With Perry’s bike finished, I decided to get on with the last project – aided by being able to use all the parts I’d saved as patterns to copy for the others. I decided to fit a pair of 1930s 20in BSA wheels I’d picked up and the chassis was complete within a week – but I didn’t have enough bits for another BSA engine to carry on. Well, ‘the devil makes work for idle hands’, so I wondered what a Blackburne engine would look like in the frame. Suddenly the project took a new direction and looks like it’ll be another keeper. You can see it unfolding here. So, basket cases: good idea or false economy? Probably false economy, because I’ve just ended up keeping another bike I should be selling...
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... but I decided to build a vintage special with this spare Blackburne engine. Building the whippet of a bike has only taken a week so far; maybe I’ll finish it before summer runs out!
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First job was to paint the frame and forks using brush-on, satin exterior-metalwork paint. It looks ‘old’, needs no primer and can be retouched without reacting later.
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The BSA main bearing is a needle roller running direct on the crank. It’s not worn, but corrosion from standing had ruined it, so I needed a better crankshaft...
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A less easy job was reducing the only sprocket I had (for a 500cc model) from to ¼in chain width. It took ages and made a horrendous ringing shriek. Sorry, neighbours!
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These BSAS have narrow frames, affecting wheel choice. I found this ’30s BSA wheel at a jumble last year – perfect, but it had no bearings, brake parts or sprocket.
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Bearings are a now-unavailable taper roller type. Making press in reducing sleeves and central spacer enabled me to replace them with easier-to-find bearings.
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But it was worth the effort. With a period tyre from the attic and satin brush paint over the rusty rim, it looks exactly how I hoped – and it’s a good brake.
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I had a brake plate but no shoes; 1950s BSA shoes fit – if you make a longer pivot for the brake plate, an easy lathe job that makes shoe replacement simple in future.