By 1981, England was almost irrelevant in the international game of motorcycle production. So Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh (how’s that for a name?), an actual Lord and Baron who had already started a racing team, decided to start his own motorcycle company. You can guess where he got the name from.
Their first model was the V1000, which featured a 992cc V-Twin produced by Weslake – it was claimed to be the first Brit bike with DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder. The engine produced 82 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque, but the bike weighed 540 pounds and teething problems put Hesketh out of business almost immediately after just 139 bikes were built. Thomas brought the company back to life the next year with a new model called the Vampire, which was basically the V1000 with a fairing. Just 40 were built, and (you’re not going to believe it) the company went bankrupt again in 1984. If you want more history on this interesting company, I highly recommend you check out this article on OddBike.
This example has just over 3,100 miles, it “has always been displayed inhouse and has not been ridden for many years.” The seller states that it was recently serviced with an oil change and carb clean, adding that “she runs excellently.”
Find this Vampire for sale in Nederweert, Netherlands for €21,495 ($24,362) here on Yesterday’s.