A CHEAP REBUILD?
Some years ago at a VMCC bring and buy event, I met up with an old mate and his wife who were selling bits and pieces from the back of their car. When he asked if I had any projects on the go, I told him about a BSA A10A I was attempting to put back to its former Birmingham Police trim. A pair of front crashbars was on my wish list. He informed me he had the very thing in his garage; however, these were destined for another A10 which was awaiting reassembly. His wife added that it wasn’t the only machine awaiting attention, ‘along with goodness knows how many other unfinished projects…’
Over the following years, whenever we met, those crashbars became a running joke. That is until one Worcester Auto Club bike meet when I was told those elusive bars were now available – along with the dismantled Beezer. I suspect he had a little encouragement from his spouse about this.
At this point, being an extremely sensible person, I should have heeded my own advice given to others when it entails a long-dismantled basketcase. ‘Walk away’ is the most sensible course of action. Unfortunately, when it comes to Small Heath products and particularly those of the pre-unit twin cylinder variety, my sensibility tends to go amiss! I went along to view the prospective purchases. Neither of us knew which model A10 was lurking in his garage, where it had languished since the mid-1990s when acquired in its present state. Alas, this was no exotica. There lay in front of me the scattered remains of a humble BSA 650 Golden Flash, complete with a VMCC dating certificate stating it was of a 1960 vintage, but with no V5C.
On closer
