Vintage motorcycle auction

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

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Some nice crotch rockets :rofl: up for auction.

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Just needs finishing
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That looks to be a motorised Unicycle. Didnt know BSA made a Bantam unicycle. :rofl:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Same here, I had a 1969 175 bushman with 16:1 mix. Smoked like hell for the first few miles.