Hailed as a Great British V-twin, the Hesketh failed to achieve success at the time – but four decades after its aristocratic birth, does it make a good classic for today?
sweeping through this cracking bend at just under 70mph, I feel surprisingly confident; what seemed like a big, heavy bike when I set off is now completely in its element. Handling is stable and pleasantly neutral and the engine is really getting into its stride. It’s comfortable, too – and about the only thing that’s niggling me is the thought that, if I hadn’t seen the name on the tank, I’d struggle to guess what it said.
Why? Well, despite the implication that the Hesketh followed the spiritual tyre tracks of Vincent and Brough Superior, I’m feeling little similarity with any traditional British V-twin from the saddle – this is a distinctly revvy motor. But on top of that, where are all those problems I read about at the time? Admittedly, the weight surprised me, but the designers clearly took care to minimise its effect. I didn’t notice it on the move and, while it takes the hip thrust of an amorous Clydesdale to get off the stand, the balance is such that putting it back up again is child’s play.
To understand this, I need to go back to 1980. Triumph are bleeding out, at the mercy of an uncaring government – although, realistically, their old twin is only for the faithful. Norton are still refining their rotary engine, but we’ve been hearing that for so long it’s becoming like the Loch Ness Monster – something that many believe in but nobody ever actually sees. Buyers are fed up with rehashed old designs and going-nowhere prototypes that will ‘save the industry’. The Japanese industry is in the ascendant, European makers are doing OK... but the UK? We’ve had it – unless a Knight in Shining Armour comes galloping over the hill...
Well, how about a Peer of the Realm instead?
The image of Lord Alexander Hesketh in his mansion, clinking glasses with Formula One buddy James Hunt, was hard to connect with the oily denim British bike scene I was getting into at sixteen. But from what I read in the papers, it seemed Hesketh’s wealth and successful background in racing, engineering and R&D qualified him to create a genuinely modern performance bike.
But following a high-profile launch, several problems arose – downmarket issues like the difficult gear selection, oil leaks and mechanical noise – rapidly turning hope to scorn. My own enthusiasm ebbed soon after discovering that His Lordship didn’t even ride a bike! Huh, only a non-rider would try to fob us off with a ‘luxury’ model powered by a blood’n’guts Weslake grasstrack engine! The only Hesketh I ever spotted w
