The tales of experimentally odd innovations in the world of motorcycles since its inception in the automotive arena can fill a library. Think of the hub center steering, two-wheel drive, and even automatic transmission making their way into motorcycles.
However, undeniably what would rank pretty high in that list are rotary engines. Now, while it might not have been very popular in the mainstream automotive industry, to date there are a handful of lads who have decided to not let the engine format die and keep them alive in their two-wheeled glory.
Among the pioneers, Suzuki is probably at the top with the RE5. This came at the same time when the Dutch company Van Veen was experimenting with the same format, and so was the German company Hercules with its W-2000, which was a bold Wankel-engined motorcycle.
Now, the Hercules W-2000 has been brought back to life, and it still looks as if it belongs to the future.
The Hercules W-2000 Is "Magical"
The Hercules W-2000 we are talking about is rather special. If you haven’t heard the name Greg Hageman, your motorcycle encyclopedia is about to get a lot cooler. Hageman became the talk of the town due to his work with Virago customs, but these days, he has branched out to just about anything on two wheels.
His latest work that has grabbed many eyeballs is the W-2000 you see here. The motorcycle belonged to Greg’s father-in-law and after hearing what he had planned for the motorcycle, he was ready to part ways with it. Greg’s client Alessandro Bonomi sees Hercules as something special, believing that there is something magical about forgotten chapters in automotive dreams and relics.
He respects the notion of the time that rotary engines could have been the future of motorcycles. On paper, Alessandro says that the idea of the W-2000 was genius. A system that would reduce vibrations, and provide uniform torque, all while weighing lighter than most motorcycles sounds like the next step in motorcycle engineering. Unfortunately, while the idea can be called right, it was still way ahead of its time.
Alessandro later dedicated the bike to his father titling the adventure ‘Project Andy.’
A Special Motorcycle With Special Upgrades
Starting with the powerplant, it was a rustic 294cc Sachs air-cooled single rotor engine which was quite basic. However, the duo saw this as a positive considering that the industrial rotary engine operates without any unnecessary complexity. And that it was the parts that surrounded the engine that needed the most attention.
Now, the W-2000 was a slow motorcycle but had predictable handling. To build up on that, Greg decided to upgrade the suspension with Yamaha X650 forks. The setup has been reworked with new tubes and seals, in addition to the innards from Race Tech.
Even the hubs at the front and the back are borrowed from the X650. The motorcycle rides on 17-inch wheels from Buchanan which are wrapped with Avon MKII, with an era-appropriate tread pattern.
Braking duties on the motorcycle are handled by calipers from a 2003 Yamaha YZF-R1 that used billet adaptors, along with 320 mm Brembo rotors. All are fed by a Magura HC1 radial master cylinder at the front. At the back, it gets an XS650 drum—upgraded with new shoes from EBC—flanked by a pair of custom-spec Hagon Nitro shocks.
Speaking of the quality of materials, the motorcycle gets a top-notch finish. The shiny CNC-machined Motogadget holds on to the newly-plated hardware and the stunning metal flake paint, which was gowned in Tampa-based Moe Colors.
The Design Takes Top Priority
A closer look at the graphics on the stock tank and you’ll spot that it’s inspired, mirroring the shape of the side covers, and everything else has been neatly refinished in powder or Cerakote by Schwarz Powder Coating in Illinois.
Greg says that in factory form the Hercules looked a little stodgy, hence, he has smartly lightened the aesthetics with a new seat upholstered by Tuffside, alongside a waspish little tail unit. This comes in addition to the classic quarter-fairing at the front, which houses a Custom Dynamics ProBEAM LED headlight behind a clear dome.
Expectedly, with builds like this one, a lot of work is not outright evident to the human eye. This package includes a new electrical system, aimed at banishing any ugly remnants of vintage unreliability. Behind the curtains, according to Greg, are mostly Motogadget componentry, with a mo.uni Bluetooth control box that powers the speedometer, switchgear, and turns signals from the same manufacturer.
This W-2000 is one of those builds that could have gone wrong, but Alessandro is very pleased with the result. He enthuses that it was like no bike that he has ever ridden. Alessandro found the motorcycle to be "light, nippy, and unexpectedly fast." But more than anything, he says, "there was different energy when one twists the throttle… the bike almost disappears from beneath, there are no real vibrations, and you simply find yourself gliding effortlessly.”
Alessandro has now become the first one to admit that Project Andy was ‘idealistic’. However, in addition to reincarnating such tech, the resto-modification also turned the spotlight back on what can be seen as a lost yet “magical” moment in the history of two-wheel motoring.
Source: Hageman Cycles