Hesketh 24 to Make Public Debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Hesketh, a British motorcycle manufacturer best known for its Formula 1 racing success in the ’70s. Now under new ownership, the brand announced late last year it would relaunch with a new limited-edition model called the Hesketh 24. At the time, Hesketh said it planned to launch the V-Twin model in February, but the company ran into some delays.

Those issues appeared to be resolved as Hesketh announced an official unveiling in June with former British Superbike Champion Tommy Hill riding the 24 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 24 will also be displayed at the Hesketh stand alongside the company’s previous V1000 models.

Hesketh will produce just 24 units of the bike, honoring the racing number of F1 racer James Hunt who won the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix and added three second-place finishes to put Hesketh fourth in the 1975 manufacturers championship. The white paint with red and blue stripes are based on the livery on the 1975 Hesketh 308 F1 car.

A new photo of a prototype (shown below) reveals a tweaks to the initial designs released last fall, but most of the specs remain the same. The 24 is powered by a 1950cc 56-degree V-Twin engine from S&S, claiming 118 hp. Premium parts include Ohlins suspension, Brock’s Performance BST carbon fiber wheels and Beringer four-piston calipers.

Perhaps the most interesting design decision is the 6-gallon fuel capacity split between three different tanks for mass centralization. A small tank will be located in the convention location above the engine while two larger tanks will be mounted under the seat and below the engine.

The Hesketh 24 will come at a premium price of £35,000 (US$59,150). A two-seater follow-up is already in the works, in a larger production run and a more affordable price.

[Source: Hesketh ( Facebook)]

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

More by Dennis Chung

Comments
Join the conversation
Next