BSA bug bites again
I seem to keep saying ‘I’ve finished the last of my flattank BSA projects.’ Well, here’s another ‘last one’ - only it isn’t quite finished, because I’m still working on sealing the tank. Some years back I went on a Bsaspree, picking up piles of bits with the aim of building myself a bike and assembling a couple more I could sell to fund the project – but aiming them at newcomers to vintage bikes. Well, this is number three, with new owner Brian Hutt. When I met Brian a few years ago, he told me he’d always fancied the idea of a much older motorcycle, so I added this bike to my build list.
Brian and his wife Nicky were in the area and called in to check progress. Having told me he’d attended one of the National Motorcycle Museum ride-a-bike days recently, where he tried out a vintage Coventry Eagle, I suggested he bring his helmet.
I bungee-strapped a tiny mower petrol tank to the frame and after a slightly wobbly start he was up and down the road like a pro. With a full-size tank I reckon he’d still be out there now! He mastered the gearchange, didn’t pull the decompressor lever when he wanted the clutch and started it first kick. I was impressed, but as he said: “Might be different out on the open road!”
It will, then once you’re OK with traffic there will still be those moments when someone pulls out and you completely forget how to stop. But think back – isn’t that where we all started? This is why the Museum Friends scheme and VMCC Training Days are so important. People often say: “I could never ride a bike with hand change,” but there was a time when you couldn’t ride a bike at all – a way bigger learning curve!