flap open. That was the first impression out on the country road, and I was amazed to see the huge, fully digital display. "Horex – it really says it!"
Buy complete article
Horex VR6 Classic HL in the PS driving report
Sixpack Deluxe
Horex was still building near Augsburg, soon buried the widely announced idea of a supercharged engine, then a half-baked model with six cylinders, but presented a number of more weaknesses and finally closed the whole company again, if I hadn’t given the once glorious brand a bit more. Not even when 3C-Carbon bought the traditional brand with impressive sales through special parts from Formula 1 to aviation in the background and great enthusiasm for racing and mastermind Karsten Jerschke promised to finally set up the project sensibly. Indeed, Horex was quiet. Even the presentation of the Silver Edition a good year ago under 3C aegis was only a brief public flare-up – even if you could already see that improvements were being made on a large scale. For a long time, there was again little to be heard from Landsberg / Lech, where the Horex is built today. Suddenly the PS phone rings and Jerschke happily invites you to the test: "Series production is now running, you can drive the Horex VR6 Classic HL exclusively!"
Two Horex a day
The first junction from the main road onto a small Allgau country road: accelerate, shift down, turn in, put gas back on… "Horex – incredible!" The six-cylinder takes on the gas as if it had been programmed by Japanese racing engineers. Nice and direct, but without any jerking. And that with the short-stroke VR engine concept and the 1200 cubic meters. The engine turns upwards swiftly and greedily. One reason the Horex VR6 Classic HL does its job so well is now swirling around the first corners of our test ride right in front of me. Martin Bauer, three-time IDM Superbike champion and brilliantly smart engineer, did a lot of development work on the VR6. And he was not the only specialist 3C-Carbon was able to afford for this project. Top companies such as HWA, Conti and Bosch helped develop and build. Time and again, Jerschke assures us how much development time and money he has invested in the new Horex.
During the morning tour of the production hall, in which around two Horexs are made by hand in a noble factory, Jerschke showed us the dismantled heart of the Horex. No stone remained in the drive on the other. Since the company was taken over in 2015, only the concept of a tightly built six-cylinder V remains of the original engine. Injection, throttle valve unit, cylinder head, connecting rods, pistons, the three overhead camshafts and the crankshaft including housing, the larger airbox with other intake funnels, etc. – all new. Then there was the ride by wire, a much more extensive cable harness that integrates new sensors, ABS…
Horex VR6 Classic HL weighs 242 kilos (ready to drive)
Then the chassis of the Horex VR6 Classic HL: the finest Ohlins technology – everything is fully adjustable. In addition, great milled parts such as the fork bridges. Thanks to new lightweight components such as the new carbon fiber rear frame, the Horex is said to have shed a total of 30 kilos. You will believe it straight away, because the massive roadster is extremely sporty when you wander through the tightly curved Allgau mountains. The VR6 angles jaggedly. Sure, that makes a 600 super sports car more agile, but for a bike that weighs 242 kilos (ready to drive) the handling is simply amazing. "Among other things, we have significantly lowered the center of gravity", explains Bauer, and the geometry has also changed noticeably.
Despite its amazing agility, the Horex VR6 Classic HL is stable in the radius. Nothing oscillates, nothing defends itself, not even when braking or applying the gas at the top – the Horex actually thirsts for corners, the faster the better. Another hit is the braking system. The delay, the initial bite, the controllability are at an absolute athlete level. No wonder, because Jerschke and his team make no compromises with the Brembo M50 calipers. In addition, the high-quality radial pump, also from Italy, then the mighty six-pack can be captured again accordingly. And the chassis provides the necessary stability.
Visually it could be even sportier
Technically, this Horex VR6 Classic is now really fun. That doesn’t tarnish anything either "massive" Transmission that has long shift travel and the gears with clear "Clone" inserts. The vibrations from the power pack do not interfere either. Rather, they underline the robust character of the engine, which you can really only experience in the Horex. Again and again, the sound and the smooth acceleration encourages the Classic Roadster to really kick off. 163 hp is in the data sheet. You might believe it, especially with the extra kick of around 7,000 rpm. At the top, towards five digits, the drive is a little milder, but the Horex is also sealed off at 260 km / h. The gap between sporty performance and a rather classy outfit is no longer that wide. But Jerschke has other plans with the six. We were allowed to take a look at the design department, and what we got to see – especially from a sporting perspective – would be a blast. However, this power vision shouldn’t get any cheaper.
Those who can afford it can already expect a real blissful bike from the Horex VR6 Classic for just under 39,000 euros and even have a say in the styling in many details. The Horex will probably not become a mass phenomenon, and 3C has no plans to do so, but with this performance it can hold its own more than the market. "Horex – wow, it can go on like this."
Related articles
-
Driving report Ducati 748 R Everything to win Ducati does not want to be satisfied with a subscription to the Superbike World Championship. Now one also wants to …
-
Oset 24.0 Racing Senior in the driving report
Jorg Kunstle. 9 photos Jorg Kunstle. 1/9 If the text hadn’t already revealed that the Oset weighs only 48 kilos, you would be impressed by now. Jorg…
-
Driving report Rossi NSR 500 Sharp as a scalpel If you play with the doctor’s tools, you shouldn’t forget the swab to wipe the sweat from your forehead….
-
Suzuki GSX-R 1000 R in the PS driving report
Suzuki 14th photos Suzuki 1/14 With the 2017 version, the GSX-R 1000 enters the sixth generation. The superbike was launched for the first time in 2001,…
-
Suzuki F50 in the driving report
Piper 15th photos Stephen Piper 1/15 The Suzuki F50 in the driving report on the Boradford race track at the annual Bike Bonanza. Stephen Piper 2/15 The…
-
Driving report Yamaha XVS 650 Drag Star
Driving report, Yamaha XVS 650 Drag Star Yamaha XVS 650 Drag Star After the fat Royal Star, the little Drag Star appears in the chopper firmament. An XV…
-
Ducati Panigale R in the driving report
Ducati 20 pictures Ducati 1/20 Technically, in terms of weight and price, the Panigale R lies between the Superleggera and the 1299 Panigale S. Ducati 2/20 …
-
Suzuki GSX-S 1000 in the driving report
Suzuki 26th photos Suzuki 1/26 Pure Sport Roadster – whether that’s the right term for the new Suzuki naked bike? Suzuki 2/26 The engine is based on the…
-
Aprilia RS 660 in the driving report
New items 2020 Top topic Aprilia (Alberto Cervetti). 17th photos Aprilia (Alberto Cervetti). 1/17 The new Aprilia RS 660 generated a lot of enthusiasm…
-
Honda RC213V-S in the PS driving report
Honda 14th photos Honda 1/14 Honda made its announcements true and actually built a commercially available MotoGP machine for the road with the RC213V-S….