Photo: Hesketh
After a three-decade absence from the world of active motorcycle manufacturers, it’s a sunny day for Hesketh once more, as the new limited-edition bike baptized “24” was introduced to the world, with an official reveal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month. Even though the 24 will be produced in a very small run of just - you guessed it - 24 units, it looks like the actual Hesketh owner and designer Paul Sleeman has bigger plans to restore production for another two-seater machine in the vein pf the old V1000. But until then…
Sleeman says that 11 customers have already showed their interest in the Hesketh 24, with three of them having already made a deposit for the £35,000 bike ($59,380 or €43,850). He also says that the project cost was around £900,000 ($1.52 mil or €1.13 mil) over the 4 years it took to bring the 24 and Hesketh back to life. Each 24 needs around one week to be put together, and Hesketh is expected to be fully working in less than two months.
Hesketh 24 is powered by a 56-degree air-cooled 1,950cc X-Wedge lump sourced from S&S Cycle, and which received tuning from the British magicians at HPE. The upgraded version is now producing 125 hp and a whopping 140 lb-ft (190Nm) of torque, with a red line around 6,500 rpm. The power plant is mated to a 5-speed Baker transmission with an overdrive 5th for effortless fast hauls.
However, the final transmission was changed from belt to chain, as Hesketh wanted to maintain the sporty looks for the 24. Using a belt would have added too much cruiser styling to the bike, ad Sleeman wanted to avoid this at all costs. The heavy duty KingKong cable clutch is also supplied by Baker and is said to be used in certain Cadillacs.
A custom frame was engineered and built by Racing Innovations, and it sits on Öhlins suspensions at both ends, rolling on BST carbon fiber wheels, while the stopping power is taken care of by Beringer hardware. The custom solo seat is covered in diamond-pattern stitched premium leather and sits 820mm (32.2”) above the street level. No dealers have been announced, as only Hesketh is taking care of both selling and maintaining the bikes. For more photos, check with visordown.
Hesketh 24 is powered by a 56-degree air-cooled 1,950cc X-Wedge lump sourced from S&S Cycle, and which received tuning from the British magicians at HPE. The upgraded version is now producing 125 hp and a whopping 140 lb-ft (190Nm) of torque, with a red line around 6,500 rpm. The power plant is mated to a 5-speed Baker transmission with an overdrive 5th for effortless fast hauls.
However, the final transmission was changed from belt to chain, as Hesketh wanted to maintain the sporty looks for the 24. Using a belt would have added too much cruiser styling to the bike, ad Sleeman wanted to avoid this at all costs. The heavy duty KingKong cable clutch is also supplied by Baker and is said to be used in certain Cadillacs.
A custom frame was engineered and built by Racing Innovations, and it sits on Öhlins suspensions at both ends, rolling on BST carbon fiber wheels, while the stopping power is taken care of by Beringer hardware. The custom solo seat is covered in diamond-pattern stitched premium leather and sits 820mm (32.2”) above the street level. No dealers have been announced, as only Hesketh is taking care of both selling and maintaining the bikes. For more photos, check with visordown.
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