In the 60s, the US was clamoring for desert racers, and fans of the BSA Lightning were hoping for a stripped down version from the British firm. Enter the BSA Hornet, a 650cc stripper-spec without lighting.
Cycle World Special – 1974 Norton VR880
Kenny Dreer, the man who almost brought Norton back from the grave several years ago, got his start restoring motorcycles from the British marque at his shop called Vintage Rebuilds (VR) near Portland, Oregon. As the 1990s came to an end, he started building his own variant of the Commando, which he called the Norton VR880.
Couple of Blue Rickman Metisses
The Rickman Metisse is a legend when it comes to classic off-roaders. Here are two examples of the breed in blue, one with a Triumph engine, the other with a Weslake BSA B44 engine – considered by some (like Motocross Action Mag) to be the ultimate example of the Metisse.
Feeling Lucky? 1967 Velocette MSS
A tiny British manufacturer, Velocette was a family-owned firmed that was well-known for creating high quality bikes. With 3 decades of successful international racing experience, and (still-standing) record for a single-cylinder bike running 24 hours at 100 miles per hour, they brought many technical innovations to the world, including a swingarm rear suspension with hydraulic dampers. One of their more …
1975 Norton Commando 850
Here’s a beautiful Commando 850 Electric Start with one of the hardest to find paint schemes – the “Manx” colors that were only available on late ’75 models. Find this beauty for sale in Brooklyn, New York with bidding up to $9,100 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay.
Hot Rod – 1963 BSA B40
Here’s a pretty example of a BSA B40 with a twist – it was modded back in the 60s with a period correct round barrel 441 engine. Long live displacement!
1953 Vincent Comet Series C
A single-cylinder evolution of the famous Rapide, the Vincent Comet was one of four models using the 499cc single engine. This is one of the Series C bikes, the final evolution of the breed. There was apparently one Series D bike built but it never made it to production.
Rebuilt Commando – 1975 Norton Commando 850
Here’s a beautiful Norton Commando 850 that was restored by Classic Bike Experience in 2012, and then repainted by Vintage Vendor into the bike you see in front of you. It has 16,975 miles on it, though under 200 were put on post-rebuild. The seller includes an invoice of the money put in – it wasn’t cheap: Find this numbers-matching …
Resto Needed – 1971 BSA Victor Trail B50T
The last large unit-construction single from Birmingham Small Arms, the BSA Victor Trail was specifically designed for the US, which was experiencing a surge in the popularity of trail riding. BSA took parts that they were using in the Street Scrambler and Moto Cross versions of the B50T to create the Victor Trail.
Limited Edition – 1995 Triumph Daytona Super III
Post Listing Update: This Super III did not meet reserve with bidding up to $4,050. It was relisted and then pulled off of eBay. The Triumph Daytona Super III was a limited edition of the under-appreciated Daytona 900. Just 805 were sold worldwide and they featured engine work by Cosworth.
1938 BSA M-21
Here’s a lovely example of BSA’s venerable M-21. It’s a military version that still has the sidecar fittings, but the 600cc single engine and gearbox were rebuilt 20 years ago. It has just 11 miles since the work. There’s very little left before this bike is completely finished: you’ll need to add the left side knee pad and replace the …
“Earache” – 1968 BSA A65 Custom
While writing up a Triumph Salt Flat Racer a few days ago, I stumbled upon Factory Metal Works. On their site I discovered a beautiful custom built around a BSA A65 motor – they’ve named it “Earache”, and I’m a fan.
1948 AJS Model 18 Bobber
For decades, Matchless and AJS were partnered together under the name AMC. During this time they released lots of ‘twin’ bikes – the same bikes under both names. Think of it like GM releasing very similar cars under the names of Oldsmobile (RIP), Chevrolet, Pontiac, etc. Here’s a bobber version of the AJS Model 18, twin of the Matchless G80
1946 Matchless G3L
Like the BSA M20, the Matchless G3L was produced for the British Army for World War II. Unlike the BSA, the G3L was extremely popular as it was the first bike that ditched girder forks. Matchless produced about 80,000 examples of this bike, and the government kept using them through the 60s.
1969 BSA Rocket 3
Sharing its roots with the Triumph Trident, the BSA Rocket 3 was a 750cc triple that was designed to extend the model line beyond 650 twins. It was specifically built for the US market, which wanted larger displacements and less vibrations. BSA’s financials suffered with the production of this bike, but nearly 27,500 of the Trident/Rocket 3’s were produced between …