Q&A: Langen Motorcycles’ Christofer Ratcliffe

Any good business is defined by its people – their skills, passions, quirks and nuances. And Langen Motorcycles is the perfect example. Born of founder Christofer Ratcliffe’s own dream, the company currently counts seven employees, and one (soon to be delivered) motorcycle.

Despite being very much still in its infancy, Langen is making waves in the industry. Its inaugural bike is the race-bred Two Stroke café racer, constructed of carbon fibre and weighing just 114kg. Powered by a 249.5cc Vins two stroke 90º V-twin cylinder with counter-rotating crankshafts, it has a power-to-weight ratio in excess of 600hp per tonne.

But as proud as he is of the Two Stroke, Ratcliffe is equally proud of his team. We caught up with him to discuss the company’s dynamics…

How important is it to have the right people working at Langen?

In a small company like Langen each person carries a big responsibility to help steer the culture of the company. Everyone here is completely versatile and often wear many hats. We find that having the right attitude, commitment and mental agility is equally as important as their talent and experience in their main role.

How do you expect the team to grow within the next five years?

We are currently a team of seven full time with some additional support from contractors. We currently have posts open for five roles across different skillsets as we are beginning production of the Two Stroke and starting development of some exciting new models. In five years’ time we plan to grow to 30-plus people to support what will be a range of four different motorcycles produced here.

Upskilling the team

Ratcliffe is not only keen to push the company itself, but also to develop the individuals. One of the youngest members of staff recently achieved an IMI Award after completing his motorcycle mechanics qualification.

Dan Ball had wanted to do his mechanic course but wasn’t very confident in his ability. It was with Ratcliffe’s support that he took on the challenge, quickly excelling and securing his position at the top of the class.

You mentioned that Dan did well on his motorcycle mechanics course? Could you elaborate?

Not only did he pass the course top of the class, he also was awarded Student of the Year across all subjects, competing against several hundred other students.

How does it feel to have a young member of your team achieve this award?

We are all extremely proud of Dan’s achievement. Dan is a modest person so hasn’t really celebrated what is a great achievement and testament to his character. He started the course with the aim of gaining knowledge and better equip himself for the job. I hope he now has started to realise his own potential.

Watching the amount of effort and commitment Dan applied to his studies, alongside a very busy time at Langen and bringing up his young family, really confirmed everything we saw in him. That kind of character is quite rare to find.

What does Dan bring to Langen?

First of all, Dan brings a lot of enthusiasm and passion to Langen. I’m not sure he has the tattoo yet, but it won’t be too long! He is a perfectionist with every aspect of his work and often loses sleep over very minor detail that most other people wouldn’t notice. Since joining Langen, Dan has worked on a wide variety of engineering projects, played a key role in the development process of the electrical system and is an expert in every aspect of the Two Stroke build process.

Fancy finding out more about a career in motorcycles, the IMI has a range of courses that could help