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HIGH END 1960'S BSA

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MJ11 View Drop Down
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    Posted: September 07 2019 at 8:17am
.................Wink...............

I met a guy in 1969 who was a two time world champion on this bike. Bumped into him several more time in my career.


Jeff Smith AKA The Bulldog.


The Spartans do not ask how many the enemies are but where they are
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Shamu View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shamu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2019 at 4:33pm
Nice Beezer "Thumper"
Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pukka Bundook Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2019 at 8:02pm
Only 2 BSA's I had were a Bantam, and a Star, 500 twin, Sham.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shamu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2019 at 10:01am
I think everybody started with a Bantam. Or a Tiger Cub.
The ol 441cc "Thumper" was a one lung long stroke, hence the name. You didn't need a kidney belt on one, after the first 5 miles you were numb from the shoulders down!
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote englishman_ca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2019 at 4:37pm
Wow, taking me back down memory lane. BSA Bantam!

I had a Bantam and then progressed to a C15. Then got myself a Bonnie. Got into choppers and did all kinds of unspeakable things to hardtail Harleys and Indians.

Gave everything away to my bros when I emigrated in 81
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MJ11 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2019 at 6:11pm
I had a 1967 BSA 441 Victim for a year. I would spin off the clutch nut anytime I pushed it hard. Then it started popping out of second gear so I had pull it apart and under cut the dogs on 2ed gear and counter cut out the drive side slots on the 2ed gear idler gear.

Two years later I got to race 499cc production MX bike for a shop in Los Angeles. This was just when Triumph/ BSA was rolling over from the late effort to modernize their road bike line and threw tons of money at the USA market. Bike was a tank but a ton of motor.

In 1968 I was racing against a guy named Chuck Minert, they called him Feets because he had size 15 shoes. His 441 Victor was the fastest open class M I had ever seen and in the emerging world of two strokes he won when ever he put it on track. He thought the 449 MX was a stone and only tried it once and went back to his Le Bard&Underwood sponsored 441 out of Long Beach and smoked the factory bikes in that years Inter AM with the Europeans.

I spent some time with Jeff Smith in the early 80's after his stint with CAN-AM of Canada umder the Bombardier organization. At an after race BBQ in Hollister, Calif. he told be about the building of his factory BSA 449c world MX winning bike. In the early 1960's welding the titanium frame was super magic done in a inert gas cabinet. Engine parts were just as secret to get the four stroke competitive. Funny metal valve gear, push rods and lighter than air piston. MxWxL= acceleration. Engine cases were magnesium and had to be replaced every few races and god help you if the bike caught fire.

The main thing I came away with in the 1969 meeting was an almost answer to my question about what I wanted to do with my life at 21. Jeff told me he had real resistance fro hid father in the 1950's England to get a real job and give up the scrambling life. That's what MX was called then.
He told me that he dug in and trained till he almost died from it. He stuck with BSA while everyone else went with European brands like Husky and CZ. But the big motivation he gave me was that if you can make a living at whet you love to do you will be in the upper 15% cent of the people in the world and the top 5% of happy and satisfied people in the world.

And so I made a living slim as it was and raised a family and booked an extra $50 to $300 bucks a week for twenty years racing silly dirt bikes in 1970's money and had a great time. We traveled back and forth around the state and country.

Not bragging and ate a lot of beans and peanut butter had great days and bottom days camped out and hotel-ed with teams like Honda, Yamaha and Montesa. Made friends and added family from world and state champions. Broke or bent a lot of body parts and a few concussions. Loved every minute of it. Have a garage full of bikes that don't run but can't let go of. Got to clean that out so the wife isn't stuck with it.

Rant over be well.



The Spartans do not ask how many the enemies are but where they are
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