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  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
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BSA Armoury Road Small Heath.

Louis,

I've seen most of those photos before but some of them still bring back memories and I'm sure new members will enjoy them too, thanks for sharing with us.

Graham.
 
Hi Graham, I was thinking the same thing, has I add to the site the new pictures will move across in the link. Thanks for your comments and regards for the New Year.
 
A friend of mine worked at the BSA as a tool setter/fitter in the learly 60s we took the cylinder head off my Morris Oxford and he took it to work with him, he had the head skimmed gold star valves and double springs fitted the port were opened and polished intake manifold opend up and polished we put it back together and fitted a gold star silencer to theexhaust we now got wheel spin but it was a bit loud so i made another silencer to fit onto it and that was better.
 
Fred I remember that car engine in your bedroom and helping you to polish the intake and valve parts. That's where I learnt revise an engine; from you!:)
 
Graham,
I think it came from playing with Meccano and then we moved onto the real nuts and bolts with can engines all good stuf.
 
Louis my three cousins and their Mother my Aunt Molly worked at the BSA a couple till they retired

Nice set of photos thanks:)
 
Wow, loved the photo's. Remember Alistair Cave so well. My Dad got on so well with him. He was a thorough gentlemen. Always remember him at the Christmas parties that were held in the works canteen. He was always in the middle of them.
 
Hi Louis - thanks for uploading the flickr photos link. These BSA photos are very interesting to me - especially the plunger framed BSA Gold Flash machines. I had the pleasure of meeting Herbert Hopwood ( BSA's and Norton's chief designer in their heyday ) at his home once. Keep up the posts - they make excellent reading.
 
Hello all....
I am currently writing a book about BSA that's centered around 1971, but obviously diverges a few years either side where relevant, and could do with some information concerning the Small Heath factory and the Waverley road works. For instance, I have a list of workshop numbers, but have no idea at which parts of the complex they were situated. Also does anyone remember the USA bikes being shipped out of Waverley during 1971, this being a part of the re-oganisation of Small Heath that took place in 1970? I have dozens of other similar questions, so is anyone able to help please ?
Brad Jones
 
Brad Jones said:
Hello all....
I am currently writing a book about BSA that's centered around 1971, but obviously diverges a few years either side where relevant, and could do with some information concerning the Small Heath factory and the Waverley road works. For instance, I have a list of workshop numbers, but have no idea at which parts of the complex they were situated. Also does anyone remember the USA bikes being shipped out of Waverley during 1971, this being a part of the re-oganisation of Small Heath that took place in 1970? I have dozens of other similar questions, so is anyone able to help please ?
Brad Jones
Click to expand...
Large numbers of bikes where returned from the USA in 1967 - 1968 and sold at a discount, See The Giants of Small Heath page 174. I may be able to help with some shop numbers but I did leave in 1958.
 
There are still a few around from the BSA, sadly Fred Barlow died 10 years ago, (I worked with him), but Martin Russell, Neil Lander, Stuart Coton, and a few others are still going. Most were in the Comp Shop in 1971, involved in the B50 Speedway bike project for Eric Boocock. Stuart McGuigan was running his own business down south, but where they all are ????
 
Hello Louis, thanks for the offer of help. I would guess that the shop numbers would have remained the same over the years, certainly since the 1950’s anyway ? The numbers listed below were all involved in the 1970 re-organisation, which in the main involved the new building and some of the older ones between it and the original offices/Forge area. Shop No.s 1/44, 61, 64, 68, 69, 70, 82b, 83, 1/83, 3/83, 84, 2/84, 86, 1/86, 2/86, 3/86, 91, 91a, 92, 2/92 and 3/92. Before the changes 1/86 shop was used for engine assembly and 64 shop housed the Spares dept. If you can recall where any of these were located, I could send a scan of the factory (the one from Giants of Small Heath !) for shop identification. If so, should I send this to the forum or direct to your email address? Many thanks for your time Brad
 
I worked with Arthur ??? (my memory is going) who was at the BSA, at Kings Of B'ham (a multi franchise Motorcycle dealers), at the Fox & Goose, Bromford Lane site in the 70's & 80's. He later opened Sheldon motorcycles on the Coventry Rd by the Wheatsheaf. That is still there, although I think he's retired. We attended a BSA reunion at the Motorcycle Museum in the 1990's. Arthur worked with Pat ??? who was associated with the Motorcycle Trade in B'ham.
 
Hi, I have been researching BSA industrial/stationary engines, and have a collection of all models and a lot of manuals etc., however there are still more facts Id like to have answered. Is there anyone in the forum who may be able to help with that side of BSA. Thank you. Jim.
 
Mr Dalby, have you any pictures you could possibly donate to our website re Birmingham Speedway.

If so please i.m me
 
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Hi All, I'm new to this site. I am the PRO for the TR3OC (www.tr3oc.com), a UK-based motorcycle owners club with international membership dedicated to promoting the use of BSA and Triumph 3-cylinder motorcycles. I saw the Flickr images from Louis Dalby and love them! I am producing some films about BSA and Triumph, based on interviews with the people who worked there and raced the bikes, for the TR3OC and would love to be able to get permission from Louis or his family to use the images, with full attribution to Louis for their use. I am also interested if any other members of this group have images or even footage for which they would be willing to give permission to use. Please PM me on [email protected] if you can help. Many thanks, Jerry Hutchinson, PRO, TR3OC
 
Jerry Hutchinson said:
Lovely bike. T150T, the first iteration of the Triumph version of the triple!
Click to expand...
wish i still had one,Jerry
www.webbikeworld.com

The Triumph Trident: Ahead of the Curve - webBikeWorld

The story of the Triumph Trident and her sister-bike, the BSA Rocket 3, is one of the most interesting, and at the same time most exasperating, tales in all the annals of Classic British Motorcycles. Interesting because the Triumph Trident might actually have been one of the few instances in...
www.webbikeworld.com
 
My dad worked at the BSA, mainly in Montgomery Street, as a packer. He worked there for 25 years, sadly died in 1974. He was a Shop Steward. Remember hearing a few stories about the BSA over the years, - how the company got the opportunity to make washing machines but management said they were too expensive and would never catch on!. Then there was the person who designed a new saddle for a push bike but the company were not interested so he took it to an American Company who snapped it up. Also the person who used to train running around the sports track at dinner time. He was going to compete in the Olympics. No sponsorships in those days.
 
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