Spannerman’s OSSA
From riding high to being bailed out by the Spanish government, OSSA’S fortunes have been turbulent – but boy, have they made some great-looking bikes.
Reworking a bike to your own taste is a common theme in these pages. We view Al Winter's OSSA built to ride and showcase his business.
Development is continuous in the motorcycle world. This week's hot idea is next week's hasbeen, especially in the world of suspension… In the biggest change to hit the rear end of motorcycles since someone decided filling a tube with oil and wrapping a spring around it would be a good way to smooth out the bumps as a dirt bike hopped across the terrain, the world was going monoshock or cantilever and woe betide any maker without such a system in the tech departments. Which was pretty bad news for OSSA'S TR80 Gripper models as they had just made their twinshock suspension work brilliantly. It was as good as it could be for the rear end without being mono… The bike looked great too but it was a twinshock and monos were the coming thing.
The heady days when they were able to field teams in road racing, MX, enduro and trials were a thing of the past though it wasn't just OSSA who were feeling the pinch as markets shrank. The changing political climate in Spain too had an effect as their protected market was opening up, their rivals Montesa struck a deal with Honda which allowed the Japanese company access to Spain with fewer taxes and regulations to contend with had they just tried to sell Hondas.
OSSA were not devoid of ideas nor talent to ride the products as, in a complicated manoeuvre, Mick Andrews was allowed to ride OSSA while still technically contracted to Yamaha. Add in the new breed of European riders who didn't have the ties to the traditional way of trials riding but instead had skills honed in the world of cycle trials. These skills were to transform the feet-up game as the Eighties dawned.