One of the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers of the 1950s and 60s, BSA is set to resume operations almost half a century after it went bankrupt, funded by its new owner, India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, and with a new factory under construction in England.
BSA Motorcycles Ltd. broke the news with the first ever tweet in its brand new Twitter account: “Return of a Legend. #BSAisBack. We’ve evolved, but our DNA remains unaltered.” The short supporting video features a sequence of emblems from BSA’s long history, ending with the familiar red logo that leads its revival.
Mahindra & Mahindra is an Indian group that also holds a majority stake in Peugeot Motorcycles and the rights to Jawa. It acquired BSA in 2016 as part of its subsidiary outfit Classic Legends, together with Jawa and historic Indian brand Yezdi, which is also set for resurrection.
The first new BSA bike is scheduled to be unveiled at the Motorcycle Live show in Birmingham, UK, on Saturday, December 4. The selection of time and place carries its own significance. BSA introduced its first ever motorcycle at around the same time of the year, on November 21, 1910, and its historic headquarters were in Small Heath in the eastern outskirts of Birmingham, not far from where both the Motorcycle Live show and the new factory are located.
There’s scant information regarding this new motorcycle, although the most convincing stories emerge from India, where a Triumph Bonneville-looking classic roadster has been spotted under development, reportedly using a 650-cc single-cylinder engine of unknown origin.
Another plausible scenario could involve the 300-cc single that was recently introduced with the Jawa 300 CL and is already available in Euro5 spec.
In any case, BSA’s teaser photo for the Birmingham show hints at a classic roadster, typical of the brand’s heritage. In the near future BSA will also delve into the electric scene as it recently secured a £4.6 million (US$6.1 million) government grant for the development of zero emission vehicles.
With the return of BSA along with Triumph and Norton, England’s motorcycle industry will once again sport fresh 2022 line-ups from three of its most legendary brands.
Source: BSA Motorcycles
