The British motorcycle industry is a prestigious one, and Herald Motor Company wants to make a name for itself in it. They intend to do this by releasing a line of British-built bikes. Their plans are to do this at the end of 2016. Being a company that has only been in business for three years, this move shows how serious Herald is.
Currently, Herald only imports 250cc Chinese-built bikes. They then redesign these bikes to feature a modern classic look. But this is going to change. Herald Motor Company has already started designing its own UK-built frames placing the company in the right direction towards becoming a British manufacturer. According to Rob Croxall, its Business Operations Manager, Herald’s long-term goal is to build an entirely British bike, and the first step in this journey is to produce its own frames.
Herald is taking baby steps to achieve this dream. They will not abandon the use of Chinese built bikes all together. Their plan is to design aluminum subframes, swingarm, and frame, then combine British parts with a Chinese-built air-cooled 400cc single engine to power the machine. From China, they have already sourced an ABS and an engine that is Euro4-compliant. Most of the other parts will be British sourced making the bike as British as possible.
The reason behind using the air-cooled 400cc instead of a Rottweiler prototype 450cc water-cooled engine is that the motorcycle will be a very light one. The bike also will be highly customizable. This feature will offer the clients an opportunity to add extra features such as tires, bars, and seats. The bike will also use high specification suspensions from Racetek offering high levels of comfort and handling. With time, Herald will be able to manufacture an entirely British built bike for its clients.
Having already manufactured modern retro roadsters that hold high reputation, its wholly British-built bike is eagerly awaited.
