Crighton CR700W Track Bike With Rotary Engine Announced

British motorcycle brand Crighton has unveiled the rotary-powered, limited edition Crighton CR700W track bike. The CR700W is the latest project of former Norton rotary racing genius Brian Crighton. The 690 cc, twin-rotor engine produces 220 bhp and 142 Nm and the bike comes with a dry weight of just 129.5 kg, and the bike is claimed to have a better power-to-weight ratio than even a MotoGP bike. The engine is made in-house, and according to Crighton, the company's rotor design has the highest volume-to-surface ratio of any rotary engine ever made.

The CR700W uses a twin-spar aluminium frame with an adjustable headstock angle and swingarm pivot points.

In the past, Brian Crighton headed development of the rotary racing JPS Norton bikes of the early 1990s. The CR700W took over 12 years to develop since Crighton joined hands with rotary aero-engine specialists Rotron Power in 2009 to develop the bike. The partnership intends to introduce just 25 hand-built examples of the CR700W, with a price tag of 85,000 GBP (approximately Rs. 85 lakh). There's a catch though, neither is the CR700W road legal, nor can it be used for racing, since rotary engines were banned from racing in the mid-1990s.

The Crighton CR700W has a dry weight of just 129.5 kg, with an engine making 220 bhp and 142 Nm.

Nova Transmissions has provided the six-speed gearbox, which has a removable cassette style design. The twin-spar aluminium frame has an adjustable headstock angle and swingarm pivot points, and is a carryover from Crighton's Norton days. There are carbon fibre Dymag wheels, a choice of Ohlins or Biturbo suspension and Brembo brakes. The bike was officially unveiled at the National Motorcycle Museum in late October. Now, it will be interesting to note who those lucky 25 owners will be for the CR700W, a bike which certainly comes with impressive performance claims.