CUSTOM PARTS FOR BRITISH MOTORCYCLE PROTOTYPE
THE CUSTOMER
Herald Motor Co. is based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and specialises in the design and creation of head-turning motorcycles. The range includes 125, 250 and 400cc models, from the bestselling Classic 125 to the retro-styled Café 400.
THE CHALLENGE
Herald entered the motorbike sector over a decade ago initially working with partners and focusing on classically styled motorcycles. However, their passion for motorbikes meant the goal was always to design and manufacture in Britain. The first step in making this a reality was to produce a prototype bike, the Brute 500.
Mike Ashmead, Founder & Chairman, Herald Motor Company said: “The UK has a long tradition of manufacturing motorcycles, but this is something we seem to have forgotten over the years. I am passionate about motorcycles and I want to prove to the world that the UK hasn’t lost its touch.”
Herald, being a British brand and part of Encocam an award-winning manufacturing and engineering company, wanted to take advantage of the opportunity in the UK for manufacturing and make use of the other divisions within the Encocam umbrella to help assist them in building a British bike.
From the design, to the engineering and the build of the Brute 500, all aspects of this bike were to be made in the UK as much as possible and utilise the resources already available to the company.
THE SOLUTION
Stonehill Engineering supplied several custom parts for the Brute 500 prototype working closely with the Herald team. These included
- Model board fuel tank for the fitment trial
- Front yokes and stem
- Machining swingarm casting pre and post welding
- Machining frame castings
- Machining foot control and mounting plates
The front yokes and stem of a motorcycle are the parts that connect the motorcycle’s front wheel and axle to its frame. An upper yoke and a lower yoke are joined via a steering stem. These parts help the bike to steer and are integral in the build of any motorcycle. All parts needed to be created to a very high standard and withstand crucial testing.
Using parts created by Stonehill Engineering ensures the Brute 500 is built to the highest quality and means more elements of the bike can be manufactured in Britain. Due to Stonehill’s expertise, the Brute has a higher number of machined parts than other motorcycles as usually motorcycle parts are cast instead.
THE OUTCOME
The first prototype of the Brute 500 was showcased at Motorcycle Live, the UK’s largest bike show, as well as exhibitions in Germany and Italy and an overwhelming amount of positive feedback was received. Since then Herald has optimised the design ready for manufacture and is working on production samples.
It’s an exciting time at Herald Motor Co. as the goal of designing and manufacturing their own British-built motorcycle becomes a reality and Stonehill Engineering is thrilled to be part of this project.
Gareth Williamson, Lead Design Engineer at Herald said, “Stonehill Engineering produced a significant number of parts for the Herald Brute prototype bikes. They were easy to work with and together we were able to make design adjustments to improve manufacturing and lower costs. Their strength was the rapid turnaround of urgent parts to keep our bike testing progressing.”