Motorcycle specifications HeskethValiant Supercharged 2018 British accent

While British motorcycle production is almost exclusively represented by Triumph these days, this doesn't mean that other manufacturers are slumbering. Norton thrives on passion and sport, while other brands operate on a very small scale at the top end of the market - brands such as Ariel, Matchless, Lotus, and here Hesketh. His thing is roadsters with huge engines. And this Valiant Supercharged isn't going to calm things down.

There's no lack of aplomb on this bike. It looks as if it's been chiselled by passionate craftsmen, who prefer evenings of mechanics to trips to the tavern. The pencil seems thick, the line heavy. The Valiant lacks lightness of line and sensuality of silhouette. The case seems clumsy, while the vigor bubbles up inside.
Like so many others, especially tuners, Hesketh turned to S&S to power his creation. The American engine-maker defends its name with big air-cooled twins. This is also the case here. The block cubes 128 cubic inches, or nearly 2100 cm3. This promises big, fat, torquey power... But that's not enough. So the manufacturer offers it some enticing company with a compressor. Entrusted to the care of TTS Performance, the engine sends out a cavalcade of 210 horsepower at just 5500 rpm. Torque is monstrous, with over 30 mkg at 3,000 rpm. For starters...
Because by the time it goes on sale, Hesketh intends to push power to the 250 hp mark. Madness? As befits this class of machine.

It remains to be seen how the frame will cope with this manna of watts. The Valiant relies on a classic double tubular steel cradle frame. Suspension is more advanced: the inverted fork and shock absorbers come from K-Tech, with the added bonus of Öhlins parts for the front axle. For braking, we find 320 mm front tracks squeezed by 6-piston Pretech calipers; for the rear, the job is entrusted to Beringer, via a 4-piston caliper.
The Valiant encourages you to discover more than just its strength. A lot of craftsmanship goes into making it a machine like no other. It's not often that a bike is distinguished by a pair of removable rims with a perimeter spangled with bolts. But browsing here and there will lead you to speculate on the long engine cowl covering the exhausts, the embossed red double seat, the carbon passenger seat cover and mudguards, the Magura handlebars, the Rizoma parts, the adjustable footpeg plates or the menacing double air intake. To avoid distracting the eye while riding, the Hesketh Valiant suffers from only one indication: a speedometer, simple, obligatory, and graduated in miles, of course.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos