Neat Pix: Rarest BSA Road Racer Ever?

Terry · Post by **Terry** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:45 pm

Wow. What's with that suspension? Looks like a hardtail and what about that front end? No forks, just a cradle and springs?

alimey4u2 · Post by **alimey4u2** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:05 pm

Never seen it before Mike, any more info ?? Crank case "looks like" a modified Goldie......

Mike Barone #123 · Post by **Mike Barone #123** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 3:00 am

alimey4u2 wrote:Never seen it before Mike, any more info ?? Crank case "looks like" a modified Goldie......

Hi Larry

An owner of a BSA RGS from NZ emailed the photo to me......I will email him and see if he knows any details on it.

I agree it looks like a GS cylinder.

Mike

EMS · Post by **EMS** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 11:27 am

I was holding back a little as I tried not to stretch myself thin on this boardâ€¦

â€¦but as nobody else is stepping forward, and some may still waiting for more details, I might as well say something:

The bike was built by New Zealander Donald Lowe as a replica of the 1953 250cc MCI racer project.
The engine is a standard 350 BSA Goldstar with a 71mm bore, but a shorter 63mm stroke and a short connecting rod. Donaldâ€™s friend Bryan Roberts did the machining work on the motor. It is mated to a five-speed Triumph unit.
Around the motor, Donald designed a frame and MIG-welded it together from mild steel tube. The bodywork, speak fuel and oil tanks, are of aluminum and were made by a gentleman named Steve Roberts from Wanganui. Those are actually two fuel tanks, an upper and a lower, but only the upper is used due to absence of a fuel pump. The Earls-style forks are also Donaldâ€™s own production. He made a die and used a 25-ton press to make the vertical parts from mild steel. Then he welded them together. The wheels use NSU Max hubs that Donald had lying around from earlier NSU racing times.
Donald started working on the bike in 1997 and finished it in 2000. He would have been done earlier, so he said, but two heart attacks and a stroke slowed him down. Hats off to Donald Lowe.

Don't ask me how I know all that.......

alimey4u2 · Post by **alimey4u2** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 11:56 am

Not too bad a writeup for one overly stretched Mike.....

Thanks for putting the puzzle together, I was wondering about those wheels...

PS, Did you get my PM ??

Terry · Post by **Terry** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:19 pm

"Don't ask me how I know all that......."

What was the weather like that day

Mike Barone #123 · Post by **Mike Barone #123** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:15 am

EMS wrote:I was holding back a little as I tried not to stretch myself thin on this boardâ€¦ â€¦but as nobody else is stepping forward, and some may still waiting for more details, I might as well say something:

The bike was built by New Zealander Donald Lowe as a replica of the 1953 250cc MCI racer project.
The engine is a standard 350 BSA Goldstar with a 71mm bore, but a shorter 63mm stroke and a short connecting rod. Donaldâ€™s friend Bryan Roberts did the machining work on the motor. It is mated to a five-speed Triumph unit.
Around the motor, Donald designed a frame and MIG-welded it together from mild steel tube. The bodywork, speak fuel and oil tanks, are of aluminum and were made by a gentleman named Steve Roberts from Wanganui. Those are actually two fuel tanks, an upper and a lower, but only the upper is used due to absence of a fuel pump. The Earls-style forks are also Donaldâ€™s own production. He made a die and used a 25-ton press to make the vertical parts from mild steel. Then he welded them together. The wheels use NSU Max hubs that Donald had lying around from earlier NSU racing times.
Donald started working on the bike in 1997 and finished it in 2000. He would have been done earlier, so he said, but two heart attacks and a stroke slowed him down. Hats off to Donald Lowe.

Don't ask me how I know all that.......

Thanks...the RGS owner never got back to me but I doubt he knew what you posted.

Mike

Mike Barone #123 · Post by **Mike Barone #123** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:37 am

EMS wrote:I was holding back a little as I tried not to stretch myself thin on this boardâ€¦ â€¦but as nobody else is stepping forward, and some may still waiting for more details, I might as well say something:

(snip mb)The wheels use NSU Max hubs that Donald had lying around from earlier NSU racing times.

NSU...now there is a bike manufacturers name that I have not heard for a long time.

Year 1960
First motorcycle I looked at to buy was a NSU....175cc or 250cc...dont rememer now. A friend of a friends father told me it was located in the back of a semi truck repair shop in a town about 10 miles away ...so I hitch hiked over to see if it was true........and welllla....there it was all dusty from just sitting there. I think it had a light grey/blue paint job http://www.cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/ ... 201954.htm

I did not like the NSU much but there was also another bike there I liked more and it was called a Horex....which had a more sporty look ...you know how it is when one is 16 years old and wants to look like all the pictures of Mike Hailwood. http://www.cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/horex/Horex.htm

Turns out there was a either an issue about who owned the bikes or I did not have enough money......probably both.

Luck was with me though since this not happening lead me to a 1954 Triumph T100 that had about ten miles less than million, but was able to afford at $225...and this I traded later on even for my BSA Gold Star Road Racer...............

NSA and Horex.........and those ohhhhh so special times in my life when I was toooo young. Thx for the reminder

Mike

cbxtacy · Post by **cbxtacy** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:25 pm

I had a NSU Max (Maxi?) in the 60's. 175cc of teutonic engineering. All original except for the piston. It had piston issues so my dad found a renault piston that fit. A real hoot to dis-assemble the engine. Valves were operated by offset concentric rods. No chains, gears or shafts. Made it very interesting to assemble. Especially with no manual.

EMS · Post by **EMS** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:26 pm

I am not sure whether many people on this board would be interested to hear more about NSU and Horex. I do have some personal connection to both brands. The company I work for got their start in Germany in the former Horex service building in a place called Bad Homburg. Horex folded in 1958

EMS · Post by **EMS** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:28 pm

cbxtacy wrote:I had a NSU Max (Maxi?) in the 60's. 175cc of teutonic engineering. All original except for the piston. It had piston issues so my dad found a renault piston that fit. A real hoot to dis-assemble the engine. Valves were operated by offset concentric rods. No chains, gears or shafts. Made it very interesting to assemble. Especially with no manual.

The Max was a 250 cc 4-stroke. It did have the unique cam drive through a set of excentric rods.

alimey4u2 · Post by **alimey4u2** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:28 pm

EMS wrote:I am not sure whether many people on this board would be interested to hear more about NSU and Horex. I do have some personal connection to both brands. The company I work for got their start in Germany in the former Horex service building in a place called Bad Homburg. Horex folded in 1958

I await with a tub of popcorn, love to hear it Mike....

cbxtacy · Post by **cbxtacy** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:31 pm

I went through 4 or 5 Zundapp's also. Sabre, Super Sabre, 100cc engine in a spanish built toy road-racer, 3 speed moped thing, think there was one more. Start a teutonicycle thread, Mike. I'm interested.

EMS · Post by **EMS** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:33 pm

Ich werde darÃ¼ber nachdenken!