Description
For sale is my 1934 BSA B34-2, also known as a B2. It is a 250cc single with 3 gears on a hand change. The bike is not super original, with some customised features to add to a more sporty look, and is in an ‘oily rag’ type of condition cosmetically, but it runs and rides well having received a complete overhaul and rebuild in the past 2 years.
It’s a great little bike and for me was a way to dip my toe into the world of pre-war bikes, but I have come to the realisation that I have too many vehicles and projects on the go, so need to clear some space!
Mechanically the bike is in excellent condition. The engine has been overhauled, with new piston rings, new big end bearings, new main bearing, valve guides, valve springs and many more smaller parts. Every moving part has been dismantled, cleaned and lubricated. The high level exhaust I believe is from a B3 model. The gearbox was given the same treatment and fitted with a new kickstarter pinion. Both chains were replaced along with the clutch friction material. The carb was rebuilt and all new control cables run. The magneto was cleaned and fitted with a modern condenser and puts out a good spark. The bike starts well, a handful of kicks from cold, but nice and easily first kick (mostly!) when warm. It pulls as well as a pre-war 250 should, revving cleanly through the rev range. Cruising happily at 40-45mph on the flat, had it north of 50mph downhill with a tail wind! All 3 gears select as smoothly as can be expected.
The chassis got the same treatment, the head bearings and forks were overhauled and the lower fork links were re-bushed. The handlebars are a modified from a B31. The front mud guard is a reproduction sports type. The front hub that came with the bike was, to my opinion, too heavily corroded on the braking surface to be used, and so I built a new front wheel using a twin leading shoe 8” drum I had in my shed from a 1960s Honda. Whilst this is not super original it does mean the bike stops pretty well, which is confidence inspiring out on the road! I have the original hub, along with various other small spares bits and bobs, and this will come with the bike. Both tyres and tubes were new in spring 2024 and have done approx 150 miles.
The lighting is all reproduction, and fitted with good quality LED bulbs which are bright enough to ride at night with, whilst also not straining magneto. There is a small battery tucked up under the fuel tank and the bike has been rewired from scratch.
Cosmetically the bike has clearly lived a life and I leant into that, fixing things mechanically without removing the character that had built up over the years. The fuel tank is an exception to that. It has been stripped to bare metal, lined with POR15 internally and painted in a style reminiscent of the original paint job. This paint job is far from perfect but, I believe, in keeping with the character of the rest of the bike.
Any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.
