Hesketh - The Motorcycle Story

Introduction

I feel that it is appropriate that I start off with a confession, besides being a motorcycle enthusiast Im a fan of the Hesketh motorcycle, have been so right from the first mention of the proposed British superbike up to the present when I was reacquainted with the motorcycle and found it as attractive as it always was.

Having said that, in writing this book l've attempted to be objective and placed the story in the context of the time and the overall state of the economy and motorcycle industry.

I find it a great shame that the venture never succeeded but then its chances of surviving were slim from the outset, the company having no motorcycle building experience and no other business activity to subsidise the motorcycle side until it got into profit, compare that to today when companies with an idea that may prove profitable sometime in the future are able to raise huge amounts of money at start up.

Then there are the journalists, the motorcycle press seemed to change over the years from very gentlemanly somewhat subtle reports to something a bit more gung-ho and attention grabbing, after all a journalists duty is to the publication that pays the wages and to make sure that readers continue to buy the publication. From the outset though it appeared that most journalists thought of the V1000 as a rich man's toy and responded accordingly. I'm certain that if it had been built by enthusiasts in a big shed somewhere the approach would have been different.

The buyers of the motorcycle, would like society, be a spread of quite different people, with different aspirations and expectations depending on their outlook and also motorcycling experience, whilst some found faults others were happy with their purchase.

Of course I'm not saying that the V1000 was perfect and without fault, nothing is perfect, everything in life is a compromise, I do think that some of the criticisms were too harsh and others unjustified though.

Through some various transactions I was able to build up a V1000 in my garage, get it registered and rode it for many miles on the road, I didn't encounter any of the problems often quoted, at that stage I had considerable experience, testing motorcycles for a fleet operator and later cars for a major manufacturer, so wasn't exactly fresh to the task of evaluating vehicles This then is the story of the Hesketh motorcycle as I see it and have experienced it. 

Tim Bolton

Lower Broadheath February 2025