SIDESADDLE RIDDLE
My mother found this photo of her mother (my grandmother) on a motorbike that belonged to my grandfather. My dad and I couldn’t recognise the bike, although my research has revealed that the bike was registered in November 1951, in Stoke on Trent. Does anyone know what it is? Matthew Gray, Stoke-on-trent
Sorry Matthew, the combination of gran’s summer frock, legshield and panniers means I can’t help with this one, but I do have a few thoughts. The tyre sizes suggest a lightweight and behind your grandmother’s feet is what looks to me like a Villiers flywheel magneto cover, so I suspect it is one of the many Villiers-engined lightweights of the time. The only other clues are the ‘upside down’ tele forks, what looks like a chrome tank and the curved tail of the luggage rack. The only bike I can find with a similar-shaped rack is the OEC Atlanta, but the single wire mudguard stay doesn’t match. There’s a possibility that the original registration record survives. The BSA Owners Club have an excellent page on their website showing location of surviving records; it says the ‘VT’ register is in the keeping of the County Reference Library, Bethesda St, Hanley, Stoke-on-trent ST1 3RS; it may only go up to 1920, but worth a try... Cheers, Rick Parkington