Cambridgeshire-based small bike company Herald have revealed a new Brute 500 concept at Motorcycle Live, which aims to be the firm's first British-built motorcycle.
The machine has been designed, engineered and assembled in the UK and is powered by an A2 licence-friendly 449cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine - provided by their Asian partners - producing 42.9bhp. This is coupled with a six-speed manual gear box and contemporary street-tracker styling.
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Alongside this, the bike also features adjustable front and rear suspension, with the rear shock using a unique floating linkage system. The entire frame, exhaust, bodywork, seat and all of the machined components have been produced in the UK, too.
With the suspension and brakes also being designed and built to UK specification, there is Italian Domino switchgear and a Koso Taiwanese dashboard - however Herald claim this is all subject to change at the mass-production phase.
Herald have been importing retro-styled small-capacity motorcycles from China for around a decade and are now able to make the move into producing motorcycles independently, due to being a division of long-standing engineering firm Encocam, who have the facilities to produce the parts at their Huntingdon base.
The bike is still firmly in the testing phase and no word has been given on pricing. However, Herald believe the Brute will act as a viable rival to other affordable retros currently available, including the Italian-styled, Chinese-powered Fantic range.