Weslake Motorcycles - Timeline
Weslake motorcycles had been in production since 1972, in Rye,
Sussex. Initially the company was best known for their engines
and their work on cylinder heads for cars.
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1970s. Early in the decade the firm combined with John
Caffrey to build the Weslake Vendetta. The engine was
a 492cc eight-valve vertical twin, and drove a five-speed gearbox. The
frame was duplex tubular and rode on wire wheels with a disc front brake
and conical rear hub. Later came larger versions of the engines but, increasingly,
Weslake had limited chassis involvement. They also built 500cc singles
running on dope for grass-track use.
-
1980s The grass-track models now had a five-valve head. They then went
on to produce a 998cc ohc ten-valve V-twin, along the lines of an earlier
eight-valve engine. Some of the Weslake singles were used for speedway
and long-track events but, for the majority, the company kept to engines
rather than complete machines.
-
1990s Late in the decade they offered the Wexton Sprint road model,
with their 498cc dohc single engine mounted in a Norton Featherbed frame with a Norton
or Quaife gearbox. Production was limited and the machines built to customer
specification in the cafe racer style.
Source: Graces Guide
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