page_title: BSA motorcycles
section_title: Post World War II
hierarchical_section_title: BSA motorcycles / Trademarks / Motorcycle models / Post World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: 1959 BSA C15 Star - right side
context_page_description: BSA motorcycles were made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited, which was a major British industrial combine, a group of businesses manufacturing military and sporting firearms; bicycles; motorcycles; cars; buses and bodies; steel; iron castings; hand, power, and machine tools; coal cleaning and handling plants; sintered metals; and hard chrome process.
  A government-organised rescue operation in 1973 led to the takeover of BSA-Triumph motorcycle operations by Norton-Villiers, later known as Norton Villiers Triumph.
  At its peak, BSA was the largest motorcycle producer in the world. In the late 1950s and early 1960s poor management and failure to develop new products in the motorcycle division led to a dramatic decline of sales to its major USA market. The management had failed to appreciate the importance of the resurgent Japanese motorcycle industry, leading to problems for the entire BSA group.
  When Norton Villiers Triumph was liquidated in 1978, the rights to use the brand name of BSA were purchased by a new business, the B.S.A. Company.
context_section_description: A series Twins (four-stroke, pushrod parallel twins)
  A7
  A7 Shooting Star – 500cc pre-unit construction
  A10 – 650cc pre-unit construction
  A10 Golden Flash
  A10 Super Flash
  A10 Road Rocket
  A10 Super Rocket
  A10 Rocket Gold Star
  A50 – 500cc unit construction
  A50R Royal Star
  A50C Cyclone
  A50W Wasp
  A65 – 650cc unit construction
  A65 Star Twin
  A65R Rocket
  A65T Thunderbolt
  A65L Lightning
  A65S Spitfire
  A65H Hornet
  A65F Firebird Scrambler
  A70L Lightning 750
  Triples (four-stroke, pushrod, three-cylinder engines) – The BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident were developed together. The Rocket 3 shares a majority of engine components and other parts with the Trident T150, but has forward-inclined cylinder barrels and a BSA frame.
  A75R Rocket3 750
  A75RV Rocket3 750 – 5 speed
  A75V Rocket3 750 – 5 speed
  Singles (Four-stroke single cylinder)
  C25 Barracuda
  B25 Starfire – 250cc unit construction
  B25FS Fleetstar
  B25 SS Gold Star
  BSA B31 single
  B32 Gold Star
  B33
  B34 Gold Star
  B40 350 Star – 350cc unit construction
  B40 SS90
  B44 Victor
  B44
  B44SS Shooting Star
  B44VS Victor Special
  B50
  B50SS Gold Star 500
  B50T Victor Trials
  B50MX Motocross
  C series (Four-stroke 250 cc single-cylinder).
  C10
  C11/C11G: 12 hp (9 kW) – 70 mph (110 km/h) – 85mpg – weight 250 lb (113 kg).
  The C11 used a C10 motor fitted with an overhead valve cylinder head. The C11 frame was almost unchanged until 1951 when BSA added plunger rear suspension. Early gearboxes were weak and unreliable. The C11G was available with a three ratio gearbox and rigid frame or a four ratio gearbox and a plunger frame. Both models had better front brakes than earlier models. This model was a common commuter motorcycle, and many survive today.
  C12
  (1956–1958). 249 cc OHV
  Used the C11G engine, fitted with an alternator and swinging fork (known as swinging arm) rear suspension.
  C15 Star – 250cc unit construction
  C15T Trials
  C15S Scrambler
  C15SS80 Sports Star 80
  C15 Sportsman
  D series (Two-stroke single cylinder. See BSA Bantam for details)
  D1 Bantam – 125cc unit-construction
  D3 Bantam Major
  D5 Bantam Super
  D7 Bantam Super
  D10 Silver Bantam, Bantam Supreme, Bantam Sports, Bushman
  D13
  D14/4 Bantam Supreme, Bantam Sports, Bushman – 175cc
  B175 Bantam Sports, Bushman
  Others (may include some export versions of models listed above)
  B31 Twin (350 cc). B31 frame fitted with a Triumph 3T motor to produce this BSA B31 Twin. Very few units were produced, probably prototypes.
  BSA Barracuda
  BSA Beagle
  BSA Boxer – 1979 – c.1981 the sports version of the 50cc range (Beaver, Boxer, Brigand, GT50). The engine was by Moto Morini.
  BSA GT50 (renamed from the Boxer)
  BSA Beaver (the standard road version)
  BSA Tracker 125/175 – late 70s moto-cross style product by NVT with Yamaha two stroke engine.
  BSA Dandy 70
  BSA Sunbeam  (Scooters, also produced as Triumph TS1, TW2 Tigress)
  175B1
  250B2
  BSA Starfire
  BSA Rocket Scrambler
  BSA Rocket Gold Star
  BSA Fury
  BSA Hornet
  Winged Wheel  (auxiliary power unit for bicycles)
  T65 Thunderbolt (essentially a Triumph TR6P with BSA Badges)
  At the time of the company's demise, BSA engineers were developing a range of new two-strokes from 100 - 400 cc, a 350 cc 4-valve DOHC single and a wankel engine. The wankel engine would later be used in Norton machines.
caption: 1959 BSA C15 Star
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