This just came in on my daily antique auction feed. I’m not a biker but it might interest some SFers and the catalogue’s fun to browse
Some nice crotch rockets up for auction.
Just needs finishing
That looks to be a motorised Unicycle. Didnt know BSA made a Bantam unicycle.
This is me with a couple of mates, in the winter of 1947 when I was 6 years old – me on the left. Unbeknown to me is that in the wooden shed behind us, my father had stored away, during WW2, greased and well-wrapped up, a BSA bantam motorcycle.
Ten years later, when I was 16 years old, he gave me the bike for my birthday – a complete surprise. You can imagine my joy! But can’t remember what I did with it later, but remember that scooters came along!
Can’t figure out the dates though. I believe the first bantam wasn’t available until 1948 so can’t quite figure out how it came to be in the shed before then – maybe my memory is amiss.
I had a Bantam briefly, though a rather later B175 with Tiger Cub forks. It was OK until it nipped up, at which point I was pleased to say goodbye.
Luckily in the 1950s, you could get 2-stroke premixed petrol & oil from most garages. Can’t recall having to buy petrol and oil separately and mixing it myself.
But I remember on cold days having to shake the petrol tank vigorously before the bike would start. Clouds of white smoke come to mind.
I’m not old enough for that, an oil tank and injection by the time I was buying bikes. Now mine will accept nothing less than the finest 98.
Same here, I had a 1969 175 bushman with 16:1 mix. Smoked like hell for the first few miles.