Horex Motorcycle Patent Reveals W8 Configuration

The first bike from German motorcycle maker Horex, the VR6 Roadster, has already caused a stir in the two-wheeled industry, but now it seems the world will have even further reasons to be surprised. Visordown has recently presented patent documents for the supercharged naked machine, which appear to reveal a W configuration.

According to the company, the engine is slightly wider than a conventional inline-four but also slightly shorter. As a fresh reminder, the Horex VR6 is powered by a 1200cc supercharged 15-degree V6 outputting 197 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 150 Nm of torque (110 lb.ft.), which is connected to the rear wheel via a six-speed cog swapper and belt drive.

For those of you unfamiliar with the subject, like the VR configuration, W engines are used by automaker Volkswagen with examples including the 2001 VW Passat and the 2011 Audi A8.

Illustrations revealed by the aforementioned source give as a hint on how a W8 engine could be mounted longitudinally on a motorcycle with the cylinders pointing outward. The adjacent images show a 1500cc W8 with a 60.6mm bore and 65mm stroke. The engine is comprised of two 15-degree V-inline banks joined in at a 72 degree angle.

However, as the VR6 Roadster won’t enter production until later this year, in very small numbers and priced at some EUR20,000 (US$27,070 at the current exchange rate), we could wait a while longer for the Horex W8.

Horex has also performed dyno tests of their VR6 engine, an engine that will be offered in two guises, one naturally aspirated and the other supercharged, which you can watch by accessing this link.