Hesketh Answers 30-Year Hiatus With The New 24
Earlier this year, a major announcement came from a classic British
motorcycle manufacturer. After a more-than-30-year hiatus, Hesketh
Motorcycles announced its newest bike called the 24, Zig Wheels
reported. Paul Sleeman, chief engineer and owner of Hesketh,
developed and designed the 24, which was motivated by the old
design of the Hesketh 308 Formula 1.
History Of Hesketh

The 308 Formula 1 made famous by James Hunt, who
recorded his first Formula 1 victory at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix.
Additionally, the 24 is named after Hunt's F1 car and has the same
appearance as well, the source stated. Hunt was recently portrayed
in the Ron Howard film Rush, which showed the rise and fall of the
team's success.
The motorcycle company was started by Lord Hesketh in Easton
Neston, Northhamptonshire, in 1980. Lord H was known as a playboy
of sorts from his Formula 1 team success with Hunt in the
mid-1970s. The aristocrat wanted to revamp Britain's then-failing
motorcycle manufacturing industry with Hesketh Motorcycles.
However, the success was not received after the 1983 release of the
Weslake V-twin V1000, which was the first bike released by Hesketh.
Another motorcycle company called Hesleydon also got involved with
Hesketh and made a faired touring motorcycle, the Vampire, which
also saw mild success with a limited amount of bikes released.
Hesketh Comes Back With A Big Punch

It might have been three decades since the
last Hesketh motorcycle was built, but the 24 doesn't seem to skip
a beat with its innovative design. According to Zig Wheels, the 24
comes with a 1,900-cubic-centimeter, air-cooled, V-twin motor that
releases 127 horsepower around 6,000 rpm. Also, the 144 foot-pounds
of torque will have many riders surprised by the power of the
24.
Early on, the motorcycle engineers for Hesketh wanted to use a
belt-drive system, however, the massive amount of torque had the
manufacturers decide on a chain-drive system
instead, the source reported.
According to Motorcycle-USA, roughly 200 motorcycles have been
built by Hesketh, but since Sleeman took over in 2010, the plan is
get more bikes on the road. However, as of now, there will only be
24 released, but Sleeman said it's only the start to many more
bikes.
The bike's saddle is
hand-stitched Italian leather and features a carbon dash with wide
bars that's not for the faint of heart riders. The full-on rearsets
adjust the rider in an downward position with knuckles pointed
nearly to the ground.
Additionally, the Hesketh 24 includes Beringer brakes and other
top-spec parts like an Ohlins suspension system and a BST sourced
Blackstone carbon-fiber wheel set, Zig Wheels reported. While the
motorcycle creates serious flashbacks of 70s café racers, this
retro bike includes modern equipment and a keyless ignition system,
which can also be found on the Ducati Diavel.
Each motorcycle comes with a numbered plaque, which is made out of
18-carat gold, on the fuel tank. According to Auto Evolution, the
Hesketh 24 will start at $59,380, but the price could increase due
to its limited run.