BSA B44
There are effectively two distinct types of B44, round and square, which refer to the shape of the cylinder barrel. All alloy from the start, BSA’s neat motor began its life as the C15 250 introduced in the Fifties.
Once the big Goldies were on their limit in MX and something had to be done, Brian Martin and Jeff Smith experimented with the 250 and the 343 B40 engines. They were delighted to find the units responded well to the search for power – not that it was an easy route to enhanced performance, but there was always light ahead in the tunnel.
Instead of announcing: “Here’s our world beater…” BSA were restrained and suggested the unit engines were being evaluated and tested in competition to improve the road machines. Undoubtedly this did happen and the roadsters benefitted hugely from the efforts of the comp shop, but for us in dirt bike world, the ultimate aim was serious competition.
In 1964 the faith the factory had in the Martin/Smith duo was repaid with BSA’s world championship and the launch of the over-the-counter Victor model for the public.
MotorCycling’s Mike Bashford was invited to try the first batch of production machines, or really the six pre-production bikes that would beget the new range. He reported in the paper that he was impressed with a bike that was perfectly suited to Hawkstone Park’s GP circuit. Though giving away about 50cc in capacity to the opposition, the motor proved good enough for Jeff Smith to use instead of his championship machine in a season-ending GP in East Germany. As a works rider he would have had to toe the line, so the factory could be seen to have faith in what the public could buy.
These six bikes had been raced around Hawkstone by Alan and Arthur Lampkin and Jeff himself with the idea of ironing out any pre-production problems. Bashford was also impressed by the specification with no skimping on materials – his words – with alloy, chrome molybdenum steel and Reynolds 531 in abundance, which helped the all-up weight of 255lb for a 500 class racer. In fact, the lad could only find a couple of things to fault the bike with and admitted his beef was aimed at the too-short footrests and too-fat handlebar grips and allowed that these were both his personal preference.
This set the stage for a later development of the engine to
be used by John Banks. Some more development had gone ahead since Smith’s successes so, by 1968 ready for the 1969 season the unit was out to 498cc and the whole bike was down to 235lb and, claimed Brian Martin, now weighed at least the same, if not slightly less, than the CZs it would race against.
Even better, this remarkable weight was achieved with little or no exotic materials since BSA’s dalliance with titanium frames. In fact, the piece proclaimed that a large number of standard parts were used with specialities limited to a hard chrome-plated barrel that was special and for Banks only and one of Cheney’s magnesium rear hubs was available direct from Eric to anyone with the required amount of folding race coupons.