German upstart Horex has announced that production of the Horex VR6 will be delayed from its planned start later this year, and instead will start production in Spring 2012. Citing part supply issues, particularly with the bike’s supercharger unit, Horex will first make available its 160hp normally-aspirated version, while the 197hp supercharged version will start production in late 2012.
The supply chain issue stems from the rebounding of the European OEM parts suppliers industry, who have lately been inundated with parts requests. Getting reportedly shuffled to the back of the queue, Horex does not have parts in the quantities it needs to make a proper production run, and thus has pushed production back further.
“We wanted to have the new Horex on the market in time for the 2012 season,” said Horex CEO Clemens Neese. “Therefore, we decided to move up the production date of the planned, non-supercharged model. The supercharged version of the bike will appear on the market somewhat later.”
On top of the production delays, the German company also announced that the Horex VR6 will instead come with a chain final drive. Horex says that the company’s original plan to have a belt drive had to be nixed, as the belt system did not perform as expected during road trials.
Using an extremely narrow 15(degree) cylinder head offset, Horex’s first motorcycle model takes its name from the bike’s VR6 engine configuration. With 1,218cc of cylinder displacement, the German roadster will have plenty of power in its natural form, though the company has also had a forced-induction version on the cards since Day One.
This announcement from the German company is a bit interesting as it is the first we’ve heard of a motorcycle company citing supply chain issues for its production capabilities. Normally when there is an issue of a motorcycle company with a parts supplier, it stems from the motorcycle manufacturer not having sufficient capital to pay for the parts in advance, as is rumored to be the case currently with MV Agusta.
We’ll get a chance to see the Horex VR6 up-close at EICMA later this year, and hope the company can make its 2012 production deadlines.
Source: Horex
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