Nor is the man who put his name to this beast. Lord Thomas Alexander. Fermor-Hesketh, an eccentric aristocrat with a passion for things fast and mechanical, ploughed his hefty inheritance into designing and building the V1000 in the early Eighties. A more British venture you’d be hard pushed to find.

Hesketh, and the press, built the 511000 up as the bike that would save the British motorcycle industry. Sadly it was destined to fail.

David rocks the Hesketh off its main stand, turns both fuel taps to on (it uses one for each cylinder), feeds in a touch of choke and fires the 992cc V-twin into life. Oh, what a sound. The flat rhythmic booms from the Hesketh’s pipes sound like two Brit singles competing for attention. It’s an extraordinary exhaust note and quite unlike an Italian V-twin.

As I lean forward to the bars, the seat’s so wide it splays my legs, losing me two inches in height, so reaching the floor is harder than it would normally be. For anyone smaller it’d be a struggle.

One advantage for someone 6ft-plus is long- distance comfort. Once settled in, I feel as though I could sit there all day. Some owners do, covering huge mileages in one hit. That’s the Hesketh’s true

forte. It’s a grand tourer; the two-wheeled equivalent of a Jag, without the walnut dash and leather trim. When riding a Hesketh, planning ahead is essential. Its no good tramping along in the hope that you’ll be able to react to bends, roundabouts and other obstacles in your path. This is not a bike that executes split-second decisions.

So I make it my mission to seek out its favored territory: smooth, winding A-roads. It’s not long before we find our quarry. Time to stretch the V1000’s legs.

I steal a glance at the speedometer. We’re doing 80mph — very comfortably it must be said — at 4200rpm. As I wind on the throttle, in top, the speedo flashes its way past a ton.

Given enough road she might show 120mph, but I don’t want to rely on the Brembo brakes. They lack power and feel and are simply not up to stopping a bike of this size. New pads, lines and fluid would improve things.

One thing that doesn’t need improving is the ride quality. It’s excellent. Top quality Marzocchi suspension shields the rider from jolts and shakes that might otherwise be brought on by bumps and undulations in the road. Stability, too, is superb.

Away from the fluid rhythm of the A-road the Hesketh requires more input. For every mile of road, we’re faced with at least three bends. The bike’s 19in front wheel and lengthy wheelbase accentuate the heavy steering. And under steer is my unwelcome companion as I exit every corner. The bike’s out of its comfort zone and it’s letting me know.

When the V1000 was launched its notch gearbox was criticized, but as I snick another ratio on David’s bike I wonder what all the fuss was about. Five hours in and I haven’t missed a gear.

Heskeths have long been misunderstood. Sure they had their foibles when launched, but a fully- sorted example, like this, is a different proposition altogether. It doesn’t burn any oil, leak any fluid or crunch any gears. And it’s a pleasure to ride.

Hesketh’s intention was to build a high quality British bike. This sorted example at last lives up to that ideal. And that, given the marque’s troubled past, is a very big deal indeed.

The bike’s builder, Norton specialist Mick Hemmings, tickled the MK1 Concentrics, switched on the ignition, and with the machine on the main stand gave it a measured forceful swing. Result? Silence.

For the second attempt Mick depressed the kick start lever close to horizontal before starting his swing. He reckons that this technique reduces the possibility of kickback. But there was still no hint of cooperation from the engine.

A third swing. RUMBAAAAaaa! The mighty parallel twin burst into life with that snarling, powerful soul-stirring blast that peashooter ’silenced’ Commandos emit, rattling the workshop windows and  provoking a satisfied grin from Mick. It sounded as healthy and as powerful as any road-going British twin can.

A few days later, and with the bike now in possession of a MoT certificate, I was back at the Hemmings’ workshop for the eagerly awaited road test. Mick had ridden the bike across town to get the MoT, but to be its first run on the open road.

The Commando was wheeled out of the workshop, the carburetors tickled, and  this time it fired first kick under Hemmings‘ right leg. Impressive.

The sound of the Norton brought building workers out of nearby site doorways to savour the noise and watch Mick make some adjustments to improve the idle.

The sun was shining and I was looking forward to a relatively restrained ride at running-in speeds on some of my favorite Northampton shire back roads.

Fortunately Mick had other ideas. “Don’t be afraid to give it a decent thrashing,” he confidently grinned as I climbed aboard. With the prospect of a pleasant dawdle turning into a full blooded burn-up I wasn’t about to argue with him.

Wide and handsome thanks to its western- style bars, this example isn’t too high because

it’s fitted with a cut down seat that was originally used on a production race bike. The low seat height suited me and I was able to settle in fairly quickly to deal with Northampton town traffic.

The diaphragm spring clutch gives a relatively light and smooth action — a real improvement over previous Norton twins — and the gearbox changed faultlessly. It felt like a new bike, which in effect it is.

Out on the open road the true benefit of the Commando with its rubber-cushioned engine was apparent. Vibration all but isolated thanks to the Isolastic mountings, the Commando could be cruised at any sensible speed in comfort.

I soon discovered that Mick’s confidence in the freshly built motor was well founded. The engine was willing to rev and it gave no hint of protest. Obviously I wouldn’t ride a new engine flat out, and there were no plans for speed testing. But this was an opportunity to sample the torque and power of the vertical twin without revving it too hard.

At high cruising speeds the wide bars are hard work. And at speed Commandos have a tendency to feel slightly light at the front with a disposition to oscillate at the steering head. This bike was no exception, despite it being on modern Avon tyres.

The buyer of this machine has specified an 18in rear rim rather than the standard 19M item to allow a wider tyre choice. Mick argues that steering is best with 19in rims sharpness; the modern rubber does give confidence in corners and under braking. Because the Commando has real presence and because it makes such a glorious noise, you find yourself getting rather carried away. But with those wide bars it becomes wearing pulling against the wind and you eventually find yourself easing back… until you get bored that is, and off you go with another burst of speed! The customer has asked for lower bars to be fitted, and various other detail changes, before he takes delivery.

Ninety miles later I was back at flick’s Northampton workshop. “How was it?” he inquired, raising an amused eyebrow when told that I’d seen 100mph on the clock. Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to take his running in advice quite so literally.

Many of us regard the Norton Commando as the most practical of the classic British vertical twins for modern traffic conditions and distance riding. And this scratch-built conglomeration of components confirms the Commando’s status as such.

Any niggles? Well, the dumpy grips are not to my taste. I also found throttle action rather gritty, the rear brake weak, and the front twin leading shoe Tickle brake good on first application but prone to fade.

But overall this 1970 Roadster is a fine machine and proof that a bike that is carefully built from parts can end up as a fantastically integrated machine.

Die casting instead of gravity casting for the cast-aluminum sections of the ZX-14’s main frame have also resulted in lighter parts. The ZX-10R superbike has been completely revamped once again, with an all-new engine tuned for greater high-rpm performance without sacrificing midrange. The bike’s new ignition system is equipped with a kind of traction control, too, assisting with torque management by monitoring throttle opening, gear position and rate of rpm change, then retarding ignition timing to reduce torque when sudden unwanted rpm spikes are detected.  ZX-10R also has a

heavily revised frame and suspension, including a fully adjustable 43mm inverted fork and a new swingarm that uses pressed instead of cast beams. Rear suspension changes include dual (low- and high-speed) compression damping on the fully adjustable rear shock for better fine-tuning, a new mounting spot for the Uni­Trak linkage and a reshaped swingarm with a top-mounted brace. Wheels and brakes are all-new as well.

The bike’s 249cc parallel twin has been returned for smoother and more predictable power delivery, and Kawasaki says it offers more low- and midrange torque thanks to revisions to its dual overhead camshafts and a new two-into-one Ninja 250R exhaust system. Larger 17-inch wheels improve handling and stability, and there’s a larger 290mm front brake rotor gripped by a more powerful two- piston caliper. Like Kawasaki’s other sport models, the Ninja 2508 is fitted with petal discs for efficient heat dissipation.

Kawasaki’s already got a 2009 model in the lineup, too, the new KLX250S, which has been improved and revised for smoother power, better handling and braking, more stability and nicer looks.