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Horex has expanded its model line with the addition of the VR6 Classic, a variation of the current VR6 Roadster. The new machine features a number of styling and graphic touches intended to create a visual connection with the traditional image of the top-class bikes that Horex produced until the late 1950s, the most prestigious being the Imperator, an elegant-looking 500cc parallel-Twin.
The VR6 Classic brings back traditional Horex metallic red and related striping, plus retro-looking, but state-of-the-art, Kineo wire-spoked wheels and a nicely contoured, double-stitched seat. The rest of the chassis remains unchanged: an inverted 48mm WP fork, a 24-degree steering-head angle with 3.7 inches of trail, a Sachs shock working in conjunction with a single-sided swingarm, and a 59.3-inch wheelbase. Only the front brake system—a mix of radial-mount Brembo calipers and 320mm stainless steel Braking rotors, which don’t look very “classic”—departs from the original. Claimed dry weight is 549 pounds.
For the Classic, the triple-overhead-cam, three-radial-valves-per-cylinder, 1.2-liter, 15-degree V-Six has been detuned to 126 horsepower at a moderate 8500 rpm, with 88.5 foot-pounds of peak torque coming at 7000 rpm. To deliver this level of very smooth power, the VR6 has a compression ratio of 12.5:1, breathing through six 34mm throttle bodies and using a new six-into-two exhaust system.
Horex VR6 Classic
Compared with October, 2010, when the Horex project was launched, and December, 2011, when the production version of the VR6 Roadster was unveiled, the power level of this “Classic” is drastically reduced. In original form, supercharged by a centrifugal blower, the VR6 was expected to produce a cool 200 hp. Then, for the naturally aspirated Roadster, peak power was a still-respectable 161 hp.
No matter how smoothly it is delivered, is 126 horsepower worth the complexity of a triple-cam, 15-degree V-Six capped by a single cylinder head? Keeping the conversation within German borders, BMW makes almost the same performance with just two cylinders and does it smoothly, too.
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