The engine’s nearside was now more cleanly designed, and while the gearbox remained three-speed, the D7 had a comfortable cruising speed of 55mph, reaching 60mph in favourable conditions. Introduced in 1959, the 175cc D7 Bantam Super assumed the cleanly-designed corporate identity of larger models in the BSA range. Costing £104 18s 11d, including purchase tax, for the direct lighting model and £109 15s 5d for the battery lighting version, it was available in pastel green, fuchsia red or black with contrasting cream tank panels. One of the earliest export destinations for the D1 Bantam was Australia, and this photo, dated March 30, 1950, shows a test underway Down Under during which one of the little two-strokes was credited with 213mpg! The plunger-framed 125cc D1 BSA Bantam was still going strong when this 1960 colour catalogue was produced. Later in life, it was a second-hand 150cc D3 Bantam that took me to work during the week, into the countryside at weekends and on frequent evening rides across Lancashire to visit a girlfriend in Bury, where the sweet smell of caramel as I rode past Benson’s toffee works confirmed the factory’s slogan: “Something good from Bury”.Īs every Bantam enthusiast knows, however, the BSA Bantam owes its origin to Germany’s DKW RT 125 two-stroke single, whose design was taken by the Allies as part of war reparations. The invitation came from a friend who’d just become a telegram boy, and the brief but exciting excursion ended ignominiously in a bed of nettles. Initially produced for export only, it had a simple Amal carburettor with an oiled-mesh air filter and choke, a rigid rear end, fishtail silencer and direct electrics – and was available in mist green only. This photo, taken for The Motor Cycle and stamped October 28, 1948, shows the 125cc engine of the original D1 BSA Bantam model. The legshields are fitted to one of over 4000 BSA Bantams that were delivered to the Post Office. The ideal machine for delivering these brief strips of messages, particularly in built-up areas, was the simple, light and reliable BSA Bantam, and over the years more than 4000 were delivered for this purpose.Īs they buzzed around our streets, the bright red machines became a much-treasured British institution – and it was on one of them, at the age of 15 and with total disregard for the law, that I rode a motorcycle by myself for the very first time. When the internet was a far-distant dream (or nightmare, according to your point of view) and relatively few people had a telephone, the quickest way to send a message was by Post Office telegram. The date is 1955, and a rigid-framed Bantam is at the forefront during a publicity session for the RAC/ACU training scheme. Note the large front mudguard of the original model.
With a Silver City Airways Bristol Freighter in the background, Edward Marshall of Horsham sets off on a journey to Australia “to see as much of the world as possible” from the seat of his D1 BSA Bantam.
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