Author Topic: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd  (Read 29322 times)

Steve

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #33 on: June 13, 2012, 10:39:08 AM »
Malc, I was thinking maybe altho The article I read was produced in the 70's it may have been in retrospect, possibly  in 'Classic Bike' mag.
  I also recalled the Triumph Bandit and BSA Fury, a 350cc 180 degree twin. There was an unbadged one stood outside the office in the sub-assembly department. They were the brainchild of Doug Hele and never got past prototype stages before the shutdown. Sadly, no other maker took up the project probly because of the expense of tooling up. No performance figures were published tho' a mag employed an engineer to asess the design and he came up with a top speed of 105 mph, can't recall the 0-60.
 
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cocacolakid

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #34 on: June 13, 2012, 11:15:26 AM »
Malc, I was thinking maybe altho The article I read was produced in the 70's it may have been in retrospect, possibly  in 'Classic Bike' mag.
  I also recalled the Triumph Bandit and BSA Fury, a 350cc 180 degree twin. There was an unbadged one stood outside the office in the sub-assembly department. They were the brainchild of Doug Hele and never got past prototype stages before the shutdown. Sadly, no other maker took up the project probly because of the expense of tooling up. No performance figures were published tho' a mag employed an engineer to asess the design and he came up with a top speed of 105 mph, can't recall the 0-60.
 

Thanks for the info Steve. I remember Doug Hele. There must have been a lot of proto type bikes produced by the different companies, that never saw the light of day.  Working at the BSA, you were lucky to get a glimpse of some of their proto types.  I never worked at the BSA or any other maker, I was a motorcycle mechanic for Motor sales in central B,ham (owned by Copes M/cycles) and Vale Onslow's. I was also a member of  "The Midland Motorcycle Racing Club"
 
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Every day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Steve

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #35 on: June 13, 2012, 12:43:00 PM »
There were plans for a 5 cylinder Vee across the frame engine. 3 cylinders front facing & 2 back. I t only got as far as the wood and plastic stage.
 They ran a VVankle (Avoiding censor) engined Bantam up & down the factory back road. I was told the engine was from a snowmobile. later they had one in a 250cc frame Fleetstar possibly. This of course led up to the 900cc taken on by Norton.
 Did you know the prototype triple was made by bodging together one and a half Triumph 500cc twins?
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winnymag

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #36 on: June 13, 2012, 01:58:30 PM »
I remember the Bandit and the fury going about the factory, did you know Vale Onslow purchased them I think they were the only one's ever built!

Since Len Onslow (the old man) died the two brother's have let the place go, the buildig is almost derelict.
winnymag

Steve

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #37 on: June 13, 2012, 02:55:44 PM »
I know old Len bought skiploads of parts, mostly BSA, I know one or two of the 350's went to private collections so Len must have got the rest.
 All the Triumph spares were still in the stores the following year. Sections of the factory were sold off t scrap merchants. My Bro in law bought the old plating shop and I was working for him then. There were hidey holes everywhere. Behind lockers bricks were removed from the wall and I found some rear and duplex primary chains, rectifiers, 6 goldie con-rods among various other bits which were in tote box under the back of a bench.
 A checker was assigned to see you didn't take what was not yours. He said it was all ours in the designated area so I could keep them.
 I also bummed a pile of parts lists off the guy looking after the stores as he said they were only interested in the Triumph stuff fot Meriden, so he gave me the BSA lists. They went to the BSA Owners Club.
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speedy

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #38 on: June 13, 2012, 03:08:10 PM »
There were plans for a 5 cylinder Vee across the frame engine. 3 cylinders front facing & 2 back. I t only got as far as the wood and plastic stage.
 They ran a VVankle (Avoiding censor) engined Bantam up & down the factory back road. I was told the engine was from a snowmobile. later they had one in a 250cc frame Fleetstar possibly. This of course led up to the 900cc taken on by Norton.
 Did you know the prototype triple was made by bodging together one and a half Triumph 500cc twins?
Hi i remember the vvankle engine did they not have a couple of trial bikes stolen or was that a different modle speedy

frederick

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #39 on: June 13, 2012, 03:54:27 PM »
I had the cylinder head of a car i owned machined at the Beeza a friend of mine was a tool setter there, it was scimed the ports opened up and polished, niamonik valves fitted with double springs i think they were off the gold star engine. when we put it back together we had wheel spin that was more like it   O0
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cocacolakid

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #40 on: June 13, 2012, 07:46:21 PM »
I remember the Bandit and the fury going about the factory, did you know Vale Onslow purchased them I think they were the only one's ever built!

Since Len Onslow (the old man) died the two brother's have let the place go, the buildig is almost derelict.
winnymag

winnymag,,
 
you are dead right about the state of Vale-Onslow's.  I was passing by there on my bike, about 2 yrs ago, it looked a mess from the outside.   I decided to pop in and say hi to Peter, hadn't seen him for years. ( I used to build and prepare his scramble bikes and go to the meetings with him)  I could not believe my eyes, the state of the place inside was unrecogniseable, what a mess !!!  such a shame. His dad (old Len) must be turning in his grave.    :o >:(
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Every day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Roy gameson

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #41 on: February 24, 2013, 08:33:57 PM »
Hi there, I also worked at N V T and I also led the march on my triumph trident t150.which I bought from the factory with a rusty front end after being locked in merridan. I think I paid either £310 or £320. I registered it in the July JOC655N if I had waited another week or so it would have been a P reg. If you find any photographs or film I would love to see them as I have searched with no luck. I was the rider who had my feet on the footpegs not dragging them along lol. My name is Roy Gameson 07831293126 I worked on the crank cases.

roy one

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #42 on: February 24, 2013, 08:57:12 PM »
hi roy have a look at this
 
http://youtu.be/XwjubHY2A4s
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tony armstrong

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Re: Does anyone remember the B.S.A Golden hillock rd
« Reply #43 on: February 25, 2013, 02:22:49 PM »
im sure i saw a bsa fury at the motor cycle museum last time i was there but i could be wrong


 

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