THE WESLAKE 1000cc V-TWIN
Weslake were better known for speedway singles – and they influenced their V-twin
1 Weslake developed this 50° V-twin with a dry sump and separate gearbox.
2 Top-end assemblies came from the fourvalve, pushrod speedway single and had two sets of contact breakers on the right side.
3 Low-slung grasstrack sidecar featured a two-speed gearbox and an alloy spine frame.
4 Wasp-built sidecarcross outfit shows how compact the engine is.
5 Brian Valentine did a lot of development work with the Weslake V-twin, including fivevalve heads and overhead cam versions.
6 Plain bearings were used in the big and small-ends of this engine, circa 1981. Different pistons allowed different compression ratios: 14:1 on methanol for grasstrack, 11:1 for petrol in sidecarcross.
7 Mick Butler clocked low eights with his Weslake V-twin drag bike in the ’80s (photograph by Keith Lee).
shelf but never like to sell the last one of any component. Instead he offered to make a batch. I only wanted one!
“So they told me to ring Dave Coates, who just happened to be an old mate of mine. He said he needed some, so we got back to Wasp and ordered a batch!” The Bob Newby clutch and belt drive was designed for a Norton Commando. John wanted lights on the bike (the headlight is concealed behind the Manx-style nose-cone cowl) and to charge the system he fitted a Kawasaki GPZ750 alternator, driven off the crank. Then he had to create the primary belt drive/alternator belt cage to prevent his selvedge-edge jeans being ripped to shreds by the thrashing belts!
John had to waist the inside of the Wideline frame on the bottom rear left side to give clearance for the drive chain. He also modified one of the lower frame rails to allow the engine to fit.
The Roadholder forks sit in the widest yokes he reckons you can find. “I think they’re 7 5/8in. People reckon you can’t get a Grimeca four-leading-shoe drum in there, but this is proof you can – it is a tight fit, though!” The brass dash on the top yoke is another self-made item – it took John ten hours to fashion. The swingarm is genuine Manx, suspended by Hagon shocks, while the rear hub is replica Manx. The rear mudguard is mounted to the swingarm, Vincent style. The rearsets are original 1960s Paul Dunstalls, while behind the side panel live the battery, coils and ignition packs. The fuel tank is off a Norton Dominator. “It has an integral oil compartment that holds five pints. I’ve had the tank for years – it’s scalloped underneath for a Vincent motor. I tried to sell it for £50 at a jumble years ago, but there were not takers so I just stuck it in the shed. It came in useful in the end!”
Colmor Finishing in Borough Green carried out the chroming, then Fuzzy John in Ashford did the polishing. The paint is by John and Jackie in Collier Street and Lynn used gold leaf to create the graphics.
“It was a bugger to register,” says John. “I wanted a six-digit age-related plate. These days you have to go through Classic Reconstruction, though DVLA, via the VMCC. It was complicated and very long-winded. With the engine being the latest part of the machine, circa 1979, a T-plate had to be avoided, as did the dreaded Q-plate. After six months, much paper work, lots of hurdle jumping, correspondence with DVLA and VMCC, I finally got a six-digit age-related number.
“I built the entire bike in my workshop with hacksaws and files,” says John. “I’ve got a lathe, MIG welder and gas welding, but not a CNC machine in sight. I wanted to use as many period parts as possible and I’m please how it came out. It’s not the Norvin I always wanted but it’s still a V-twin. It’s seriously quick, handles beautifully and you won’t find another one like it. It’s not for sale, but if someone wants to offer me £50k they can have it!”
> Oxney Classic Motorcycles was established 1986. For repairs, general spares, restorations and custom builds ring 07999 806635.
‘I ENDED UP TURNING UP BITS AND PIECES FOR MY BIKE ON WESLAKE’S OLD LATHE’