List of BSA motorcycles - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This is a list of Birmingham Small Arms Company

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....

(BSA) motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

s from the 1930s until the end of the marque in the 1970s. The list is tabulated by engine type and period.

This list currently lacks models from 1910 until 1929 and is incomplete from 1930 until 1936. If you can help to complete it please do so!

V-twins

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
Model E	771cc	1919	1924	side-valve V twin
G30-G35	985cc	1930	1935	side-valve
G14	985cc	1936	1940	side-valve
J34, J35, J12	499cc	1934	1936	overhead valve Overhead valve An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
Y13	748cc	1936	1938	overhead valve

B series

The B-series were single cylinder models of 250cc, 350cc and 500cc. After the Second World War only 350cc and 500cc overhead valve models were continued.

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
B33-1 - B35-1, B1	249cc	1933	1936	side-valve
B33-2 - B35-2, B2	249cc	1933	1936	overhead valve
B33-3 - B35-3, B3 Blue Star BSA Blue Star The BSA Blue Star is a British motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. The Blue Star range was produced between 1932 and 1936. In 1936 a slightly uprated sports version called the BSA Empire Star was launched with the Blue Star remaining in the model range...	249cc	1933	1936	overhead valve
R33-4 - R35-4, R4	349cc	1933	1936	overhead valve
R33-5 - R35-5, R5 Blue Star BSA Blue Star The BSA Blue Star is a British motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. The Blue Star range was produced between 1932 and 1936. In 1936 a slightly uprated sports version called the BSA Empire Star was launched with the Blue Star remaining in the model range...	349cc	1933	1936	overhead valve
W32-6, W33-6, W34-7, W35-6, W6	499cc	1932	1936	side-valve
W32-7, W33-7, W34-8, W35-7	499cc	1932	1935	overhead valve
W33-8, W34-9, W35-8 Blue Star BSA Blue Star The BSA Blue Star is a British motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. The Blue Star range was produced between 1932 and 1936. In 1936 a slightly uprated sports version called the BSA Empire Star was launched with the Blue Star remaining in the model range...	499cc	1933	1935	overhead valve
W33-9, W34-10, W35-9	499cc	1933	1935	overhead valve
B20	249cc	1937	1938	side-valve
B21	249cc	1937	1939	overhead valve
B22 Empire Star	249cc	1937	1938	overhead valve
B23	348cc	1937	1939	side-valve
B24	348cc	1937	1939	overhead valve
B25	348cc	1937	1939	overhead valve
B26	348cc	1937	1939	overhead valve
B29	348cc	1940		overhead valve
B30				overhead valve
BSA B31 BSA B31 The BSA B31 is a motorcycle that was produced by Birmingham Small Arms Company.The BSA B31, introduced in 1945, was the first new model introduced by the company after the Second World War. Based on pre-war designs, it used a single cylinder four stroke engine that displaced . Initially, it had a...	348cc	1945	1959	overhead valve
B32	348cc	1946	1957	overhead valve
B33	499cc	1947	1960	overhead valve
B34	499cc	1947	1957	overhead valve

M series

In the 1930s the M series was a mixture of overhead valve

Overhead valve

An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...

and side-valve

Flathead engine

A flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...

models. During and after the Second World War only the side-valve models of this series were continued, typically for use by the armed forces or in sidecar combinations.

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
M33-10, M34-12, M35-10, M10	596cc	1933	1936	side-valve
M33-11, M34-13, M35-11	596cc	1933	1935	overhead valve
M19 Deluxe	349cc	1937	1938	overhead valve
M22	496cc	1937	1939	overhead valve
M23 Silver Star/Empire Star BSA Empire Star The Empire Star was a standard motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Named to commemorate the Siver Jubilee of King George V of the United Kingdom and advertised as The Masterpiece of the Industry, the Empire Star range was produced between 1936 and 1939, when it was...	496cc	1937	1940	overhead valve
M24 Gold Star	496cc	1938	1939	overhead valve
BSA M20 BSA M20 The BSA M20 was a British motorcycle made by Birmingham Small Arms Company at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Initially viewed as a near failure by the War Office in 1936, the M20 evolved into one of the longest serving motorcycles in the history of British military motorcycling, as well...	496cc	1937	1955	side-valve. Thousands of this model were supplied to the British Army British Army The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
M21	591cc	1937	1963	side-valve. The UK's Automobile Association The Automobile Association The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services... used this model in sidecar Sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle.-History:A sidecar appeared in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903, issue of the British newspaper Motor Cycling. Three weeks later, a provisional patent was... combinations
M33	499cc	1947	1957	B33 overhead valve engine in M series plunger frame for civilian sidecar work

Pre-unit C series

The C-series were 250cc single-cylinder models

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
C10	250cc	1938	1953	side-valve engine
C11	250cc	1939	1953	overhead valve engine
C12 BSA C12 The BSA C12 was a British motorcycle produced by the Birmingham Small Arms Company.The C12 used the same engine as the earlier C11G but in a more modern chassis. It had reasonable suspension, usable brakes and comfortable seat which meant it was more useful than the earlier models...	250cc	1940		overhead valve engine
C10L	250cc	1953	1957	side-valve engine
C11G	250cc	1954	1955	overhead valve engine and girder forks
C12	250cc	1956	1958	overhead valve engine

Bantam series

All Bantams were single cylinder two-stroke machines

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
D1 Bantam	125cc	1948	1963	Early examples had rigid frames; later models had plunger suspension
D3 Bantam Major	150cc	1954	1957	All-welded swinging arm frame
D5 Bantam Super	175cc	1958	1958	All-welded swinging arm frame similar to D5
D7 Bantam Super	175cc	1959	1966	Swinging-arm frame with separate rear subframe bolted on
D10 Silver Bantam, Bantam Supreme, Bantam Sports and Bushman	175cc	1966	1967	Some models had four-ratio gearbox Transmission (mechanics) A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
D14/4 Bantam Supreme, Bantam Sports and Bushman	175cc	1968	1969	All models had four-ratio gearbox
D175 Bantam Sports and Bushman	175cc	1969	1971	With C15 front forks and centrally-located spark plug Spark plug A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...

Unit-construction singles

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
C15 BSA C15 The BSA C15 was the first four-stroke unit construction motorcycle produced by the British company BSA and manufactured between 1958 and 1967. At the time, the C15 was the largest capacity bike that a learner could ride on L-plates in the United Kingdom...	250cc	1958	1967
C15T	250cc	1959	1965
C15S	250cc	1959	1965
SS80	250cc	1961	1966	High-performance version of C15 BSA C15 The BSA C15 was the first four-stroke unit construction motorcycle produced by the British company BSA and manufactured between 1958 and 1967. At the time, the C15 was the largest capacity bike that a learner could ride on L-plates in the United Kingdom...
B40	350cc	1960	1965
SS90	350cc	1962	1965	High-performance version of B40
B44 GP (Chrome lined barrel,a 2 piece exhaust where the rear section was a tuned megaphone rather than a silencer, plastic bung for a fuel cap, the first unit single with oil-bearing frame differing from later oil bearing frames as it used super strong/lightweight Reynolds 531 tubing aimed at competition use)	441cc	1965	1967
B44 VE "Victor Enduro" BSA B44 Shooting Star The BSA B44 Shooting Star was a motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Similar to the BSA C15 and sharing many of the same parts, the B44 had an uprated chassis....	441cc	1966	1970
B44 "Victor Roadster" BSA B44 Shooting Star The BSA B44 Shooting Star was a motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Similar to the BSA C15 and sharing many of the same parts, the B44 had an uprated chassis....	441cc	1966	1970	From 1968 to 1970, called "441 Shooting Star" BSA B44 Shooting Star The BSA B44 Shooting Star was a motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Similar to the BSA C15 and sharing many of the same parts, the B44 had an uprated chassis....
B40WD	350cc	1967		2,000 for Ministry of Defence
C25 Barracuda	250cc	1967		Short-lived high-compression model
B25 Starfire	250cc	1968	1970	Similar to the C25 but with slightly reduced compression
B25FS Fleetstar	250cc	1968	1971	Made with low-compression engine to increase reliability and fuel economy for police and civilian fleet use
B25SS Shooting Star	250cc	1971
B25ST	250cc	1971
B50SS Gold Star	500cc	1971	1972
B50T Trail	500cc	1971	1972
B50MX Motorcross	500cc	1971	1972	In 1974 sold as Triumph TR5MX for US

Post-War twins

All BSA parallel twins

Straight-two

A straight-two engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine that has its cylinders arranged side by side....

were pushrod

Overhead valve

operated overhead valve

Overhead valve

machines. The A7 and A10 models were semi-unit construction until about 1953 and pre-unit construction

Pre-unit construction

Pre-unit construction, also called separate construction, is a motorcycle engine architecture where the engine and gearbox are separate casings, with their own oil reservoirs, and usually attached to parallel plates that also attach to the frame...

thereafter. All A50, A65 and A70 models were unit construction

Unit construction

Unit construction is a term used to describe the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. The term is sometimes applied to the design of automobile engines and was often loosely applied to motorcycles with rather different internal layouts such as...

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
A7 BSA A7 The BSA A7 was a British motorcycle manufactured by Birmingham Small Arms Company at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham in 1946. There were actually two versions of the A7, the original 495cc version and an improved 497cc version launched in 1950...	500cc	1947	1962	BSA's first parallel twin
A7ST BSA A7 The BSA A7 was a British motorcycle manufactured by Birmingham Small Arms Company at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham in 1946. There were actually two versions of the A7, the original 495cc version and an improved 497cc version launched in 1950...	500cc	1949	1954
A7SS BSA A7 The BSA A7 was a British motorcycle manufactured by Birmingham Small Arms Company at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham in 1946. There were actually two versions of the A7, the original 495cc version and an improved 497cc version launched in 1950...	500cc	1954	1962
A10 Golden Flash BSA Golden Flash The BSA Golden Flash was a Birmingham Small Arms Company motorcycle. The Golden Flash was also available in black and chrome, but it was the all-over gold paint scheme that gave it the name, and made it such a popular escape from post war austerity....	650cc	1950	1962	BSA's first 650cc parallel twin
A10 Super Flash	650cc	1953	1954	Limited edition for homologation for production racing in the USA
A10 Road Rocket BSA Road Rocket The BSA Road Rocket is a British motorcycle that was a development of the Golden Flash. The A10 had a reputation for reliability but was struggling to compete against the Triumph engines and the Norton Featherbed frames...	650cc	1954	1957
A10 Super Rocket BSA Super Rocket The BSA Super Rocket was a Birmingham Small Arms Company motorcycle that was a development of the BSA Road Rocket that evolved from the Golden Flash...	650cc	1958	1963	Amal TT 'racing' carburettor and new "357" full-race camshaft
A10 Rocket Gold Star BSA Rocket Gold Star The BSA Rocket Gold Star is a British motorcycle that marked the final stage of development of the BSA A10 twins. With a specially tuned A10 Super Rocket engine in the well proven BSA Gold Star single frame, BSA created a very fast bike with good handling fast bike that became 'classic'...	650cc	1962	1963	Special - tuned Super Rocket in a Gold Star frame
A50 BSA Royal Star The BSA Royal Star is a British motorcycle that was a radical new design for BSA that paved the way for a whole range of very successful unit construction twins...	500cc	1962	1970	Called "Royal Star" from 1966 onwards
A50C Cyclone	500cc	1964	1965	Also A50CC "Cyclone Clubman" for 1965 only
A50 Wasp	500cc	1966	1968
A65	650cc	1962	1966	Sometimes called "Star Twin"
A65R Rocket	650cc	1964	1965	Sports model with 9:1 compression, separate headlight, and sports mudguards
A65T Thunderbolt	650cc	1964	1972	Single carburettor. From 1971 had oil-bearing frame
A65L Lightning / Rocket BSA Lightning Rocket The BSA Lightning Rocket was a British motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Birmingham. A highly tuned version of the BSA A65R Rocket this was BSA's bid to capture the potentially lucrative USA export market in the mid-1960s...	650cc	1964	1972	Twin carburettors. From 1971 had oil-bearing frame
A65S Spitfire	650cc	1964	1968	High performance model produced in Mk I, Mk II, Mk III and Mk IV versions
A65 Hornet	650cc	1966	1967	Sometimes called "Hornet Scrambler"
A65F Firebird Scrambler	650cc	1968	1972	Twin carburettors. From 1971 had oil-bearing frame, high level exhaust pipes on left hand side
A70L Lightning	750cc			Limited edition for homologation for production racing in the USA
BSA Fury BSA Fury The BSA Fury was a British motorcycle manufactured as a prototype by Birmingham Small Arms Company in 1970 but by November 1972 BSA Group debts exceeded £20 million...	350cc	1971	1972	Prototype only (never produced)

Triples

For full detail see BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident

BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident

The BSA Rocket Three / Triumph Trident was the first true modern superbike and the last major motorcycle developed by Triumph Engineering at Meriden. It was badge-engineered to be sold under both the Triumph and BSA marques. The Rocket3 / Trident was part of Triumph's plan to extend the model...

(for corresponding Triumph models see Triumph Triples)

Model	Engine	First year	Last year	Notes
A75R Rocket Three	750cc	1969	1972
A75RV Rocket Three	750cc	1971	1972	5-speed gearbox (only three produced in 1972)

Miscellaneous

Model name	engine	First year	Last year	Note
S31 'Sloper' BSA Sloper The BSA S31 Sloper was a Birmingham Small Arms Company motorcycle that was launched in 1927 and featured a saddle tank that enabled a low seating position, improving the centre of gravity and handling. In 1930 the BSA Sloper gained extra chrome and a new frame with a forged steel spine. The 493cc...	491cc	1927	1935	By 1935 there was an overhead-valve and a sidevalve, both of 595cc
A30-1, A30-2	175cc two-stroke	1929	1930	Unit-construction model in two-speed and three-speed versions respectively
Winged Wheel	35cc two-stroke	1953	1955	In-hub engine for bicycle
Dandy	70cc two stroke	1956	1962	Lightweight scooter
BSA Sunbeam	175cc two-stroke or 250cc four-stroke	1959	1965	Scooter
Beagle	75cc four-stroke	1963	1965	Lightweight motorcycle
Brigand/Beaver/Boxer/GT50	50cc two-stroke	1979		British frame with Italian engine

V-twins

B series

M series

Pre-unit C series

Bantam series

Unit-construction singles

Post-War twins

Triples

Miscellaneous

See also