News from the shed

Our southern hemisphere summer is here again and the Bantams are out and about! Over winter there have been more projects finished and tested on the road. Les has finished and ridden his Bantam many miles, Mick's Bantam is progressing and a few more are on the drawing board. The replica trials Bantam remains a dream (although a decompressor head has been found!). Our eyes are open for a nice four speed or even a Bushman but both these are rare birds indeed in our part of the world.

Other Projects: Les have begun a "challenging" WM20 in military trim. Jim's M20 is finished - read all about it and see the finished bike. Jim (our resident consultant) has even bought a 1970s Jawa two speed. Well, it should have a full complement of gears but at the moment only two! Me? Lots to report. That big 600cc side valve 1954 BSA M21 is finally finished after two years on the bike stand. Read all about it here. The C11s are still getting out and about. Click here for the link to the C11 projects and follow Michael's CZ project here . Les' Bantam here.

After all that it sounds like we've forgotten the Bantams. Not at all. The Bantams are getting out regularly and at least once a weekend we hear those magic words "I used to have one of them".

The big news is that Jim, Les, Mick, Peter and Tony now have their own Classic Adventures page. Read about the two (soon three!) great classic bike journeys.

Finally, and I hesitate to even mention this, but Don, Jim and Tony have bought Benelli 2C basket cases. I can only put it down to the lure of the two stroke. Read the tale of the Continental Affair here. What am I doing mentioning Italian bikes here?

 

Who says there are no barn finds any more? Three D1s pictured recently. Work ahead for some keen restorer!

 

 

 

 

 

Machine Dating? What bike do you have? When was it made?
Under the "Resources" section of the website you can find a comprehensive, printable, engine and frame number list. Click here to see the list. The BSA Owners Club of Great Britain site also has an excellent listing of all BSA models and their engine and frame numbers.

Bantams by the Beach!

Bantams are excellent machines for weekend rides. Pictured here is my 1949 (foreground) and Peter's 1949. We rode about 60 kilometres on this day and stopped for this photo at Aldinga Beach in South Australia. One warning. Bantams attract crowds. Wherever you stop there will ALWAYS be an admirer with a their own Bantam story!

Our Restoration Code

We restore our bikes to ride. The guys in the shed crew reflect any typical group of restorers and have varying abilities, interests and resources. If you've spotted that my D7 has the wrong shocks or that the colour shade isn't quite right then you are probably correct. We're in this for the fun and none of our machines pretend to be concours.

A brace of Bantams!

One of the most enjoyable Bantam activities is riding with friends. Synthetic two stroke oils have eliminated "fouled-plug syndrome" and well restored and maintained Bantams will reliably (but slowly) cover reasonably long distances on ride days. The four bike below are pictured in the town of Willunga in South Australia. The bikes are: 1954 D1 plunger, 1949 D1 rigid, 1956 D3 pivoting frame and 1960 D7 swing-arm.
While you don't need to stop to fix the fouled plugs you'll note that coffee and cake is a standard requirement!

There's been a cat in the henhouse!

Mick's new distraction is a lovely barn-fresh M100 Panther. It might not be a Bantam but it is sure a nice bike! We will follow the restoration on this site.