Driving report Voxan Cafe Racer (2000)

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Driving report Voxan Cafe Racer (2000)

Avec Sucre

It shouldn’t be too long before the French motorcycle manufacturer Voxan also wants to sweeten the lives of German bikers with their Cafe Racer.

Fits like a glove: the thighs nestle suckingly into the rounded tank indentations, the seat is narrow and low, the handlebars are comfortably cranked and not too deeply angled, and the feet rest relaxed on the rubberized, vibration-decoupled pegs. If it weren’t for this deep thumping from the two aluminum-coated mufflers of the Voxan Cafe Racer and the powerful thrust from the lowest revs, you could imagine yourself on a smart, small 500cc racer. The 72-degree V2 with full liter displacement comes with surprisingly tight packaging. And what little is presented in an extremely appetizing way and refined with a multitude of clever details.
Like the roadster model, which has already been sold in France for a year, the new Cafe Racer is based on a frame construction in which the steering head and swing arm area made of cast aluminum are connected by means of two steel tubes bent over the engine. The fact that the steering head housing acts as an air filter box and the swing arm mount also acts as an oil reservoir for the dry sump lubrication is just as practical as it is space-saving and light. The aluminum swingarm and the 18 liter plastic tank also ensure that the slim French woman should only weigh 198 kilograms with a full tank.
In view of this comparatively low mass, it is not noticeable that the test machine for France was throttled from around 110 to 100 hp. Starting at 2000 rpm, the V2 pushes forward absolutely smoothly, really picks up at 4000 rpm and can be willingly fired up close to the red area. The only strange thing is the nervous twitching of the needle of the electronic tachometer, which, according to Voxan, is led to prance by interference signals from the ignition. But that is currently being worked on.
Overall, the Cafe Racer already looks quite mature. At most, minor changes in the suspension setup could give the Voxan a little more driving stability on bad roads. The upside-down fork from Paioli and the White Power strut underneath the engine can be easily adjusted in terms of damping, but this cannot entirely compensate for the too slack base setting. The Voxan begins to commute slightly, especially in fast, undulating curve passages.
Otherwise the concept is correct. The agile chassis harmonizes perfectly with the powerful V2 drive. Narrow country roads are just as convenient for the Voxan as a short spurt on the motorway. Tacho 240 can be wrested from the Cafe Racer even in the throttled version without the chassis showing any weakness in straight-line stability.
The Italian braking system is easier. The Brembo stoppers do not react particularly bitingly, but they cope with the given driving dynamics and offer decent feedback even when the deceleration is vehement. In addition, unlike the Roadster model, the hand levers for the brakes and hydraulically operated clutch can now also be adjusted in width.
B.One can only hope that the young motorcycle manufacturer in Issoire will soon satisfy the demand in its own country in order to then provide sufficient capacities for the European market. Because Germany is to be the first country to be supplied with the piece of jewelry, which costs around 23,000 marks.

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