‘IT’S A BIT OF A MONGREL, BUT AN INTERESTING ONE’
I was delighted to see a 1937 BSA B21 among the finalists for the Classic Bike of the Year Competition in the January issue of the magazine. I possess a similar bike which maybe of interest to your readers. It is also a 1937 BSA B21 – a trials bike which was bought by my father in the 1930s from Jack Ashworth, who at that time was a works rider for BSA. He was one of the British ISDT team (number 211, on a BSA 250.) that had to leave Austria in 1939 in a hurry!
The bike is quite unique in the fact that Jack Ashworth had it assembled in the factory to his specification, so I suppose it is a bit of a ‘mongrel’ – although an interesting one.
I still ride the bike today, but only in the summer months and on occasions I am stopped by the traffic police – just because they want to have a look at it.
The bike is exactly as it was when my father was riding it, nothing has been modified. The photograph below is a recent picture of it, but I also have pictures of my late father on it. He was a member of the Bolton Motor Cycle Club – I have a picture taken of him with it on the moors around Bolton at a club event, with the headlight removed for the trial and the back tyre deflated.