Very old petrol bike, bsa
- Thread starter spanos
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Yup definitely Bantam. IIRC if the timing is a tad out it will fire and run backwards, most amusing to onlookers as the rider lets out the clutch. Oh how we laughed
Ignition points gap can be set with the silver paper from a packet of Woodbines - that's what killed 'em.
Ignition points gap can be set with the silver paper from a packet of Woodbines - that's what killed 'em.
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It's a BSA Bantam D1 125ccm from round about 1950.
It's unusual to see a green one. Most of the ones I've seen are ex GPO in red. They used to be used for delivering telegrams in the days before we had SMS.
It's unusual to see a green one. Most of the ones I've seen are ex GPO in red. They used to be used for delivering telegrams in the days before we had SMS.
Look under the centre stand and see the block of wood.
Those BSA stands used to wear at the joints very rapidly and no longer hold the bike up, hence the wood.
I used to ride one of those and also the 250cc BSA C10L side valve which looked very similar, even same colour.
Those BSA stands used to wear at the joints very rapidly and no longer hold the bike up, hence the wood.
I used to ride one of those and also the 250cc BSA C10L side valve which looked very similar, even same colour.
Green was the standard colour for public sale.
It's not commonly known but BSA's Bantam was actually the pre-war DKW RT125 design, awarded to them as part of War reparations, German designs seized after WW2. The same design was also made in the USA as the Harley Davidson Hummer and Russia as the Moskva K125.
Japanese company Nippon Gakki reversed engineered it and made a copy as the YA1. It was the first ever Yamaha motorcycle.
BSA's Sunbeam S7 and S8 shaft drive motorcycles were also widely believed to be the result of reparations, basically a BMW boxer flat twin with the cylinders folded upright to be a twin in line.
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It's not commonly known but BSA's Bantam was actually the pre-war DKW RT125 design, awarded to them as part of War reparations, German designs seized after WW2. The same design was also made in the USA as the Harley Davidson Hummer and Russia as the Moskva K125.
Japanese company Nippon Gakki reversed engineered it and made a copy as the YA1. It was the first ever Yamaha motorcycle.
BSA's Sunbeam S7 and S8 shaft drive motorcycles were also widely believed to be the result of reparations, basically a BMW boxer flat twin with the cylinders folded upright to be a twin in line.
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I've owned every variant of the Bantam except the D1 and D3, though I did have a D1 motor in a D7 frame.
Those included:
D7
D10
D10 Sports (chrome mudguards)
D14/4
D14/4 Bushman ( high level exhaust)
B175 (bigger forks and break - same as C15)
A modified trials version with 21" front wheel and custom high-level exhaust.
I used to be able to name every single nut, bolt and other components. Those were in the days when if your logbook didn't quite match your frame number. You could restamp the frame with those number punches. I knew one guy that had three bantams with the same frame number and the same registration number, all ridden on the same tax disc and insurance. That was when you buy a the main frame triangle for about £2 from a breaker.
I still have an A10 at the back of my garage. I built it from scratch. It started life as a Gold Flash, but now it has a modified Road Rocket engine and Gold Star forks with the extremely rare 190mm brake front wheel from a Gold Star.
Those included:
D7
D10
D10 Sports (chrome mudguards)
D14/4
D14/4 Bushman ( high level exhaust)
B175 (bigger forks and break - same as C15)
A modified trials version with 21" front wheel and custom high-level exhaust.
I used to be able to name every single nut, bolt and other components. Those were in the days when if your logbook didn't quite match your frame number. You could restamp the frame with those number punches. I knew one guy that had three bantams with the same frame number and the same registration number, all ridden on the same tax disc and insurance. That was when you buy a the main frame triangle for about £2 from a breaker.
I still have an A10 at the back of my garage. I built it from scratch. It started life as a Gold Flash, but now it has a modified Road Rocket engine and Gold Star forks with the extremely rare 190mm brake front wheel from a Gold Star.
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As a youth ( in early 70's) I built a few trials bikes based on Bantam engine.( 125s and 175s). That led to building Karts but using Villiers 197 cc engines.( from Invalid cars) Raced those for a few years in old Class 4. ( 200 with gearbox)...That led to Bultaco / Ossa powered Karts...and then to little racing cars..
All started with Bantam !!!
Still got a 1967 Cotton trials tho..( Villiers 250, a 37a )
All Bantams we bought were red and inspired the joke..." What's red and throbs between your legs"..Bantam just about throbbed I suppose....
All started with Bantam !!!
Still got a 1967 Cotton trials tho..( Villiers 250, a 37a )
All Bantams we bought were red and inspired the joke..." What's red and throbs between your legs"..Bantam just about throbbed I suppose....
Oooo memory lane! I remember working on A10's and A65's with my mates. Those bikes saw every set up from cafe racer to chop and back again. I remember one guy had a Triumph (110 I think) he reversed the head, swopped the camshaft timing, and had the exhaust coming straight out the back. He had Amal monobloc carbs on the front and made star shaped deflectors to keep the rain out of the bell mouth's.
I think this is why I like the basic engineering of a kit bike you can work on yourself. Stick yer mid-drives and yer fancy algorythms, I'll have mine crude ta
I think this is why I like the basic engineering of a kit bike you can work on yourself. Stick yer mid-drives and yer fancy algorythms, I'll have mine crude ta
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What about the Wall Phillips fuel injector then? I think I still have one somewhere burried in my shed. I has one on a Triumph Tiger Cub in 1970. It worked great unless you forgot to switch your fuel off when you parked, otherwise it filled your engine with petrol.Oooo memory lane! I remember working on A10's and A65's with my mates. Those bikes saw every set up from cafe racer to chop and back again. I remember one guy had a Triumph (110 I think) he reversed the head, swopped the camshaft timing, and had the exhaust coming straight out the back. He had Amal monobloc carbs on the front and made star shaped deflectors to keep the rain out of the bell mouth's.
I think this is why I like the basic engineering of a kit bike you can work on yourself. Stick yer mid-drives and yer fancy algorythms, I'll have mine crude ta
I have a tidy bantam D10, it’s tidy original, rather than tidy restored,
It’s no faster than my Honda S90 though, and can make it interesting swapping between the two, gears and brake wise.
It’s no faster than my Honda S90 though, and can make it interesting swapping between the two, gears and brake wise.
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