Meet the 2100cc, supercharged, 250hp, V-twin nakedbike
Hesketh has never been one for catering to the masses and, despite being reborn under new ownership, there’s clearly still much of the eccentric edge of the original company. And never more so than with its latest creation, the Valiant SC.
When entrepreneur Paul Sleeman bought Hesketh from its founder and namesake, Lord Hesketh, in 2010, his initial plan was to build a run of 24 V-twin machines. Dubbed the Hesketh 24, that S&S-engined creation sold out and led to the development of a second model, the Sonnet.
Now the Valiant SC sits at the top of the range.
The bike is understandably closely related to the other models in the Hesketh line. It’s a small outfit with limited R&D resources, so sharing parts makes sense.
Once again the engine is a 2100cc S&S X-Wedge V-twin, an off-the-shelf mill from the USA, but this time it’s got a Rotrex supercharger bolted into the V between the cylinders. That quickly upped power from 108kW to 156kW, and by the time development is complete and the bike goes on sale in the middle of next year, the firm hopes it will be up to 186kW.
The frame is again the familiar Hesketh chrome-moly tube design, with plenty of carbon fibre and as many British-made components
as possible.
That means Hesketh is going against the usual low-volume recipe of Öhlins and Brembo parts, instead using K-Tech suspension and Pretech front brake calipers.
A slice of supercharged, handmade British eccentricity doesn’t come cheap, though. Hesketh is mooting a £50,000 (A$81,000) tag for the new machine.
Ben Purvis
