Classic Dirt Bike issue 063 Summer 2022

SUPER SELECTION OF SPRING AND SUMMER SPORT

DIRTbike Pipeline CLASSIC

ISSUE Sixty-thre

S u m m er 2 0

e 22

#63

Perfection

N63 2022 US$16.50 C AD$16.99 Aus$14.99 NZ$18.99 UK£5.70

ACTION FROM THE Pre65 SCOTTISH

BONKEY’S BANTAMSA Last trials B

PLUS

SHOWTIME:

CDB at Telford

RETRO BULTO TECH TALK BANTAM ARCHIVE

PRINTED IN THE UK

IN BALANCE

A mystery... …but not one Toyah Willcox would sing about.

E

ver been presented with something so completely unfathomable that trying to find the answer absorbs way more time than it actually should and seems to dominate your waking and sleeping life until suddenly it is solved? Yes, the cam timing of Project Triumph has finally been sorted to the point where the bike runs and the tale is detailed further on in this issue; what still mystifies me is why the timing marks don’t make the cams do what they should.

Even though the bike is running there’s still a lot of things to solve and working my way through the list brought a sidetrack when searching for a 2BA tap.

Now, like many people involved in keeping older motorcycles going, I’ve acquired a selection of thread-cutting tools from Whitworth, Cycle, BSF, UNC and so on which reflect the machines I’ve owned. Never having had to deal with such fine imperial threads before, my selection doesn’t contain any BA taps or dies but the box from my late father does. They’re in two nice cases stamped ‘A.M.’ which mystified me as the initials didn’t match anyone in the family. Turns out to be a bit of an ‘in’ joke with lads like my dad who’d served in the RAF circa 1940-46 and ‘A.M.’ was ‘arry Mitchell’ or ‘Air Ministry.’ The dies and taps were certainly BA and in every size except the 2BA I needed but were all left-hand thread. Given the machines he would have worked on – Hurricanes, Mosquitos (he was a joiner by trade) and Lancasters – what on earth on such aircraft would require a 10BA left-hand thread?

Such threads as used on motorcycles is an oddly interesting subject, at least to us it is – but discussing it with other occupants

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❝... the cyber world has had lots of traffic on it about the shortage of certain trials tyres. The ones in question are the superb Michelin ‘X’ range which began with the ‘X1’ a lot of years ago... ❞ of the household often brings the same response as showing the most recently rescued and valuable restoration part…

However for us here an invaluable part of the threading equipment is a thread gauge. Mine came from Andy Molnar and has a nice chart with various sizes marked on. Armed with such a tool I could easily have determined the screw size I required was 2BA had it not been clearly shown in Triumph’s Instruction Manual No.4.

Away from threads and thread cutting the cyber world has had lots of traffic on it about the shortage of certain trials tyres. The ones in question are the superb Michelin ‘X’ range which began with the ‘X1’ a lot of years ago and now includes the ‘X11’ and ‘X-lite.’ These tyres were a revelation when marketed and gave phenomenal grip in all conditions and immediately ousted all other tyres from the scene. Their introduction confirmed a trials bike, while still able to be roadlegal(ish), was no longer transport but a leisure machine as these tyres would heat up and quickly wear out if used on the road. The days of the aspiring SSDT entrant being able to fit a new tyre for the start of the week were long gone and last time I did the Scottish I think I used three for the week.

It has come to the point where even riders at a club trial feel unable to ride well, or ride at all if they don’t have a reasonably new tyre on. Those of you my age and who were riding in the Seventies will recall the majority of the Spanish

machines of the day wore Pirelli MT13s as standard. When the rear tyre of my first Bultaco seemed more ‘slick’ than ‘trials’ my dad succumbed to pressure from his contemporaries and a new tyre was promised. Several weeks of checking who was discarding tyres with more tread on than mine were fruitless and a trip to the local dealer was fitted in. When I came home from school there, awaiting me, was a New Tyre… not a hoped-for MT13 but a Japanese Dunlop which, apparently, was ‘…better value…’ Read ‘cheaper’! Perhaps you may recall these tyres; the rubber was possibly some form of concrete and it had the advantage of probably still going strong nearly 50 years on… Such tyres were similar to the ones used in the Fifties and required throttle control and body positioning to maintain forward motion with them on the bike. Unlike the modern grippy tyres which can cope with a rider whacking the throttle open, the same action on a bike with older, less flexible tyres would result in the rider sitting on their rear as the bike spun away.

I struggled to fit the thing, struggled in sections once it was fitted and found rather than it improving my throttle control it actually made the whole trial experience debilitating… luckily I was super enthusiastic about riding.

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Regulars 03

In Balance Taps ‘n’ dies: like tie ‘n’ dye – only for motorcyclists but still using thread.

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News and views All the latest in the wide world of motorcycle sport, events, people, and much more as the forthcoming season gets into full swing.

41

Subscribe Find out how to have your copy of CDB drop on your doormat on a regular basis.

48 Dirt Products Will it get you the holeshot? Will it keep you on enduro time? Will it keep your feet up? Dirt products of all sorts.

72

Dirt talk Your opinions… in print, for all time, unlike the fleeting and transient world of the internet where it vanishes in an instant.

74

JD’s view The early days of watercooled trials bikes... well, when we say ‘early’, we mean ‘Eighties’ as not even JD is old enough to recall the very early days.

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Moto Memories As this issue is out after the SSDT we thought a nice pic of Bernard Cordonnier in action on Laggan Locks might be appropriate.

Events 52 Vinduro action Snow shortened play but there was still a decent turnout at Lilburn

56 Pre65 Scottish Trial Who won? Here’s your chance to find out and catch up on all the news and views from north of the border.

62 The Classic Dirt Bike Show Eight pages of stuff from the CDB Show, stuff like bikes, stuff like guests, stuff like bits and pieces, other stuff too.

On the cover: Jim Tennant tackles Pipeline in the 2022 Pre65 Scottish Trial; he’d go on to finish on 30 marks.

Pic: Tim Britton Media Ltd

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18 11

Features 11

Real retro Dressing up a Bulto to pay tribute to a memory

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From the archive BSA’s Bantam is everywhere in trials these days – but how did it all begin?

30 End of the line BSA’s Bantam is everywhere in trials these days (as we've just said!) – but where did it all end for the factory?

75

42 Workshop rebuilds At every turn there is frustration, what should work doesn’t, what should fit doesn’t, what should be understood isn’t.

70

Miller’s masterpiece When you’re responsible for changing trials three times, why not have a go at a clean-sheet design?

75

A bit on the side Few can deny Norton and Wasp are the two names which spring to mind when sidecar MX is mentioned.

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Drumlanrig gets ready for off-road motorsport fun

Roger de Coster fettles his CZ in the Sixties.

Brad Lackey interviewed at Drumlanrig in 2018.

Mikkola, de Coster and Lackey share a joke.

It’s back! It’s bigger and somehow they’ve managed to make it even better… what are we talking about? Drumlanrig Offroad Motorsport Festival is what! After Covid affected all sport, not just Galloway MCC’s events, since it hit in 2020 the club set to and made plans for the day when we could get out there on bikes again. And what plans they are! Not just one, no sir! Not two either! But three MX superstars have been invited along to the Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway from June 17 to 19 this year for what must be the most spectacular setting for an MX anywhere in MXdom!

The three superstars have all been world 500cc MX champions, raced for

the best teams at the time and, in 1978, were one, two and three in the world… yes, you know who we’re talking about…

Heikki Mikkola, Brad Lackey and Roger de Coster! Okay, Mikkola and Lackey have been guests before and enjoyed the experience so much they both wanted to return but de Coster is a real coup for the Galloway MCC and will be a popular guest.

All three will be on hand for the whole festival and as well as giving interviews and autograph signings they will just be taking in the experience.

Of course there are lots of other things going on too as the festival is about action and there is a full programme of racing with all the regular classes a racer

could want. Also back is the Friday night grasstrack. Such additions to a scramble were common in the Sixties and gave riders a chance to warm up before the racing. New for 2022 is a trial laid out in the grounds of Drumlanrig so, with the road runs too it seems Galloway MCC Ltd has the whole off-road thing covered.

There will be trade stands – CDB will be there – people, bikes and sunshine… er, we hope…

The club has lots of ticket offers on its website www.gallowaymcc.com or its Facebook page where facilities exist to buy online tickets – don’t forget to take advantage of the ‘early bird’ ticket offer.

See you in June at Drumlanrig!

Expect close racing at Drumlanrig Offroad Motorsport Festival 2022.

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Heikki Mikkola autographs a Greeves tank.

Hagon support continues

Tony Hutchison and Martin Hagon with guest Bernie Schreiber.

The Classic Dirt Bike Show, held in February at the Telford International Centre, is the event of the year for classic off-road motorcycle enthusiasts of all disciplines.

Hagon Shocks, famed for its aftermarket shock absorbers and wheel building services, has been a long-time supporter of the show and recognised the continuing value of the event to the Hagon business by signing a new deal with event organisers Mortons.

Tony Hutchison of Hagon said of the deal: “We’re delighted to

continue to support the Classic Dirt Bike Show and this new threeyear agreement demonstrates the value of this event not just to Hagon Shocks but the whole industry. It was great to see the vibe return to the show in February post-pandemic and reaffirmed our decision to be the headline sponsor was the right one.”

The Classic Dirt Bike Show sponsored by Hagon Shocks will be back on February 18-19, 2023.

For more information, visit www. classicdirtbikeshow.co.uk

Record breaker at Telford If you want your off-road action with style, 2022’s International Dirt Bike Show has a recordbreaker just raring to go and be part of the action.

Organisers of Europe’s largest off-road show, set for October in Telford, have confirmed that BMX star Lee Musselwhite will be performing stunts for the crowd with his Extreme International team.

The show is set for the Telford International Centre from October 28-30 and Lee, the Pro BMX Flatland rider, will perform a unique display of ground tricks with all kinds of twists and spins at high speed, previously described as ‘breakdancing on a bike’.

Lee holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of no-handed spins on a BMX in

one minute with a trick called the Death Truck… and with that sort of dedication his appearance at the International Dirt Bike Show will be one not to miss!

Event manager Nick Mowbray said: “We’re so excited to have Lee Musselwhite at our 2022 event performing in front of thousands of people. His performance is guaranteed to be an intense and visually impressive show.”

The International Dirt Bike Show will be held over three days at a new venue for the event, Telford’s International Centre.

Advance tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www. dirtbikeshow.co.uk If you would be interested in booking a stand for the show, please contact Mortons’ event team on 01507 529430.

Lee Musselwhite in action demonstrating his skills.

Sidecar trials is strangely addictive.

Car and Classic auction sales A couple of trials bikes caught our eye on the Car and Classic auction web www. carandclassic.co.uk – Montesa and Bultaco are well known in the off-road world and still perform well in twinshock trials. These

two machines came from a deceased estate and have been built to nice standards. The Montesa also has a sidecar on for those who like riding with a friend. Both sold very quickly on the Car and Classic site.

Bultaco’s Sherpa dominated trials for years.

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‘Magical’ Mick at the Highland Classic Trials star Mick Andrews, the Derbyshire ace nicknamed ‘Magical’, will be in action at the IDMCC Highland Classic Two Day Trial – edition OSSA, on June 12/13, at the Alvie Estate near Aviemore in Scotland. Mick started his

career as a teenager with AMC, moving to OSSA to develop their MAR trials bike before doing a similar job for Yamaha.

There are a lot of trials bikes and star riders who have benefited from his attention and his trials schools are

always well attended. Mick will be riding a special OSSA built

by Martin Rickman of www. idleride.co.uk, the specialist in OSSA parts. It’s finished in the colours of Mick’s early OSSAs and is a great tribute to the marque and the man.

Mick’s bikes were reg’d in Spain.

Looks good doesn’t it?

Damon Wood 9/1/60 - 17/4/2022 “Excuse me mate, is that a Bultaco Pursang frame you’re holding?”

Sadly we have to announce Damon Wood, one of the founders of the Bultaco Club UK, passed away on April 17. Despite an 18-month battle

Damon at Telford 2022

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against illness Damon was determined to carry on with his life and Bultaco Club UK duties in as normal a way as possible.

The 62-year-old was a committed Bultaco enthusiast from his introduction to the marque when his father provided a 125 Pursang for him to ride in the fledgling Horsham SCC in the Seventies.

Running a film set and model building business brought Damon into contact with the UK film industry at Shepperton and his company would provide sets for exhibitions and events as diverse as the Hampton Court Flower Show and the Goodwood Revival motor extravaganza. The exacting

Damon, (r) on launching Bultaco Club UK at Kempton in 2018.

standards required for these events transferred to Damon’s passion for restoring Bultacos and his motorcycles were generally award winners at shows.

Along with Nick Morris – whose quote we used at the start of this obituary – Damon ensured Bultaco

Club UK would get off to a successful launch at Kempton Park Off-road Show in 2018. Damon will be greatly missed, not only by his son George and all his family but the Bultaco scene too. Our thoughts and condolences are with Damon’s family.

Bonanza action

British Bike Bonanza 2022 Hard to believe the British Bike Bonanza is in its 40th year but it is.

Back in the last century when the idea of a scramble for old dirt bikes, with added motorcycling attractions, was a preposterous idea… ‘ha ha’ they laughed, ‘never work…’ they smiled indulgently… so, anyway, 40 years on Adrian Moss is behind the whole thing again. Main sponsors are Rickman Motorcycles and Warners Motor Group.

For 2022 the scramble will be a

‘pre64’ event, held on Sunday, July 31 at Jackements Lane, Tarlton, which is on the A433 Tetbury to Cirencester road with the postcode GL7 6PN. Colin Dommett is signed up to be guest of honour and will be ably supported by Andy Roberton, Dave Curtis and Vic Allan.

Main attractions though will be the bikes and the glorious noise of true classics in action – just like the old days. The racing will start at 12.30pm.

Can-Am anniversary poster looks ahead

Dates for next year's diary!

Hard to believe it’s 50 years since Can-Am launched itself on to the international motorcycle scene with a Rotax engine two-stroke trail bike. The Canadian company had a brief but exciting presence before going quiet. Its legacy however was not forgotten and the marque has continued to be fondly recalled and the machines are popular in the scene. To celebrate the anniversary and Can-Am’s new machine there is a massive event on in August 2023.

Eager to be on the start line. Riders line up in the access lane.

Top training introduced How many CDB readers have been through an officially recognised motorcycle training scheme? If you’re thinking ‘it’s nowt t’do w’me…

I’m a trials rider, enduroista or MXer…’ think again. The first two disciplines occasionally do have a road element and riders need a road licence and it pays to be properly taught as the days of bunging ‘L’ plates on and heading out are long gone.

CDB’s publisher Mortons Media Group is joining with other organisations such as RoSPA, DVSA and DfT to tackle the training thing head on and has signed up to the MCIA – MotorCycle Industries Association – new directive Elite Rider Training Initiative. Launched in April 2022 the directive aims to increase the number of riders undertaking post-test rider

training, and to motivate riders to ride considerately toward other road users and the environment.

Supporting the Elite Rider Training Initiative is the Elite Rider Hub, a “one-stop shop” where riders can find a wealth of information and support to improve their skills. The Hub contains information and contact details of nationally available posttest rider training schemes, with advice for riders, and links to book training. Visit www.eliteriderhub.co.uk to see which post-test training provider can enhance your skills to be an Elite rider.

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Retro Bulto

First impressions The deep red glass fibre tank/seat units of the mid-70s Bultaco Sherpas look so stylish and it’ s not just the CDB editor who thinks so.

Wo rds and pics: Tim Britton Media Ltd

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hen Bultaco introduced the Slimline Sherpa with its petrol tank and seat combined in one stunning unit we knew it was right… how could it be anything else? The deep red of the main tank, offset by the silver band which tied the colour scheme into the frame, just looked superb. Problem was in those days we in the UK had to have Bultos with metal tanks as glass fibre had been outlawed thanks to unscrupulous fly-bynighters trying to cash in on the café racer craze in the late Sixties. These cheaply thrown together fit-on-anything tanks gained a reputation for dumping petrol on hot engines or exploding in accidents and the UK Government made no distinction between well-made products and shoddy stuff but banned them all.

Below: It does look nice and we’re not frightened to admit it.

Comerfords, the UK importers, had to replace the glass fibre tank units with a well-made alloy unit from Homerlite in Birmingham. These tanks were almost as slim as the glass fibre ones and I quite liked the blue and silver these replacements were painted in, especially the early paint scheme which were available from Comerfords at £19.50 including postage and packing but there was still something about the looks of the glass fibre units. Perhaps it was because the sales brochures we used to seek out and pin to our bedroom walls were printed in Spain and featured  the original-style tanks.

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Left: From this angle the slimness of the Slimline tank can be seen.

Below: Man and machine in perfect harmony… this is as close as we could get to having him smile for the camera, normally he’s a happy, smiley person.

MOTECH MOTORCYCLES Based in Consett, Gary Watson has been involved in the motorcycle trade for a considerable number of years, first as a hobby business from home while still employed in heavy engineering. Then he took the plunge and launched MoTech Motorcycles from a small unit on a local industrial estate. The business grew and evolved until he took on premises in Consett town centre where he trades in motorcycles, cycles and accessories.

Throughout this time Gary has always been involved in motorcycle sport and competes regularly in trials.

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Okay, the glass fibre Slimline tank unit was introduced for the Seventies as part of the Kit Campeón accessory pack to allow owners to upgrade their earlier Sherpas and included the tank, an exhaust, an airbox and fittings. Eventually the Model 80 came with the kit as standard and the Model 91-92 carried on with the theme and had a slimmer front hub rather than the full-width one too. Later in the model year there was a frame change and by the looks of pics from the time this required a slight tweak to the tank as the Kit Campeón version wouldn’t go straight on the later frame. As a guess the Models 124/125 and 150/151 would be the bikes most affected in the UK and the final Slimline seat/tank units would be on the later Sherpa models before the works-type separates were back in vogue.

It turns out the editor of CDB wasn’t the only youthful trials rider to be smitten by the sensuous lines of the Slimline Sherpa and when I called in to see fellow club member Gary Watson at his shop in Consett he was gushing over his new purchase of a 1974 tank unit he snapped up despite not having a bike for it to go on. Gary is also a fan of the later Sherpas and has a 199B too. One day, for a bit of daftness, while the tank and seat were off the later Sherpa he dropped the Slimline tank on… now it didn’t fit exactly, no surprise there – but it didn’t look too far out of place and he wondered how much effort it would take to make it fit properly as even just dropped on the Slimline unit transformed the look of the bike. It remained just an intriguing thought until he was offered a 199A Sherpa which had belonged to another club member, former Dot works trials rider and speedway professional Dave Younghusband.

Retro Bulto

The bike had seen a hard life since its days with Dave and as it needed a considerable amount of work to bring it back to life Gary wondered more about the thought of going retro with it. It still wasn’t high on the list of priorities but rather one of those things he fitted in as and when he had time. You know how it goes, bits and pieces are acquired, work needing to be done is noted until the point where all the elements are in place to start – there’s time, there’s bits and nothing else urgently requiring attention. As a donor bike this 199A was quite intriguing in its own right as its frame had been modified at Comerfords early in its life. In those days the UK importer was doing a lot of development work independently of the factory while industrial unrest meant there was uncertainty over machine supply. What Comerfords, or more correctly Reg May, did was to move the swinging arm pivot point forward and lengthen the swinging arm to keep the wheelbase correct with the idea being to have the centre of the gearbox main shaft, swinging arm and rear wheel spindles in line with a rider on the bike.

While they were at it, the rear seat loop was chopped off to modernise the look of the rear. Gary had to rework the frame considerably so felt okay about altering the other bits so the Slimline unit would fit.

With the main frame sorted an AJG alloy swinging arm from Holland was fitted and the rear end got new  Falcon shocks to complement the handling.

Above: Tube sections are available for the talented to make neat exhausts…

Left: Aluminium AJG swinging arm is slightly longer than standard to make up for the moved pivot point.

Left: Early dust covers were devoid of the ears later ones have.

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Up at the front there was a lot of work to do. As Bultaco came to an end they were using up all sorts of bits and some late 340s had much earlier taper stanchions which needed a taper top yoke. This particular bike had been fitted with taper stanchions but a square yoke… “The forks were completely worn out,” says Gary. “New stanchions were fitted and I had some new sliders, the polished type in the stores and some new chrome mudguard stays too so the front end was sorted.” He fitted the early dust covers too which don’t have the ears on it like the later ones. As the front hub is fairly common from 1974 on, this one was okay for the retro look. There are slight differences in hubs, some are turned from billet, others are cast, some polished, others not but in the main commonish… One thing often wrong with Bultaco hubs is the lining; it is chrome and peels off. Two ways of dealing with it are to shrink in a steel liner or, as I did, have the inside metal sprayed; both work. At the rear end a steel liner had been shrunk in years ago and there’s no idea who did it though several people were doing them on a regular basis in the Eighties. With both hubs sorted the original rims were cleaned up and respoked with new spokes by a wheel builder who Gary is keeping to himself.

To make sure the brakes work at their best, oversize linings were fitted, the shoes shimmed for clearance and then the lining skimmed to size… removing the shims allows the brake plate to go in the hub. In 1974, the year of inspiration for this project, everyone wanted Pirelli tyres, they were the rubber to wear and most machines from Spain came with them as standard. These days though it’s Michelin we all want but we can’t get them at the moment.

We’ve not talked about the engine so far, for good reason. It was totally worn out, every bit of it needed attention. With it all apart the cases were blasted and powder coated and once back at base in went new

bearings, seals, big and little ends plus a rebore and new piston… so now the motor is spot on.

Cosmetically the mudguards for the last of the Slimline were a hard plastic but they’re as good as unobtainable these days so Gary used the more modern plastic ones, a short one at the rear and altered the front one to take a Bultaco mudflap as per the period he was recreating.

So far it’s been pretty standard rebuild stuff as even with the Comerfords mods it’s not too far from original but the tank unit needed some other stuff done. As most people are aware, modern fuel and old glass fibre don’t go together very well – the ethanol eats through the gel and the tanks fall apart.

There are people who make new ones with a gel more suitable for ethanol but what a lot of people have done is to use the original tank as a cover for an alloy slave tank. This is what’s been done here.

Holding it in place is the job of the remains of the tank and the filler cap connects the two bits while a stud welded to the top tube as in the original holds the front of the tank while two large head screws fasten the rear. Okay, so tank capacity isn’t what it was – but nor are trials as long as they were, so this isn’t a problem and it means the newly refurbished Bing carburettor is expected to pass only petrol and oil premix rather than petrol, oil and glass fibre gel.

Filtering the air to go into the carburettor needs an airbox with a foam filter in it. Gary has constructed a purpose-made box which combines a much later 340 element and is shaped to fit in the frame tubes and under the seat area. It is an amalgam of scaffold tube, alloy sheet and rubber bungs and works. There’s had to be a little adjustment to the exhaust too as the sides of the unit would catch on the front pipe and melt the glass fibre. It takes a lot of work to make this bit look easy… 

THE NUMBERS GAME Bultaco model numbers are relatively straightforward and tend to detail a design change rather than an actual year. In this feature we’ve mentioned several models of Sherpa and starting with the Model 80 – which was a 250 – the next production Sherpas were the 91/92 for the 250 and 325 versions. After these came the 124/125 and 150/151; again, the lower number was the smaller capacity. Things become slightly more confusing at the end of the Sherpa’s life when the 198/199 designation began. Soon after the model number gained a letter – 198A/199A – to show the change when the frame tubes were replaced with an alloy bashplate and then finally the 198B/199B for the final versions of the Sherpa.

Things are not quite as straightforward with capacities as the ‘250’ was mostly a 244.29cc engine until a change in taxation laws in Europe meant an under 240cc machine was more attractive so the ‘250’ became 237.55cc. The bigger machines were known as ‘325’ until the last ones which were ‘340’ but those later ones with separate side panels bore the legend ‘350.’ Actual capacities were none of these figures, being 326.03cc for the first 325s, then 326.20cc for the later ones and the final 340s were 340.47cc… Works riders often had other capacities but your head is probably spinning right now.

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Above: It is only when you look closely you can see all is not what it seems.

Left: Original brochures of the donor model and inspirational model.

Retro Bulto

Left: Falcon rear shocks work well and are popular in the trials world.

Right: Pure styling of course and Gary could have left the mudguard as it was but didn’t.

Right: Rear brake lever is made specially for the bike.

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Right: Forks are a combination of new od stock – stanchions and sliders – salvaged original bits – the damper internals and yokes – with new seals and dust covers.

Left: Head stay has been reworked too.

Handlebars are 5½” Renthals and black coated Amal levers are in place for brake and clutch action.

Gary has avoided using the older type of throttle twistgrip in favour of a Domino side-pull; this is sensible really as older riders may recall times when a cable was caught on a branch and the sudden surge of acceleration made life exciting… briefly. “I’ve used Venhill cables which are what everyone uses, I’ve tried to reuse as many original Bultaco fasteners as possible to keep it looking right, and I’m happy with the way it looks. Okay, so not exactly as the 1974 inspiration and anyone taking a closer look will soon see it’s not – but I like it.” I have to admit I like it too and I like it even better because Gary intends to use it in trials... which is what a trials bike is for.

UNDER THE TANK: 1: The tank cover sits over the top of the slave tank…

2: …as it’ s not seen looks are not vital…

3: …cutting, welding and shaping made the neat airbox…

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2

3

4: …from this angle the strengthening loop for the rear frame can be seen…

5: …peekaboo!

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BSA ARCHIVE

Lightweight Performer If the aim is to produce a light comp bike it makes sense to start with a bike already light... doesn’t it?

Words: Tim Britton Media Ltd Pics: Mortons Archive

I

t is probably safe to assume the Bantam has far exceeded any expectations BSA ever had for it when it joined their range in 1948. Probably the company initially viewed it as an entry level machine to capture new riders and gain marque loyalty. Since those far-off days when BSA obtained the two-stroke’s design from DKW as part of war reparations and produced their version of the German machine it has gone on to capture the hearts of a motorcycling public. With the twin attributes of being uncomplicated and simple in operation added to its light weight, the Bantam has served the Post Office as a telegram delivery mount, helped district nurses on their rounds, been the chosen mount for world travellers and made its mark in all manner of motorcycle sporting disciplines.

Though BSA introduced a ‘competition’ version of the D1 Bantam in 1949 it is doubtful the company ever thought it would be a serious contender in any sort of competition. This competition version was little different from the roadster, as indeed most comp models were in the day and the Bantam did have an upswept exhaust and block treaded tyres on its 19in rims though at 125cc it was likely viewed as underpowered for the serious trials rider.

What BSA were serious about was being seen to be successful in all capacity classes in all types of events as the old adage ‘success brings sales’ is actually true.

To gain this success the company would sanction the building of works-only models while not really suggesting they would lead to a production version.

Such special machines were ridden by many of the works stars of the day with John Draper using a Bantam to gain him the distinction of being the only rider to have won every single capacity class in the SSDT. Elsewhere the Bantam was used in the ISDT and national scrambles to bring more publicity to BSA though there was still little development done on the machine. A D3 – 150cc version – joined the range and was available in competition form too, with an option of either rigid or plunger suspension rear ends. 

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