Levis Motorcycles returns after eighty years with new V6 Café Racer

Michelle Liew

July 20, 2018

Many might not recall Levis Motorcycles considering the last time the firm rolled out a new model was in 1938, which was three years before it shut down. Active from 1911 to 1941, the British motorcycle firm is said to be one of the pioneers of the said industry. After a great eighty years, Levis Motorcycle has returned with a new V6 Café Racer, serving the brand a great comeback.

The firm’s rights were acquired by David Redshaw in 2014, who had an aim of reviving the brand. He encountered Phil Bevan, a businessman in 2017, who had recently bought Connaught Competition Engines, which is a UK company which made a compact two-liter V10 Motor for GT Racing cars.

This engine was said to be built on a modular design that allowed for easy production of V8, V6, V4 and even V2 variants. Bevan was looking for a suitable motorcycle to host it and then bought the brand’s rights from Redshaw and together set up the Levis Motorcycle Company in July 2017.

The new café racer features a 1,200cc V6 version of the Connaught’s liquid-cooled engine. It has the capability of producing 120hp (89.5kW) and approximately 120Nm (88.5 lb-ft) of torque. It is mated to a six-speed gearbox with an overdrive sixth.

The frame of the bike is built in-house from steel tubes and features a Hossack-type front suspension system and a single shock at the rear. Both the shock absorbers are bespoke adjustable units. Other fabricated parts include the fork legs, clamps, headlight assembly, steering, hand controls, bake discs, gearbox casings and wheels- which are all machined from solid blocks of aluminum.

Two variants of the same motorcycle base, the Café Racer and the Ultra Roadster will be unveiled on September 7 to 9 at the Goodwood Revival event in West Sussex, UK.