If the aim is to produce a light comp bike it makes sense to start with a bike already light... doesn’t it?

It’s a brave move these days to create a personal take on such a model as the BSA Gold Star. Here’s one man’s amazing take on a classic – and it’s not even silver!

This BSA Rocket Gold Star isn’t perhaps what it appears to be – but then its owner is perfectly happy to acknowledge that.

This relatively rare interim 148cc Bantam, between the 125cc and the 175cc, was still a useful step up from the popular D1.

My first impression while checking out the BSA B31 was that it looked solid. There’s not really any other way to describe it.

Best-known for their excellent services to Ariel owners, specialist supplier Draganfly Motorcycles also offer a comprehensive range of components for

One of India’s top businessmen has reiterated plans to bring back iconic British motorcycle brand BSA.

There are myriad different Gold Stars, each with acclaim as being the ‘best’ – but the late 350cc version, the Clubman DB32, makes a strong claim.

Classic Bike Guide reader John King is trying to track down his old BSA for a romantic reunification. Could you help him?

The fact that a BSA Rocket III will be under the hammer at the Charterhouse auction in May isn’t anything out of the ordinary.

A reader’s letter in last month’s issue about a fine BSA Bantam/Ariel Leader special brought two enlightened replies which, between them, lay all possible confusion about the legendary ‘Bleader’ to rest. The BSA/Ariel special pictured

A reader’s letter in last month’s issue about a fine BSA Bantam/Ariel Leader special brought two enlightened replies which, between them, lay all possible confusion about the legendary ‘Bleader’ to rest.

Hands up all those who’ve never owned or ridden a BSA Bantam! Even if your arm’s in the air, you probably know someone who did or still does! With the help of the BSA Bantam

When John Foster first laid eyes on this BSA Super Rocket he was actually in the market for a Velocette, but the stunning pre-unit Beezer was enough to sway John’s affections on the spot.

BSA’s chassis is okay but Cheney went further.

A letter by Alan Freke has reminded me of an event with my first motorcycle, a 1954 BSA C10L. It was 1962, I was 16 years old and purchasing my first motor vehicle, a used

I am a fan of old bikes, though I don’t have anything older than the 1960s.

I am restoring a 1959 BSA B31 and have just started on the paint work. On purchasing the October addition of Classic Bike Guide I read the article on restoring a B31 the same age

British bikes! Italian classics! Some dodgy old Honda! This month’s magazine has got the lot – and we threw in

Check out Graham Rowland’s BSA Bantam!

If motorbike magazines played poker, then the new issue of RC would be a winner – with several singles, a

This month’s magazine spans seven decades of motorcycling history and features classic bikes built in Britain, Italy and even Japan.

Three beefy Britbikes take centre stage in RC170. Few folk can afford a BSA Spitfire Scrambler, so one owner built

In the spirit of international endeavour, this month’s magazine features not only a selection of brilliant British bikes from AMC,

This month’s magazine celebrates big British twins from BSA, Norton and Royal Enfield alongside three 750 triples; two Triumphs and

There’s something of a twin-cylinder theme to this month’s magazine, which features a really rare postwar V-twin, a sidevalve parallel

  The Highboy-framed BSA-3 which Mike Hailwood raced in the 1970 Daytona 200 is in the Barber Museum in Alabama, but the fate of his 1971 Lowboy bike is less certain. Taking the frame of

Sunbeams! Supercharged record-breaker! Rebuilding a two stroke! This month’s CBG has got everything you need

We start the New Year with a space rocket (doesn’t everyone?) and a truly unusual example of Italian ingenuity. The

Winter drawers on! We’ve been waiting all year to make that joke. We have also decked the halls with boughs

In Ride of My Life, racer and writer Frank Melling tells of a few of the bikes and experiences, bad

Apparently, it’s too soon to make the ‘winter draws on’ joke just yet, so instead we’d better tell you that

This month’s magazine celebrates the end of a pair of projects, as two very different British classic motorcycles return to

The author of Tales of Triumph Motorcycles and the Meriden factory, Hughie Hancox, was a Triumph factory man who started work in the repair shop as a teenager and worked his way up through the

The new issue of RealClassic magazine is totally V-TwinTastic (and, apparently, is also entirely at home to Mr Hyperbole). The

ARCHIVE An AC Sanctuary masterpiece! CMM MARKETPLACE Want a quirky bike? You’ve come to the right place! CMM STUFF New kit, tools and tyres. CMM TESTED We try stuff out. NEWS Events, news and what’s

This month’s magnificent magazine offers V-twins from Italy and America, an airhead from Germany, alongside Britbike twins, singles and triples

Author: Norman Vanhouse – with updates by Graham Vanhouse C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E. Foreword by: Jeff Smith MBE. Published by: Panther Publishing Ltd, 10 Limes Avenue, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 1DP Tel.: 01494 534778. E-mail: rollo@panther-publishing.com www.panther-publishing.com

This eclectic issue of RealClassic features the full range of old bikes, from pioneers through veterans to vintage and classic

It seems that every other British bike in the new issue is a BSA: not quite sure how that happened.

RealClassic isn’t available in the shops, so if you want to read this month’s eclectic collection of classic bikes then

British Sidecar Champion in 1968 he may have been, but it was bad luck and worse timing that robbed Peter Brown of the greater success he undoubtedly deserved. Pete Crawford spoke to the man himself

  RC154 offers our usual eclectic mix of classic motorcycling, from pioneer British bikes at the turn of the 20th

British bikes, Italian icons, Japanese classics and American iron are all featured in this month’s eclectic collection of classic motorcycles

Mention the words ‘café racer’ and many of us will go all bleary-eyed as we remember the Tritons and TriBSAs of old, gleaming in the sunshine with their race-style alloy tanks, clip-ons and rear-sets, alloy

As you might imagine, after decades in the business of thrashing fast bikes around race tracks, journalist Alan Cathcart has

This month’s magazine features vintage motorcycles, classic bikes and other interesting oddities: singles, twins and triples; two-strokes and four-strokes, built

If you would like a photo print of this image have a look on www.mortonsarchive.com

If you would like a photo print of this image have a look on www.mortonsarchive.com

If you would like a photo print of this image have a look on www.mortonsarchive.com

Electric starter? What electric starter? Pete Kelly visits Steve McFarlane, of SRM Engineering fame, in Cardiff to fully appreciate the huge amount of skill and dedication that went into his patented design for an electric starter for swinging-arm A7 and A10 BSA twins.  

Shining BSA M20 – wish this was mine If you would like a photo print of this image have a look on www.mortonsarchive.com

I liked the TriBSA feature in the last issue and thought I’d send photos of my TriBSA that my son, Geoff, bought from Ian Davis. Davis made third place in the Welsh Championship on 2010

TRADING POST: MODEL HISTORY 

Stirred by Old Bike Mart’s request for bike shop memories, Tony Proctor recalls his own early motorcycling days, which grew from mimicking his scrambling heroes. 

Hands up all those who’ve never owned or ridden a BSA Bantam! Even if your arm’s in the air, you probably know someone who did or still does! With the help of the BSA Bantam Club and photos from the Mortons Archive, Pete Kelly recounts the history of one of the most popular lightweights of all time. 

Almost the last advertising slogan for BSA 650 twins was ‘Delicate They Ain’t’. This is almost true. The unit construction machines offer a wide range of practical classics 

The long journey from Witney, Oxfordshire, to take part in the 43rd Beamish Trophy Trial, organised by the South Durham section of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club on Sunday, September 20, was well worthwhile for Andy Glading, who took home the Richard Hore Memorial Trophy for the best overall performance on his 1938 BSA Empire Star, writes John McCrink, who also took the accompanying pictures. 

The biannual Bonhams auction takes place on Sunday as part of the Stafford Show. While most people will be watching the posh lots, we're more interested in the bidding at the bread-and-butter end of the business...

One of the smallest old bikes inspires some of the most ferocious dedication among its owners and enthusiasts. Go to any classic motorcycle show and you're bound to meet them...

The BSA Bantam celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2008, so now is an excellent moment to introduce the club which caters to fans of the featherweight two-stroke...

Over £1.4 million was spent on classic motorcycles at the Bonhams auction at Stafford last month. The highest bid was, inevitably, for a Vincent Black Shadow, but we were watching the prices of some more down to earth classic British bikes...

When he was 16, Jerry Fiford wanted nothing more than to own a Goldie. 35 years later his dream came true. Was it worth the wait?

The ultimate, multi-part manual for BSA unit-construction single-cylinder classics is nearing completion. This instalment covers absolutely everything apart from the engine...

Back in 1952, three workaday BSA A7s beat the world to win gold medals in the ISDT and secure the Maudes Trophy. This new book tells the inside story, written by one of the competitors...

Inspired by the world's fastest Indian, Woodie explains that you don't need a big bike to go fast. In fact, he knows of some really fast Bantams...

They used to say that the ultimate cure for a B25 was a quick trip to a canal -- how cruel! Arthur Langman proved them wrong. He bought his 1971 B25SS from a breaker, after it had been retrieved from such a waterway -- and dried out, of course. Well, mostly...

Owners of old British bikes are not biased about their machines. Most certainly not. They know all about the bikes' good points -- but no one is ever particularly shy about coming forwards with the bad news, too. It just happens that in the case of Ted Richardson's 1969 Starfire there is very little bad news to pass on!

Ever been given something you just can't get rid of? If we're talking about a pottery pig or another set of wind-chimes then that's something of a tricky situation. But as there's no such thing as 'too many motorcycles' then being given a C15 is hardly a trauma, now is it?

Restoring a family heirloom is a daunting task, especially if the heirloom is a B33 which spent a decade wrapped up in a plastic paddling pool. Read how Andrew J Davies rose to the challenge as his restoration tale unfolds...

Back in 1998, Dave Minton met a very special 750 flat-tracker. The triple was rebuilt from a wreck that had been abandoned in the Mojave desert. It certainly gave Dave the ride of a lifetime, although he still complains about the -- lack of -- saddle to this day!

BSA's smaller twins are often overlooked, while the 650s grab all the attention. Steve Bergman cast a modern bike rider's eye over the A7 and its emulators...

Adrian Hughes always wanted a café racer so he built one from scratch, hoping for a cheap, fast-finish project. Well, at least part of the plan worked

The bikes which were once viewed as king of the heap can all too often be disappointingly tame when revisited. But, says Frank Westworth, BSA's 1960s flying machine still turns the heads and does the business...

Sidecars are a natural attachment to traditional classic bikes. But riding them does require a little skill. Paul Friday tells a victim's tale from his first (last) sidecar encounter...

An Edwardian motor bicycle with 'modern' features, one that doesn't frighten the horses? The ideal, well-sorted winter classic bike? Must be Steve Wilson's old BSA M21. He's saying goodbye, so it could be your M21 if you felt so inclined...

Richard Green's money was meant to be spent on a Gold Star. But he ended up with twice as much motor as he originally expected, and now rides a show-winning Beezer twin...

If the pace of modern life is getting too much for you, then a 50 year old Gold Flash might just come to your rescue. Alex Woodard has indeed been rescued, and in so many interesting ways...

Not all restorations are accomplished in one fell swoop. Dean Southall's Beezer has been steadily reconditioned over the years - until it got to be so good that it won its class at the 2003 Stinkwheel Show...

Shaun Gibbons (AKA the Kent Correspondent) covered over 40,000 miles on his Beesa, and knew its engine needed some serious attention. With the help of other BSAOC members, that was just what it got...

We left Shaun Gibbons with his A10 stripped-down, and awaiting a complete engine rebuild at the hands of a kindly Geordie named Mike. Enter the engineer...

Fancy a challenge? RealClassic Clubman Graham (Man Of Many Doughnuts) certainly did. He bought a single cylinder Beesa as a bit of a restoration project. Actually, it turned out to be quite a lot of a restoration project...

We've heard Shaun's story about his Beesa's rebuild, but now Mike The (Geordie) Mechanic tells the tale of the engine's internals......

20 years ago, Stephen Dunne threw caution to the wind and set off around mainland Europe on an 8500 mile journey which would turn out to be the best time of his life...

In the first episode, Stephen Dunne left the UK on his D14/4 to tackle a three-month tour of Europe. In Yugoslavia, the Bantam turns out to be good for business...

What was that about 'once bitten'? it didn't apply to Phillip Rashleigh. After a bad Britbike experience in the 1980s he's come back for a re-match...

When you're trying to rebuild something which is a little different to the norm, finding exactly the right part can stop you dead in your tracks. As Phillip Rashleigh has discovered...

Phillip Rashleigh has been sourcing parts for his scrambler special. Now he knows what he's got, he just has to figure out how to fit it to the B31 chassis...

Phillip Rashleigh's off-road project bike suddenly needs suspension. Forks, shocks, tyres, swinging arm - oh, and something to stop the plot might be an idea, too...

Working hard on his project Beesa, Phillip Rashleigh makes a wiring harness from scratch and discovers an excellent engineering firm who can fabricate the right kind of brackets...

Getting into the engine: the time has come for Phillip Rashleigh to take apart the crankcases and discover what horrors lurk within...

He's nearly ready to put his bitsa Beeza back together again, but Phillip Rashleigh's project bike has turned out to be just a little bit different to his original intentions. Gold Star scrambler, anyone?...

Philip Rashleigh has worked for months to turn a big pile of bits into a replica Gold Star scrambler. Getting the engine sorted out hasn't been entirely straightforward...

At last! Philip Rashleigh can get his scrambler special engine assembled...

The end of Philip Rashleigh's scrambler-special project is in sight. But no matter how close you think you might be to actually finishing a rebuild, there's always more to do than you might imagine...

When Geoff Reid bought a cheap restoration project, he wasn't expecting to unravel the working history of a 250cc police machine. Classic bikes tend to bring you more than you bargained for...

After months of work, Philip Rashleigh's scrambler-special is coming home and it just needs an MoT and registration to hit the road...

Phil has spent months and months building his ideal 500cc single off-roader into Gold Star guise. Now NVNL takes it for a spin around the block...

Jonathan Hoare meets three BSA twins (and a Bantam) and revels in that old Miller magic at the Manor

Some experts consider the Gold Star to be the best bike ever built by BSA. Make up your own mind, after examining our quick fire classic bike guide to the breed...

Steve Wilson rides an ex-AA patrol Beesa, and finds terror and delight -- at less than 40 miles an hour!

Do you know the difference between a B31, a B32 and a B33? With the aid of this book, you could become a BSA boffin...

Power is knowledge, apparently. This may be important if you intend to own a BSA C15, as Frank Westworth explains...

Want to know what an Owners' Club is really like? A65Bill dishes the dirt with the inside story of the BSA Owners' Club recent AGM...

One front drum brake not good enough for you? DBD Brian grafted two BSA 8” front drums together to improve the braking on his Gold Star. Here's how he did it...