Hesketh V 1000
| Hesketh | |
|---|---|
 Hesketh V 1000 |
|
| Hesketh V 1000 | |
| Manufacturer | Hesketh |
| Production period | 1980 to 1984 |
| class | motorcycle |
| design type | Superbike |
| Motor data | |
| Four-stroke engine , air-cooled two-cylinder V-engine, DOHC , camshaft drive via chain, four valves per cylinder, two Dell'Orto slide carburetors with a diameter of 36 mm, transistor ignition | |
| Displacement (cm³) | 992 |
| Power (kW / PS ) | 86 horsepower at 6,500 min -1 |
| Torque ( N m ) | 95 at 5500 min -1 |
| Top speed ( km / h) | 193 |
| transmission | 5 speed transmission |
| drive | Chain |
| Brakes | front: double disc brake 280 mm rear: 280 mm disc brake |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,510 |
| Empty weight (kg) | 247 |
| Previous model | none |
| successor | none |
The Hesketh V 1000 is a motorcycle from the English manufacturer Hesketh Motorcycles , which was presented in 1980 and built from 1981 (by Hesketh Motorcycles until bankruptcy 1984, then by Broom Development). At the time it was known as a “Rolls Royce on two wheels”.
development
The original plan for this motorcycle was to just develop it and then sell the production rights. But since there was no interested party, a production facility was built on Lord Hesketh's land in Easton Neston.
In 1977 Lord Alexander Hesketh commissioned Harry Weslake to design an engine for a British superbike. Weslake designed an air-cooled two-cylinder V-engine with a 90 ° fork angle, 992 cm³ displacement, a bore of 95 mm and 70 mm stroke, one-piece crankshaft and aluminum housing and cylinder heads. It has four chain-driven overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder that are operated by bucket tappets. The five-speed transmission transmits power to the rear wheel via a chain. In order to achieve constant chain tension, the axis of rotation of the rocker and the chain pinion are arranged concentrically. Originally the motorcycle should have a cardan drive; the first prototype was also equipped accordingly. Since components for which Yamaha held patents with the XS750 three-cylinder were used in the angular drive of the cardan at the gearbox output, a chain drive was changed, contrary to the original plan. Due to the changed gear ratios in the secondary drive, the gearbox ran at different speeds than originally intended, which resulted in numerous difficulties with the shiftability of the unusually massive power transmission.
In April 1980 the motorcycle was presented to the press, test rider was Mike Hailwood . Even at the press presentation, the problems with the transmission were heavily criticized, which could never be properly resolved later. Series production did not begin until August 1981, also due to financial difficulties.
Technical data and difficulties
The Weslake engine, which weighs more than 100 kg, was integrated into a tubular steel frame made of Reynolds 531 pipes, which is open at the bottom . The rear cylinder suffered from insufficient cooling, the engine itself from lubrication problems. The brakes were supplied by Brembo , the telescopic fork made by Marzocchi . The motorcycle was described as a “mixture of components that never really went together”. The first tests showed deficiencies, so the strong mechanical noises of the engine were criticized and the transmission was classified as difficult to shift. "Leaks in the camshaft drive, loose main bearings and porous cylinder heads" led to complaints right from the start of production.
Two bankruptcies and a small series
On June 16, 1982, almost a year after production began, Hesketh Motorcycles filed for bankruptcy. By then, 132 machines had been manufactured. The newly founded company Hesleydon Limited took over the remaining stocks in an auction in September 1982. The Hesketh Vampire presented in 1983 , a fully faired V 1000, of which 18 were built, could not prevent the second bankruptcy in January 1984.
Mick Broom, already production manager under Hesketh, founded the company Broom Development together with the Hesketh Owner Club. She has been building the Hesketh V 1000 to order since 1984. Broom tried to correct the "countless design errors" in the small series. A modified oil circuit, u. a. with an external riser, Mahle piston, larger diameter (45 instead of 39 mm) of the tubes of the Marzocchi telescopic fork, Brembo brake discs (310 instead of 280 mm) and map ignition should make the "motorcycle for enthusiasts" more attractive. A total of 200 of the Hesketh V 1000 and 50 of the Vampire are said to have been made so far.
Hesketh V 1000
Hesketh vampires
literature
- Paul Collins: British motorcycle brands , Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart. 1st edition 2000, ISBN 3-613-02036-X
- Peter Schnell: Hesketh V 1000. In: biker scene 4/2003, page 76/77
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Schnell, p. 76
- ↑ Collins, p. 62
- ↑ Collins, p. 62
- ↑ Peter Schnell, p. 77
- ↑ Collins, p. 62
- ↑ Peter Schnell, p. 77
- ↑ broom engineering.co.uk . Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ^ Hugo Wilson: The Lexicon from the motorcycle. ISBN 3-613-01719-9 , p. 81