Ode to the BSA's I have owned (but never did anything with)...

With the BSA Covid project in full swing,  I thought I would take a trip down memory lane and revisit my rather checkered relationship with the marque.

First a little history.

My interest in vintage motorcycles began in the late 1980's but I didn't get the fever until a few years later.

The early 1990's gifted me with two memorable dalliances at the same time. One with the lovely Mary Jane and the other with the equally enchanting Miranda, the 1967 MG Midget.

Both were all too brief but left a lasting impression on me.  Being able to own and maintain a classic British car at the time wasn't feasible to say the least.  While I did have an MGB a decade later,  this may have been the path that truly led to bikes.


 I started with the 'The World of Motorcycles' progressing to several magazines on the subject such as Classic Bike and The Old Bike Journal.  I still have the very first issue of Classic Bike that I ever bought from the long gone Book Villa on King street in Hamilton.  It was August of 1994 with a buyer's guide included.

Once the magazines were in my hand, there was no turning back.  I had to have an old motorcycle and it had to be British.


Before the internet, bikes were a lot harder to find.  The only real resource was a thick, three part monthly classified newspaper called the 'Tri-Ad'.   The paper covered a fairly wide area and having no car at the time presented a multitude of challenges.

It was always exciting to flip through the vehicle section and see the listings.  Excitement however more often led to disappointment as the bike would be gone by the time you called or received a return call.

I will gloss over the many bikes I missed out on and get to the first that I remember looking at.

It was a 1968 or '69 BSA 250 Starfire like the one pictured.  The price was $600 dollars and it looked very clean and original.  There was some sort of issue with the piston and I was assured it was an easy fix.  I had the money (barely) and expressed interest.  I don't recall telling the buyer that it was a done deal or leaving a deposit of any kind.  Around this exact time one of the flatmates left, leaving my other flatmate and I short on utilities and rent.  I respectfully called the seller back to say that unfortunately I would be unable to buy the bike.  He did not take it well and proceeded to hurl a barrage of expletives at me.  I responded in kind and hung up on him.  This was the fall of 1995.

Fast forward to spring and I was on the hunt again.  This time I had more money saved, problem was there were no bikes.   I don't remember the how or the who involved but I was given a lead, a bike shop in Toronto called the Rocker Box.  The owner Doug gave me the number of another friend who had several projects for sale.  After admiring all his bikes, some of which I had only seen pictures of before I took the number and left.  The young lady I was seeing at the time had a van and was more than happy to make the hour plus drive with me.  I parted with $350.00 and came home with a 1964 BSA basket case B40.

Definitely not what I brought home!

I buggered about with it for a few months but really had no clue what I was doing.  The bike was certainly not complete which also caused some issues.  At this point I had an unquenchable thirst for a Triumph Twin from the 60's.  This time I was the guy in the Tri-Ad posting something for sale.  I sold the bike for what I paid for it and moved it on.  The fellow who bought it was a little strange and I was happy to see the tail end of him as he left the driveway.  One of those types that just had an awkward aura.  I remember rigorously washing my hands after the deal was done.   Several months later he called me to complain that the bike was not complete, inferring that I had somehow cheated him!  I reminded him that he inspected everything before purchasing and he paid what I paid.  I told him that should I find any B40 parts in my travels he would be the first to know.  That call has yet to be made.

I did get my Triumph twin, from the same fellow that sold me the B40.  It was retrieved with the same girl and the same van. I can remember that it took us a couple of hours to gather the parts from various sheds and a gigantic Quonset hut.  He must have had at least 300 motorcycles on the property.    The young lady had fallen asleep in the van passenger seat having made the drive after working the night before.  She received the shock of her life when his horse-sized great Dane jumped at the window and woke her up! 

  I have posted a picture of the Triumph before and will certainly gather my memories on that in a future post.  

Fast forward thirteen years or so to 2009.  The Tri-Ad was long gone and replaced with Kijiji and Craigslist.  I spotted a 60's BSA Lightning basket case for $600.00 and snapped it up.  I did very little with it other than order a gasket set and a couple of other parts.  The reason being that I was given a CB360 and I became the proud owner of a 2008 Triumph Scrambler named Katie.   I sat on the BSA for about six months before moving it on.  I had other things on the go and was thoroughly enjoying my shiny new bike at every opportunity.  

Not the exact bike, but pretty close.

Summer of 2018.  I had just sold the Beetle and my garage was looking empty.  Bills were paid and I had some money left over.  Enter Kijiji once again.  I spotted a C15 bundle for $800.00 (with ownership) and decide to jump on it.  The bikes were in rural Quebec and in retrospect I think it was more of an excuse to take a road trip.  I must have known that these wouldn't be kept as I chose not to write about it here.  I did get one rolling however and picked up a few bits and pieces.  They are sweet little bikes and have lots of potential.  I have seen many used as trials bikes, baby cafe bikes and in the case of one Craig Jones, bobbed.  This one was sold the following January to a retired enthusiast who I recently 'bumped' into on Facebook.  He is still working on it and making everything right.  

I should note that it wasn't until 2014 that I had access to a proper garage.  Prior to this I worked in alleyways, backyards, kitchens, apartments and basements.  I have also bought and sold at least a couple dozen 'other' bikes over the years as well. 

I do have a few pictures of this one.

Rather unbelievably, someone cut the front end off to use on a trike!

Last summer I paid a couple hundred dollars for a wrecked 1970 Starfire. When I got it, I realized very quickly it had been in a fire.  I had a picture, though I have no idea what happened to it.  This poor beast was shuffled on a scant month or so later for the amount that I paid for it.  "That is the end of BSA's and the end of impulse buys for me!"  I foolishly stated.

Never say Never.

Until next time!