BSA Company
Encyclopedia
BSA Company Limited was a motorcycle manufacturer which purchased the rights to its BSA name from Birmingham Small Arms Company
's successor, Dennis Poore
's Manganese Bronze
on the liquidation of Norton Villiers Triumph.
engines) and motorcycles for developing countries (with Yamaha
engines) under the BSA name. In the latter case the old "Bushman" name was recalled to duty;– it had previously been used on high ground clearance Bantams
sold for the likes of Australian sheep farmers. Having moved from Small Heath to Coventry in 1973, Colquhoun moved it again in 1986 to Blockley in Gloustershire, where production continued on its military and off road motorcycles - mostly then exported to African states.
By 2003 it had become clear that demand for the hand built Gold SR was not reaching previous expectations and production ceased. The 1,000cc Tempest, widely acclaimed in its prototype form, did not reach the production line and MZ sales failed to reach their promising potential. In 2007 BSA’s involvement with MZ ended when the parts business was sold. In the same year Joe Seifert, the then new owner of Norton Motors Ltd, made an interesting and successful bid for the Norton Commando parts business. The bid included the return to BSA Company of its European trademarks.
In 2009 a serious infringement of the BSA trademarks occurred in India when Tube Investments of India, the eventually owners of the BSA trademarks for bicycles, used the trademark on electric powered motor scooters. In May 2011 the infringement case was still in the Supreme Court of India.
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
's successor, Dennis Poore
Dennis Poore
Roger Dennistoun "Dennis" Poore was a British entrepreneur, financier and sometime racing driver,. Poore used his personal weath to bankroll the founding, in 1950, of the motor racing journal Autosport. He himself was a keen motor sport participant, and competed in two Formula One World...
's Manganese Bronze
Manganese Bronze
Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC is an engineering company based in Coventry, England. Since the sale of its components division in 2003 the company has only one operating division—LTI Limited, trading as The London Taxi Company—which manufactures and retails London Black Taxis.The London...
on the liquidation of Norton Villiers Triumph.
Origin
When NVT Motorcycles Limited was liquidated in 1978, its management, then under William Colquhoun, formed a new company - BSA Company and bought from NVT the rights to the BSA Motorcycle brand.Military motorcycles
BSA Company produced military motorcycles (with RotaxRotax
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG , commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products products as well as for motorcycles, karts,...
engines) and motorcycles for developing countries (with Yamaha
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
engines) under the BSA name. In the latter case the old "Bushman" name was recalled to duty;– it had previously been used on high ground clearance Bantams
BSA Bantam
The BSA Bantam is a two-stroke unit construction motorcycle that was produced by the Birmingham Small Arms Company from 1948 until 1971...
sold for the likes of Australian sheep farmers. Having moved from Small Heath to Coventry in 1973, Colquhoun moved it again in 1986 to Blockley in Gloustershire, where production continued on its military and off road motorcycles - mostly then exported to African states.
Andover Norton
In 1991 BSA Company was merged with another buy out company, Mike Jackson's Andover Norton International Ltd., to form a new BSA Group. BSA purchased the Norton Spares business from Norton Motors and this change to the cash starved spares business prompted a rapid and continuing growth in the sale of genuine parts. MZ (GB) Ltd was acquired and BSA Group became heavily involved with the renowned Norton F1 designers Seymour Powell in developing and launching the MuZ Skorpion, later to win the 1994 BBC Design Award. In December 1994 Colquhoun and Jackson's BSA Group was taken over by a newly formed BSA Regal Group and the company moved again, this time to Southampton.BSA Regal
In 1997 production began on the hand built 400cc Gold SR with the first batch of over 200 machines being exported to Japan. Production of the BSA John McLaren also commenced in 1997 and small numbers continue to built under licence. The very comprehensive spares business continued to supply the world's Norton twin owners and restorers. Development work with Government agencies and non-European motorcycle manufacturers had been augmented with the strength from the Southampton based Regal Group and in 1999 a 500cc version of the Gold SR was launched for the European and American markets.By 2003 it had become clear that demand for the hand built Gold SR was not reaching previous expectations and production ceased. The 1,000cc Tempest, widely acclaimed in its prototype form, did not reach the production line and MZ sales failed to reach their promising potential. In 2007 BSA’s involvement with MZ ended when the parts business was sold. In the same year Joe Seifert, the then new owner of Norton Motors Ltd, made an interesting and successful bid for the Norton Commando parts business. The bid included the return to BSA Company of its European trademarks.
In 2009 a serious infringement of the BSA trademarks occurred in India when Tube Investments of India, the eventually owners of the BSA trademarks for bicycles, used the trademark on electric powered motor scooters. In May 2011 the infringement case was still in the Supreme Court of India.