An old British motorcycle brand from the 1900s is set to return to the market, the 2018 Levis V6 Cafe Racer. The Levis – the name is taken from a Latin word meaning ‘light’ – is the product of a collaboration between inventor Phil Bevan and designer Steve Kirk.

Bevan had the idea of a motorcycle designed around a V-10 2-litre engine developed for the Connaught Type D GT sports car back in 2006. The V-10, designed by Tim Bishop, owner of Connaught and currently part of the Levis team, is designed to be modular and can be built in any even configuration of between two to ten cylinders.


In the V6 Cafe Racer currently open for orders, the engine is a v-six displacing 1,200 cc, mounted transversely across the stainless steel frame. The narrow included angle of the V-six, just 22 degrees between banks and 330 mm wide at the cylinder heads, means the engine is not as wide as would be assumed, given the size of machines with tranverse engines such as the Moto Guzzi range and the Honda ST-series tourers.

The intake and induction design of the engine is being finalised and Levis hopes to get a figure of 120 hp from the V-six. Engine power will be transmitted through a Levis developed six-speed gearbox, with the option for chain or shaft final drive, depending on which future model of Levis in which it will be installed.


A unique touch of the V6 Cafe Racer is wheels machined from billet aluminium in two halves which are bolted together and sealed to keep them airtight. Levis has plans to launch five versions of the V6, the first three being the Cafe Racer, Urban Roadster and Flat Tracker, followed by a pair of sports machines.

As befits a small volume motorcycle manufacturer, Levis offers a bespoke service for V6 Cafe Racer owners, with customisation options including colour, finish, leather, wheel, exhaust and so on. A pre-production version of the Levis V6 Cafe Racer and Urban Roadster will be shown at the Goodwood Revival in September and orders are being taken for the Levis Cafe Racer and TT Anniversary Edition, starting from 102,000 pounds sterling.