BSA Model E
Encyclopedia
The BSA Model E was a British
V twin motorcycle
manufactured by Birmingham Small Arms Company
(BSA) at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath
, Birmingham
from 1919. It was often used with the matching BSA sidecar.
BSA returned to producing motorcycles again which were sold as affordable with reasonable performance for the average user. BSA stressed the reliability of their machines, the availability of spares and dealer support. The BSA Model E was the first of a series of successful V twins based around the reliable 770cc side valve engine with cylinders at an angle of 50 degrees. The modest 6hp produced by the engine was able to provide a top speed of 55mph and it had BSA's own design of three speed gearbox with the drive chain enclosed in an aluminium casing. There was an increased demand for affordable transport after the end of the war and the Model E became popular with BSA's matching green and cream painted sidecar option.
Designed for easy servicing the valves were interchangeable and had quickly adjustable tappets. The constant loss oil pump was supplemented by a hand operated pump and the wheels were also quickly detachable and the same size so that they were interchangeable.
Although the BSA Model E was produced until 1924 it had been largely replaced by the more powerful 986cc Model F in 1922, which continued in production as the BSA Model G, with continual modifications, until just after the outbreak of World War II
.
, where it was ridden by lead actor Stuart Whitman
who played American cowboy Orvil Newton.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
V twin motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
manufactured by Birmingham Small Arms Company
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
(BSA) at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath
Small Heath, Birmingham
Small Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
from 1919. It was often used with the matching BSA sidecar.
Development
After having been turned over to weapons production for the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
BSA returned to producing motorcycles again which were sold as affordable with reasonable performance for the average user. BSA stressed the reliability of their machines, the availability of spares and dealer support. The BSA Model E was the first of a series of successful V twins based around the reliable 770cc side valve engine with cylinders at an angle of 50 degrees. The modest 6hp produced by the engine was able to provide a top speed of 55mph and it had BSA's own design of three speed gearbox with the drive chain enclosed in an aluminium casing. There was an increased demand for affordable transport after the end of the war and the Model E became popular with BSA's matching green and cream painted sidecar option.
Designed for easy servicing the valves were interchangeable and had quickly adjustable tappets. The constant loss oil pump was supplemented by a hand operated pump and the wheels were also quickly detachable and the same size so that they were interchangeable.
Although the BSA Model E was produced until 1924 it had been largely replaced by the more powerful 986cc Model F in 1922, which continued in production as the BSA Model G, with continual modifications, until just after the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Three-wheeled taxi
Between 1920 and 1925 BSA produced a 100 small three-wheeled taxi cabs using the Model E 770cc V twin engine.Media appearances
A 1919 BSA Model E complete with matching sidecar featured in a car chase in the 1965 movie Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying MachinesThose Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
, where it was ridden by lead actor Stuart Whitman
Stuart Whitman
Stuart Maxwell Whitman is an American actor.Stuart Whitman is arguably best-known for playing Marshal Jim Crown in the western television series Cimarron Strip in 1967...
who played American cowboy Orvil Newton.