Heck, I'm guilty here, too. I bought Heron from Ted Durant who was involved in the initial joint venture that created the brand in 1997. I use the same lugs and geometry. Waterford still brazes and paints the frames. The tubing is cromoly instead of 531, and we use vertical dropouts instead of horizontal.
So, what is a "real" Heron? Perhaps, it's not as much of an issue since the name of the founder or original framebuilder isn't on the downtube. Maybe it would be different if I were selling "Durants" or "Petersens." Does it matter? (Yes, I know that I am not eligible for membership in SOPWAMTOS until I start brazing them myself).
Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
LaSalle, IL 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com