Description
This is Lot 303 in the Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale on April 20 & 21, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
The first motorcycles made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company in the early 1900s used proprietary engines such as the Belgian Minerva, and it was not until 1910 that the firm introduced a BSA designed and built machine. The first model to feature the marque's distinctive green and cream tank colours was a 499cc (3½hp) sidevalve single, which was soon complemented by a 557cc (4¼hp) long-stroke version, built initially with single-speed belt drive transmission and later on with a three-speed countershaft gearbox in the case of the Model K, to which the Model H added chain final drive. BSA continued to offer a comprehensive range of sidevalve models in all capacities well into the 1930s despite the introduction of modern, overhead-valve models such as the 'Sloper' to its line-up. Around the time this example was manufactured, BSA began referring to its 500s as '4. 93hp' models, arriving at that figure not by the more commonplace RAC method but that of the A-CU, which equated 1 horsepower with 100cc.
A partial older restoration, this BSA 'flat-tanker' is offered in need of further renovation/ completion and is sold strictly as viewed (the engine turns over). Missing parts include the handlebar controls and grips; chain cases; front mudguard; rear numberplate bracket; and the silencer. The machine is offered with a folder of photocopied literature. There is no registration document with this Lot.
