YouWereAsking
Recent tyre related topics in the YWA column has stimulated a range of questions and alternative views.
We bought a fistful of photographs at a local steam rally three years ago in Somerset. The legend written on reverse of the pictures informs they were taken at the Yeovil Transport Show in August 2001. We particularly like the little car in the attached image, and the legend informs it is a BSA TW 34-10. What type of engine is fitted to the car? And is it the first car BSA made?
Anthony and Paula Crawford, email, West Country.
Although BSA had the resources and skills to manufacture cars and motorcycles from the late Victorian period, their board appears to have been reluctant to take the plunge. Understandable, because this large company was already involved in many profitable enterprises, from guns to cycle component, from contract engineering to electro plating.
While BSA’s involvement in the cycle boom of the late 1890s and early Edwardian days, especially the supply of components, had been successful, motorcars and motorcycles were regarded by many as playthings for the wealthy or eccentric – the newfangled devices weren’t to be trusted, got hot, made too much noise, scared horses and were viewed as unreliable. Add to this that sales were tiny – the BSA board would have wanted to be sure any cars or motorcycles they made would sell in volume to make healthy profits.
An irony rears its head here, as, although the board didn’t sanction the manufacture of motorcycles until 1910, from 1902 (and possibly slightly earlier) they offered a range of parts including frames, forks, pedalling gear for starting, wheels, tanks (housing battery and trembler coil for ignition as well as fuel compartment) and even complete rolling chassis, into which would-be motorcycle makers or individual enthusiasts could instal proprietary engines of their choice. It is known, too, that some such machines assembled by local cycle or engineering shops were branded with ‘BSA’ on the tank, rather than the logo of the assembler.
BSA’s entry into the car market was even more half-hearted, their first offering a rebadged 40hp Italia in c1907-08. They continued to import Italia components and even nearcomplete cars for their larger models, while the lighter 1832hp used more inhouse parts. In 1910, BSA took over Daimler, who, in turn, took over BSA car production, although some cars were branded BSA, but had many Daimler parts, including sleeve-valve engines.
At the same time, BSA took the plunge to design, develop and manufacture a motorcycle. That the machine was entering production was publicised in Motor Cycling, October 25,
1910. While BSA claimed it an all-new motorcycle, many observers knew (and some stated publicly) that the Small Heath, Birmingham factory had taken a long, hard look at the best single cylinder machine in manufacture, the Triumph from Coventry, before making their own motorcycle. However, there’s no doubting the BSA 3½hp was a superb machine in period.
More worthy models were to follow and BSA were on many occasions between the wars and after the Second World War the largest by volume maker of motorcycles in the world.
In 1912, BSA car production under Daimler moved to Coventry, but manufacture ended with the start of the First World War, although models were listed until 1917. In 1921, BSA reintroduced a 1018cc V-twin car with air-cooled engine. For the 1929 season, the Small Heath factory announced their first volume production three-wheeler, the ohv 1021cc V-twin 9HP model, with its engine based on Hotchkiss design. In
1931 a van version, the TW-5, was launched and a four-wheeled car with a four-cylinder 1075cc unit appeared the following year. This new 9hp engine was then fitted to a revised three-wheeler during 1932, probably for the 1933 season, of which the BSA image emailed to TCM and reproduced is an example.
Three-wheelers remained in production until during the 1936 season. BSA continued with car manufacture until the Second World War but didn’t restart after the war, although both military contracts during the war and car manufacture either side was carried on by Daimler. Jaguar gained control of Daimler from BSA in 1960.
Nick Smith writes: “I’m wary of making straight cuts in a tyre carcass in case I introduce a weak point or encouraged the cording to start delaminating at that point. I’ve found a burr or half inch sanding drum in a Dremel-type tool to be useful for cutting a semi-circular notch in a beaded edge tyre bead, and you can smooth off the edges of the part you modify inside the tyre to hopefully avoid chafing of the tube from the cut edges.”
In a further email Nick related another tyre matter which mirrored something
I’ve recently encountered. He wrote: “The Dremel also served another tyre-related purpose. Dad’s Triumph T110 kept having rear punctures with no obvious cause except for a couple of ‘fret lines’ around the inside of the tube. Initially, we assumed the cause had to be the rim tape, but it struck me the Avon rear tyre had quite a point to the inside of the bead, which when sat on the ‘steps’ either side of the WM section rim, would point inwards and might be chafing the tube. Using the Dremel with a sanding drum the inside edge of the tyre was relieved to remove the sharp corner. And that seems to have sorted the problem. As a belt and braces job, we also use good quality, tough motocross inner tubes.” To date, the Tiger 110 has suffered no more rear punctures.
My 1910 Ladies’ model Handy Hobart was originally shod with 24x2in beaded edge tyres. When we bought the small 293cc machine from former 250cc European Motocross Champion Dave Bickers, it was shod with a new 24x2¼in tyre to the front wheel and a very old, but sound, Dunlop 24x2in tyre to the rear wheel. As an aside, the Hobart has a three-speed, clutched Armstong gear hub laced to the wheel rim.
Initially with these tyres the machine presented no problems, and had completed a Pioneer Run and another event ridden by friends of Dave. Ridden a few years ago by my daughter-in-law Rowena, it had almost made Brighton on the annual Pioneer Run when the rear tyre was punctured and destroyed by a sharp piece of angled metal lying in the road. Unable to source a replacement 24x2in rear cover, I fitted an available 24x2¼in tyre and the slightly narrowed rim pinched the tyre a little, opening the treads.
From then on, the rear tyre punctured every 50 to 70 miles. The punctures were always to the inside of the tube, but not always in the same place in relation to the wheel. To date, this has happened four times and only to the back wheel. Proud spokes and possible damage to wheel rim bead were suspected, but we found no cause. Suspecting the tyre cover was puncturing its tube, I fashioned a wooden disc to which the tyre was clamped to pinch in the beads to the identical width as when fitted to the Hobart’s wheel rim. The flaps of the tyre cover bead overlapped as they should, thus preventing the wheel spokes and their nipples from touching the tube. Then I noticed the inner flap of the overlap pointed inwards at three points around the tyre’s inner circumference where the flaps were a bit generous, and at these points, the flap was quite hard and as sharp as a chip shop takeaway plastic knife. As Nick described, I relieved and rounded the inner edge of both tyre cover flaps and, once happy, refitted to the Handy Hobart.
Changing a tyre or repairing a puncture to the machine’s rear wheel is no quick task. While the front wheel can be removed from it in a couple of minutes, not so at the rear – as the rear mudguard and stays, brake operation mechanism, gear change operation links and clutch operating system have to be removed before the wheel is taken from the frame and the procedure reversed for refitting the task, it consumes two-anda-half hours. And as it also involves pain, blood and the use of many words repeatedly from the ‘other’ dictionary, it isn’t a job to be undertaken lightly. Since relieving the tyre cover’s edges to inner flaps, thankfully the Hobart hasn’t had any further punctures.
Tim Harding and Graham Head have both recently asked: ‘What is tyre creep? And why does it happen.’
Tyre creep is the rotational movement of the tyre cover in relation to the wheel rim. In so doing, the tyre cover usually takes the inner tube with it, while the inner tyre valve remains sited in its hole in the wheel rim. In a mild case, the valve assumes a rakish angle in relation to the wheel rim. But if the creep continues and the valve remains fixed in the wheel rim, it will be torn from the tube, suddenly and rapidly puncturing the tube.
Causes include under inflation, extremes of power or braking applied to the wheel, excess use of French chalk or tyre soap when fitting – making mating surfaces of wheel rim and tyre slippery, use of kitchen type washing up liquid which doesn’t dry and remains as a lubricant, undersize wheels rim in relation of tyre cover and extra shiny paint or plate surface to inside of wheel rim.
Makers were aware of tyre creep before the First World
War and builders/owners/ riders of sporting motorcycles from the veteran, vintage and classic periods fitted one or more security bolts to wheels to prevent it. While tubeless tyres may or may not creep, if they did it wouldn’t usually cause a problem, as no tube is involved, and, as with car tubeless tyres, the valve fits solely to the wheel and isn’t in contact with the tubeless tyre cover.
The BSA theme continues this month, with two more images of BSA favourites sent in as hard copy by a regular correspondent who wishes to remain anonymous.
First, a Wigan (JP 6287) registered ohv 249cc single cylinder C11. In early 1938, BSA unveiled an all-new
249cc (63x80mm) three-speed lightweight with side-valve engine and coil ignition, priced modestly at £37. When BSA announced their 16 model range in autumn 1938 for the 1939 season, they’d added an ohv version of the C10, which was coded the C11. Initially, the C11 had a rigid frame and was reintroduced after the war at £82-18-10d, including purchase tax. Later, the option of plunger rear suspension was offered and the revised C11G (alternator electrics) followed later. It was replaced by the swinging arm 249cc C12 in late 1954 for the 1955 season.
The second photograph is of a late 1948/early 1949 Lancashire (JTD 872) registered BSA single, with either 348cc or 499cc ohv engine. The angle of the photograph makes positive identification difficult – one could imagine it is either a rigid 348cc B31 or 499cc
B33, but the tank detail finish suggests the machine might be an M33. This version, aimed it’s claimed at sidecar drivers, was launched in late 1947 for the following season, and comprised of an ohv 499cc B33 engine housed in a M20 rigid rolling chassis, with girder front fork. Soon, the girder fork was replaced by BSA’s successful telescopic design.