BSA'S BACK

Now, even we're not quite old enough to really remember BSA as a bike maker. The original firm closed down back in 1971, with the Birmingham Small Arms brand disappearing into the mess that was the British motorcycle industry back then. The name lived on through various owners and is now under Indian ownership, with the giant Mahindra conglomerate as the ultimate parent.

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BSA returned with a bang in 2021 when it launched its Gold Star 650, a brand-new retro-roadster with a water-cooled engine based on the old BMW Rotax F650 lump, and now it's released a second model range using its own 350 single engine, initially in a neat roadster called the Bantam.

The original Bantam was a postwar BSA 125, using a German DKW design which was snaffled as part of Second World War reparations and handed over to the Birmingham firm. The little two-stroke was basic as hell but provided the utility transport needed to get Britons moving after the conflict ended. About half a million would be made in various forms, including 150 and 175 versions, and they were a common sight on the road between 1948 and the mid-1970s.