BSA
was for many years was the largest British motorcycle manufacturer.
In the
1850's a group of gunsmiths came together to form a Trade Association and
in 1861 they founded the BSA Company
(Birmingham Small Arms). This is the reason that the BSA Logo is a stack
of rifles known as the Piled Arms. As rifles tend to drop off in demand when there is no war, they
decided to start making
bicycles in 1880. They first built a motorcycle using a Belgium Minerva engine
hung from the down tube of a pedal cycle. It was in 1910 that they
produced their first complete machine which was a well designed and
produced piece of equipment at the right price. This was a
499cc 3 1/2hp which had an upright
cylinder and was belt driven to the rear wheel. The first world war came
along and the army wanted not only rifles, but also reliable motorcycles.
After the war production was focused and development started bringing out
new models. With the extended British Empire the need for motorcycles in
the colonial countries increased the sales of the products. During the
depression years the range was reduced and in 1932 the Blue Star 499cc OHV
single was released and this was revised over the next few years with
specialist modifications and enlarged capacity to 596cc. In 1937 Val Page
designed the M23 Empire Star in both 350cc and 500cc engines which proved
very popular but when the second world war broke out again production was
again focused on ordinance and the main stay of the British Army became
the BSA M20 with a side valve engine of 500cc. After the war a new range
was announced and development continued in the future years with the
release of telescopic front forks being fitted in 1946 B31 350cc, which
was a foretaste of the things to come. 1947 saw the introduction of
the Bantam which
was a small capacity 2 stroke machine, initially a 125cc but eventually
developing into a 175cc capacity, which was a copy of the pre-war DKW
RT125 whose plans were acquired as the victors spoils. In 1937 Walter
Handley earned a Brooklands Gold Star for lapping the circuit at over
100mph (161kph) on a 500cc Empire Star, this was to lead to the
development and production in 1949 of the 350cc and 500cc Gold Star which
when it went into production was an instant success with anyone who wanted a
race thoroughbred machine and this continued until 1963. BSA also
produced parallel twins from these years, the first being the A7 with
500cc and the A10 which replaced it. The 250cc had entered the range in
between wars and in 1959 the C15 became the first four stroke model to
become unit construction, where the engine and gearbox were made in one
unit. Because of the introduction of driving tests and the restriction of
learners to 250cc, these were a success with young people until the acquired
their licence. The bikes produced by BSA in the 1960s and the 1970s marked the end of an
era, for these were not only the final years of the BSA concern but also
the dying years of the once-great British motorcycle industry.
BSA entered the 1960s boasting record profits and a formidable reputation,
but this all came to an end because of lack of investment in new plant and
a short sighted view that the British industry was invincible. This is
the era that I remember as a young man starting out as an apprentice and
ending as a married man, an era when the Japanese steadily introduced competion
that would cause the collapse of the British industry. The
Bantam name still meant something to those embarking on a motorcycling
career or in the market for a small single, and BSA's entry-level model
carried on until 1968 when the final 175cc model was made. In 1971 the Gold Star name
was used again on the 500cc single which ran for 2 years until the BSA
range was cut altogether due to
massive losses. The company was absorbed into the Government-funded
national motorcycle combine under Dennis Poore of Norton Villiers, and the
BSA name disappeared very quickly after that. It was a sad end to a great company, but the BSA legacy is still alive
in the classic motor cycle world, where examples of these great British
singles continue to give pleasure to bike enthusiasts today. But
this is not the end of the story, because in 1999 a new Goldstar replica
arrived on the scene. Produced in Southampton, England, it was built much
along the old lines but withe the power unit supplied by no less than the
mighty Yamaha from Japan. A single cylinder 500cc engine with CDI ignition
and all the retro styling that makes this a worthy reliable replica of
what was the Best of British motorcycle manufacturing.
e. 1947 saw the introduction of
the Bantam which
was a small capacity 2 stroke machine, initially a 125cc but eventually
developing into a 175cc capacity, which was a copy of the pre-war DKW
RT125 whose plans were acquired as the victors spoils. In 1937 Walter
Handley earned a Brooklands Gold Star for lapping the circuit at over
100mph (161kph) on a 500cc Empire Star, this was to lead to the
development and production in 1949 of the 350cc and 500cc Gold Star which
when it went into production was an instant success with anyone who wanted a
race thoroughbred machine and this continued until 1963. BSA also
produced parallel twins from these years, the first being the A7 with
500cc and the A10 which replaced it. The 250cc had entered the range in
between wars and in 1959 the C15 became the first four stroke model to
become unit construction, where the engine and gearbox were made in one
unit. Because of the introduction of driving tests and the restriction of
learners to 250cc, these were a success with young people until the acquired
their licence. The bikes produced by BSA in the 1960s and the 1970s marked the end of an
era, for these were not only the final years of the BSA concern but also
the dying years of the once-great British motorcycle industry.
BSA entered the 1960s boasting record profits and a formidable reputation,
but this all came to an end because of lack of investment in new plant and
a short sighted view that the British industry was invincible. This is
the era that I remember as a young man starting out as an apprentice and
ending as a married man, an era when the Japanese steadily introduced competion
that would cause the collapse of the British industry. The
Bantam name still meant something to those embarking on a motorcycling
career or in the market for a small single, and BSA's entry-level model
carried on until 1968 when the final 175cc model was made. In 1971 the Gold Star name
was used again on the 500cc single which ran for 2 years until the BSA
range was cut altogether due to
massive losses. The company was absorbed into the Government-funded
national motorcycle combine under Dennis Poore of Norton Villiers, and the
BSA name disappeared very quickly after that. It was a sad end to a great company, but the BSA legacy is still alive
in the classic motor cycle world, where examples of these great British
singles continue to give pleasure to bike enthusiasts today. 
But
this is not the end of the story, because in 1999 a new Goldstar replica
arrived on the scene. Produced in Southampton, England, it was built much
along the old lines but withe the power unit supplied by no less than the
mighty Yamaha from Japan. A single cylinder 500cc engine with CDI ignition
and all the retro styling that makes this a worthy reliable replica of
what was the Best of British motorcycle manufacturing.