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
My first and last of many, many motorcycles have been BSAs, the first was a BSA 250cc C15 in 1963 and the last a DBD34 Gold Star Clubman in 2018 which I (naturally) still have.
1. BSA Company Ltd - The Electric BSA project [Banbury] - For the first time in history, a true retro motorcycle will be powered by a battery powered electric engine. This motorcycle being developed will have the best of both the worlds - old retro charm paired with futuristic, green technology. This project is expected to create 255 jobs.
(from www.gov.uk)
The bike was 6 years old old when I got it and was already out of date compared to the Japanese bikes around at the time. But I was broke and wanted to ride anything.
Had great fun on this machine - once I got the knack of kick-starting it - before moving to a Honda CB400 four later on with all mod cons. Had a 650 Bonnie too though.
I just don't see the point of reviving the brand. But I'm curious to see what will be proposed.
Triumph (New Triumph) have been around for maybe 25 years now ? And they have fairly earned their share of the market. If Mahindra think that they can just pour money into an old name and be a success, they have balls. It's taken about 5 Indian revivals to finally get that brand up and running again.
https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/bsa-2022-gold-star-650-motorcycle/
Strange design route. Make a copy of the old 650 GoldStar - first bike that I reached a "ton" (100 mph) on, then add Brembos (OK) and of course it's watercooled so a huge radiator up front. This is not a battery powered electric engine. I have mixed feelings. It's retro but not retro like a Royal Enfield is "naturally". Strangely tempting though.
Price will be a big factor.