As you know, Motorcycles inspire me. I can see a bike roll past me on a foggy street and be inspired by it’s lines, the shape of the gas tank or the angry sound of the muffler in the dark.
Recently, I spotted this BSA V-Twin and was inspired first by the fact that BSA manufactured a V-Twin but then by the styling that called out Brough Superior. Two motorcycles dominated the upscale V-Twin market in the UK during the early 1900s. Vincent and Brough Superior, so I was astounded to discover this BSA from the National Motorcycle Museum.
I’ll let you kick around what I found and let me know your thoughts. Hell, someone surely knows something that may connect these bikes.
–Bandit
The first motorcycle fully produced by the BSA Company was built in 1910 using a 498cc 3 1/2 horsepower single engine. In 1921, the company switched to a v-twin engine and a 770cc engine on model A.
–from Road Bike Magazine
Post-WW1, in 1920, BSA bought some of the assets of the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco), which had built many important aircraft during the war. While BSA did not go into aviation, the chief designer of Airco founded the De Havilland company and BSA reentered the car market under their own name in 1921 with a V-twin engine light car followed by four-cylinder models. In 1924, four BSAs made motorcycling history by successfully climbing Snowdon.
–from BSA
In November 1919 BSA launched their first 50-degree v-twin, Model E, 770cc side valve (6–7 hp) motorcycle for the 1920 season. The machine had interchangeable valves, a total loss oil system with a mechanical pump, and an emergency hand one. The retail price was £130. Other features were Amal carburetor, chain drive, choice of magneto or Magdyno, 7-plate clutch, 3-speed gearbox with Kickstarter, and new type of cantilever fork.
In an attempt to satisfy the demand for a more powerful machine in 1922, BSA made a 985cc V-twin to further enhance their growing line.
By 1930. the BSA range had been expanded to no less than 17 models. BSA had well and truly assumed world leadership in motorcycle production and they were destined to wear this title until the mid-fifties when the scooter and mo-ped craze took over. During that year, one out of four motorcycles sold were from BSA.
The smallest in the range was the 174cc two-stroke. Next came the 250cc SV single, the 350cc single in either SV. OHV or sloper OHV form, the 500cc single the same as the 350 range, the 557cc sloper and the 770cc and 986cc SV V-twins. In addition, the popular 500cc OHV sloper could be had in “tuned” trim
Take the 1938 range, for instance. No less than 17 models were available: 250cc SV and OHV models, a 350cc SV and two OHV models, a 500 SV and 500cc OHV model, a 600cc SV model, a 750 OHV V-twin, and the 1000cc SV V-twin. In addition, there were 250cc, 350cc
–from Cycle World
ABOVE: This 1935 BSA Y13 had 749cc and was the last of a long line of V-twins designed for sidecar duty.
BSA V-TWINS
Sidecars were a large part of the motorcycle market in those days, many English families relying on them as their primary means of transport for the whole family. Sidecar rigs needed more torque than most singles could offer, so in 1920, BSA introduced the first of their line of V-twins, this one a 986cc model with a 50-degree V (50-degrees? Why not 45?). The V-twins continued through the 1930s in various sizes and V-angles.
–from Web Bike World
1936 BSA Y13 V-Twin from the National Motorcycle Museum
If you walk into the British motorcycle display area in the National Motorcycle Museum, you’ll be met with a wide range of single and twin cylinder motorcycles. You’ll also see a few V-twin machines, Broughs and Vincents, some of the finest machines in the Museum, and in the world. But one bike that’s a stand out, and is pretty rare, especially in the States, is a BSA Y13. Based on a 500cc military spec machine, the 750cc V-twin arrived in 1936 and production ended in 1938. The right side is the most striking given the exhaust system and the bold chrome plated pushrod tubes. But here’s a little background.
Birmingham Small Arms, BSA, originated in England in 1861, produced guns through an automated manufacturing system developed in America. In the late 1800s they began to manufacture bicycle parts, experimented with car manufacturing in 1907 and in 1910 produced a “motor bicycle” of 3 1/2 horsepower.
Alongside Norton and Triumph, BSA in the 1930s concentrated on producing well-made and competitively priced motorcycles. The majority of these were single cylinder but for the sidecar market BSA offered the Model G 985cc side-valve V-Twin and a smaller overhead-valve V-Twin, the 499cc Model J. The V-Twin design had originally been developed for the War Office, which rejected it in favor of side-valve singles for military use.
The “civilian” V-Twin appeared for the first time in 1934 as the J34-11. It was soon joined by a 750cc version, the Y13. The 750cc V-twin continued until the end of the 1938 season. Produced for only three years, the handsome Y13 is today one of the rarest and most highly sought after of all 1930s BSAs. The company built only 1,600 Y13s from 1936 to 1938. One might wonder how BSA would have fared in America if they’d stuck with developing V-twins, an American favorite.
An upscale bike, somewhat a competitor to HRD/Vincent and Brough, well styled, long and low, it featured a tool box, a rubber-mounted handlebar, a twist grip throttle and an adjustable spring seat. The Y13 is also equipped with a triangular instrument panel on the fuel tank with an amp-meter and an oil pressure gauge. The lamp there could be unclipped from its holder, used as a flashlight on the roadside.
The lugged cradle frame was designed and built strong for sidecar use, popular in England and Europe to extend the motorcycle’s usefulness. The girder front fork with a steering damper, plus quick-adjust shock absorbers, also supported sidecar use.
This great BSA is part of the Jill and John Parham Collection and is on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.
Specifications:
Engine: Air-Cooled OHV V-Twin
Bore & Stroke: 71mm x 94.5mm
Displacement: 748cc’s
Lubrication: Dry Sump/Four Pint Tank
Carburetion: Amal 76
Electrics/Ignition: Lucas MagDyno/6 Volt
Starting: Kick
Horsepower: 26.5HP
Clutch: Multi-Plate, Dry
Primary: Chain Driven
Transmission: 4-Speed, Right Foot Shift
Frame: Lugged/Brazed, Duplex Cradle
Wheelbase: 54 Inches
Suspension: Girder Fork/Sprung Seat
Fork Damper: Friction
Brakes: 7 Drum, Front & Rear
Wheels/Tires: 4.00 x 18/4.00 x 18
Weight: 450 Pounds, Approx.
Brough Motorcycles
–From Wikipedia
Brough Motorcycles were made by William E. Brough in Nottingham, England, from 1902 to 1926, after some earlier experimentation with motorised tricycles. The Brough Superior company was a separate company created by his son, George Brough.
Models up to end of WWI (up to 1918)
The first Brough motorcycle was built in 1902, and had a single cylinder engine hung from the downtube. By 1908 there were a range of models with 2.5 hp and 3.5 hp single cylinder and 5 hp V-twin engines (all made by Brough). By 1912 there was a 6 hp V-twin, and an 8 hp engine was also made intended for use in the Brough Monocar.
In 1913 William Brough developed a flat-twin engine in-line with the frame. This 497cc engine had overhead valves, 70mm bore and 64.5mm stroke, and had a magneto fitted above and a 2-speed gearbox below.
By the end of 1914 it had replaced all other engines in the Brough range and using it only 3-models were planned for 1915. The three models were the HS – which was fitted with a two-speed countershaft gear operated by dog clutches, with chain drive to the gearbox, and John Bull rubber belt drive to the rear wheel over an adjustable pulley allowing the top gear range to be varied. No clutch or kick-start was provided.
The second model was the HB, which was fitted with a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub gearbox and handle starter. The third model was the HTT, which was very similar to the HS but fitted with a specially tuned engine with high-compression, lightweight steel pistons, different camshafts, and special front cylinder lubrication.
During the war Brough introduced a larger flat-twin of 6 hp rating, with 70mm bore and 90mm stroke (692cc), it shared a lot in common with the earlier 6 hp V-twin.
Post-War
At the end of 1918, Brough announced they would be initially concentrating production on their 3.5 hp (489cc) flat-twin motorcycle. This was bench tested at 14 bhp at 4200rpm, and it would go to 5600rpm, which was quite high but was guaranteed by George Brough ‘to the extent of £100’. The engine had detachable heads with the valve seats integral and the rockers ‘enclosed in neat aluminium cases’. Light aluminium pistons, roller bearing crankshaft, and two ball bearing mounted camshafts, are further indications of development work during the war.
Originally William Brough’s son, George Brough, was a partner in his father’s company, but he split from it in 1919 and started his own factory, also in Nottingham. He named his motorcycles “Brough Superior”. Upon hearing the name of the new motorcycle company, his father made the comment, “I suppose that makes mine the Brough Inferior.”
The two sizes of Brough flat-twin engine were still in production in 1922 when Brough announced a modified version with roller cam followers, light aluminium pistons, removable valve seats, and the engine base extended to mount the three-speed Sturmey-Archer gearbox. William Brough continued to produce motorcycles under the original “Brough” marque until 1926.
–Wikipedia
Brough Superior (/’br?f/ BRUF) motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. The motorcycles were dubbed the “Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles” by H. D. Teague of The Motor Cycle newspaper.
Approximately 3048 motorcycles (19 models) were made in the 21 years of production; around a third of that production still exists. T. E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) owned eight of these motorcycles and died from injuries sustained when he crashed number seven; the eighth was on order.
Moving forward to 2008, vintage motorcycle enthusiast Mark Upham acquired the rights to the Brough Superior name. In 2013 he met motorcycle designer Thierry Henriette and asked him to design a new Brough Superior motorcycle. Three months later a prototype of a new SS100 was shown in Milan.
George Brough was a racer, designer. Convinced he could improve on his father’s designs, all Brough Superior motorcycles were high performance and superior quality. Most were custom-built to the customer’s needs, and rarely were any two of the same configuration.
Each motorcycle was assembled twice. The first assembly was to fit all the components. Then the motorcycle was disassembled and all the parts painted or plated as needed. Finally, the finished parts were assembled a second time. Every motorcycle was test ridden to ensure that it performed to specification, and was personally certified by George Brough.
The SS100 model was ridden at 100 mph (160 km/h) or more before delivery. The SS80 model was ridden at 80 mph (130 km/h) or more before delivery. If any motorcycle did not meet specification, it was returned to the works for rework until it performed properly. The fit and finish was comparable to a Rolls-Royce car, and they were the most expensive road-going motorcycles in the world.
Brough Superior motorcycles have always been rare and expensive. Prices for these motorcycles ranged from £100 to £185 in the 1920s and 1930s. Since the average annual salary in Britain during the 1930s was £200, only the wealthy could afford them.
In 1940, World War II brought an end to production as the factory was engaged on war work, completing crankshafts for Rolls Royce Merlin engines. After hostilities had ceased there were no suitable engines available so the company was wound up. In 2004, around 1,000 Brough Superior motorcycles still existed, maintained by enthusiasts.
Brough Superior produced many other experimental, show, and racing models. These include:
Golden Dream: This was powered by a vertically stacked twin crankshaft opposed four-cylinder engine. George Brough called this a “flat vertical” engine, which used a shaft final drive. The bike was finished in gold paint for the London Motorcycle Show. It was unveiled at the motorcycle show at Earls Court in 1938.
Brough Superior Austin Four or BS4. This bike was powered by a modified Austin 7 automobile engine and transmission. As the prop-shaft of the automotive transmission emerged in the center of the motorcycle’s driveline, George Brough used two rear wheels mounted to a central, cast final drive unit. As the rear wheels were within 24 inches of each other, the Brough Superior 3-wheeler was legally considered a ‘motorcycle’ in the UK. It remains the only motorcycle in history to use this configuration.
The Brough-Austin Four was intended for sidecar use, although one was ordered without a sidecar by journalist Hubert Chantry, who had borrowed a factory show model for use in the Land’s End Trial of 1932. Ten examples were built.
Pendine: This was introduced in 1927 and had a guaranteed top speed of 110 mph (180 km/h). They were based on the SS100 model but with higher performance modifications to the engine. A well-known racer, Barry Baragwanath, installed a supercharger on one, and it is now known as “Barry’s Big Blown Brough.” Noel Pope bought the motorcycle and in 1939 set two lap records with it at Brooklands; 107 mph (172 km/h) with sidecar, and 124 mph (200 km/h) in solo configuration, which exceeded the previous record set in 1935 by Eric Fernihough also on a Brough Superior. These records still stand as the track closed in 1939.
George Brough was known for his dedication to his vehicles and customers. He, and later Albert Wallis, continued to service Brough Superiors after production ceased, making parts until 1969. To all intents and purposes production of bikes never resumed after WWII.
–Wikipedia
There you have it. Classic V-twin motorcycles and their history. Let me know your thoughts.
–Bandit
