BSA A10, 1960 - Motorcycle Review

[@johncranwell3783]

Absolutely loved that wee film! I had one of these as a young man in the 70s but had to sell in the mid nineties to pay for divorce…. along with my beautiful BSA A65T…. Even though I had a 1980 BMW as well….. I’ve really missed those two BSAs….. I’d rebuilt both of them from crank to everything else…. The A65 I fitted a devimead oil end feed needle roller crank bearing, was bullet proof after that… Hope to see some more films like this one

[@EnglishVeteran]

My Dad owned an A10 Flash. I have a picture somewhere of me as a baby being held by my mum who was sitting on the bike. My plan is to buy one and spend a summer touring around England on it.

[@roeng1368]

One of the most under-rated bikes of the 50's-60's. Lovely.

[@richardortiz8704]

Let me hear the motor and a piece of s*** not the music

[@philipkus7218]

Very very nice! Electric starter, scottoiler, keyed ignition, modern regulator, and an old mate asking the questions. Giving me ideas for a future project. Thanks for posting Simon.

[@sgch101]

Thanks for the comments Phil, and sorry for the delayed response! Just spotted this one from you. Hope you’re keeping well.

[@PantherOwnersClub1]

Thank you Simon. Lovely piece on a much-loved bike. Interesting to get a glimpse of the sensible modifications which have obviously enhanced the owners pleasure without losing the essence of BSA's A10.

[@sgch101]

Glad you enjoyed it! You'll probably enjoy this film (linked below) that I've just been told about - skip the advert as soon as you can! It's entitled "Kettlewell, Yorkshire Dales, Park Rash Motorbike Run on 1913 motorbike". kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZbVpaCLirt6bdU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1hIc9ay81ijPhyFrp2E-L3cdPZpi4At2W-x0AkEAkqzDlztoINhE-h-9g

[@anthonykeel1058]

Thank you for a great video! Truly appreciate owners riding these beautiful old machines and keeping up with the much needed maintenance instead of being kept in a museum! I have a 1962 BSA A10 Super Rocket, was my fathers cafe racer in the 70’s, was dismantled and wanted to restore it. But my brother and I was born and it moved around in boxes. I was always curious of it, done my research, fell in love with the machine and have been collecting original parts for it over the last 14 years. Started off with frame, forks, swingarm, engine (minus big valve head) and gearbox. Have since got the rest and hopefully will get it back on the road soon!

[@sgch101]

Thanks for the kind comments! It will be great if you can get your bike on the road again. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[@MrArryboy]

My first road legal bike in about 1970ish. Great memories.

[@4418CARLOU]

Lovely bike. I has an A7ss and my older brother had an A10 Super Rocket.

[@genegoodwin8925]

She's an excellent riding machine. I don't think any other, not even Triumph or Norton can compete with the beautiful exhaust note of a BSA twin. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed your video. Ride safe and enjoy every journey.

[@sgch101]

Glad you liked the film, Gene. You’re right about the exhaust note, which can really enhance a bike. It’s the tone that’s important and it doesn’t need to be loud to be characterful, I think!

[@rajb5595]

Thank u Mr Hadden ! God bless the gentleman owner

[@peter7624]

Best sounding bike ever. Of course I had one as a 16 year old back in 1967.

[@shingerz]

They sound brilliant 👍

[@boxerindia8850]

Really like the Bike, rural roads and the old timer. Perfection! Thanks Simon..

[@sgch101]

Glad that you enjoyed it - thanks for the kind comments!

[@BrokenWrenches]

Great bike, ive never seen one in person here in the states

[@gitaneVYS491R]

That thing sounds absolutely glorious, fantastic!

[@TrapShooter68]

Beautiful bike. Thanks to the owner for sharing it with us and thanks to you for putting this video together. We've missed you!

[@sgch101]

Glad you liked it, we'll make another film soon!

[@colinwoodley]

Lovely film, what a great memorial to go alongside a very practical rebuild.

[@sgch101]

Thanks for the comments Colin, glad you enjoyed it!

[@tonygriffiths2485]

I absolutely adored mine when I got it in 1970. Sold it in 1971, swapped it for a guitar.

[@sgch101]

Must have been a nice guitar!

[@tonygriffiths2485]

@@sgch101 Too inexperienced to know about straight necks. The acoustic was new, so I kinda learned on that. The Gretsch was a custom three humbucker that had played to regimental gigs several times and got a lot of people bopping away.

[@Realrandomman]

Superb. Sounds very fit. The usual high standard of filming and sound.

[@davethebass3517]

Just wonderful! Thank you so much videos - I love this channel. Thinking about swapping in my Harley I've had for 22 years for an old Brit. I've long fancied a Golden Flash but don't really have the maintenance skills or facilities. Keep the great video coming!

[@stephenbrown13]

Simon, your videos are the best! More please.

[@sgch101]

Many thanks for the comments! Next film will be on another Greeves bike, coming out in February with a bit of luck...

[@TheClassicMotorcycleChannel]

Really well produced videos Simon.

[@sgch101]

Many thanks! Now looking for another bike to film next.

[@johnmarsh2078]

What a lovely Flash!

[@martinburke362]

No such thing as a bad A10 solid Bikes

[@geoffhalsey2184]

I had one in the late 1970's when you could buy one for a £150, because no body wanted them. The1960's, when front mudguards were designed to keep road crap off your engine.

[@sgch101]

Thanks for your comments, Geoff. You’re spot on about the functional mudguards too. The modern bikes we ride have poor (virtually non-existent) mudguards and you end up having to add mudguard extensions which give a little more protection, but not much - grr!

[@willywonka8730]

Number 1 on my bucket list - ride through the English countryside - preferably the Isle of Mann on a BSA A10 for a week. Can you accommodate me?

[@mauriceeley621]

I have fitted a Steve McFarlane electric starter to my A10 Super Rocket and can highly recommend them

[@iqbalmankoo443]

Pls if possible pls send me the address from where I can buy Steve McFarlane electric start I want to fitt it in my a 10 I am from Mumbai India

[@SaiKumar-wd4hj]

amazing motorcycle

[@chrisstaylor8377]

Great film ,lovely bike ,I had one way back a 1961 ,

[@sgch101]

Glad you liked the film! It must have been good to have one when they were still being built.

[@mayureshvedak]

God bless Ray.....what a beautiful bike 😻😻😻😻

[@UncleLongbeard]

That is a very nice bike indeed ;)

[@zanegrey4720]

Beautiful bike.

[@shingerz]

Fantastic 👍

[@TrapShooter68]

Still missing your videos. I hope you're OK.

[@sgch101]

Yes, we’re all okay and hoping to start making more films again soon. Take care!

[@gregcarter2860]

Simon, great video. Can you please provide a list of your upgrades and costs associated and links to suppliers if possible. Cheers Mate.

[@sgch101]

Hi Greg, I’ll have a word with the owner who is a pal of mine and will get back to you.

[@raycharlton6815]

Hi Greg, Tips before starting a restoration. Obtain a manufacturers manual as well as a manufacturers parts list. Remember that you are embarking on a mission to preserve a piece of history and go into it with your eyes open. You can guarantee that if approached seriously you will face costs that will make your eyes water. I have full receipts covering every penny spent on the restoration. It is now about 1.5 inches thick and I am terrified to total it up, but I would put it at least in excess of 4 to 5 thousand pounds. But if you want to do the job properly this is what you should be prepared to lay out. Decide on the level of restoration you want to do. I decided not to cut any corners, if something needed replacing then replace. If repairable, including improvements, then do so. I decided to replace every nut and bolt with stainless. I always like the gold colour but got sick of seeing restoration with colour ranging from almost orange/gold to many different colours of gold, none of which matched the original BSA gold. I did much research before finding the source of the correct gold, which eventually cost 109 per litre from a paint supplier who turned out to be the Son of BSA Foreman who mixed batches of this gold every evening for next days production. The finished result is superb. Research suppliers,there are many suppliers of BSA bits, I tended to use Draganfly Motorcycles and Feked, pulse several others for parts and specialised services. Subscribe to Old Bike Magazine as a very useful source of suppliers. What did I do to the bike: Engine was serviceable, but I added an SRM high pressure oil pump, belt driven dynamo, SRM Triumph clutch, which is a vast improvement over the original BSA. Fitted electronic ignition with twin coils. McFarlane electric start system which is brilliant. Replaced rear shocks, overhauled front forks replacing original springs with progressive springs. Upgraded the electrics to 12 volts. Recovered dual seat and sponge. Overhauled braking system replacing everything with stainless steel fittings, plus new brake shoes. Fitted stainless wheel rims and new tyres. Fitted auto chain lube system, new handlebars and levers. Many more things I feel sure I have missed. It is a labour of love as I feel I have restore a 60 year old bike that is now definitely good for more than another 60 years. It is currently insured for an agreed sum of £8000.00 which was agreed 18 months ago. Probably now needs adjusting to exceeding £9000.00 and rising steadily annually. I have a new project on the go at present and that is overhauling Triumph Twin Leading Shoe front brake and hub, which will soon have a new stainless rim on to it. This should improve the brakes tremendously as this system was the disc brake of the 60’s used by many frackers at the time. So the restoration is never finished. Hope this has been of help to you Greg. Cheers, Ray Charlton

[@gregcarter2860]

@@raycharlton6815 Hi Ray thanks for the advice. I am looking to make upgrades to my BSA A10, 1960 Super Rocket and I would be grateful for advice on the following upgrades: a) Conversion of electrics to 12 volts - what do I need and suppliers details b) Electronic ignition upgrade (parts and suppliers) c) SRM Triumph clutch - what parts and their part numbers needed (from SRM ??) d) Front forks - progressive springs - parts and suppliers I have the owners workshop manual and the BSA twin restoration book. I look forward to your advice in helping me to restore my Bessa. Thanks mate

[@raycharlton6815]

@@gregcarter2860 in basic terms, you need a 12 volt battery and change every bulb to 12 volts. Decide on the polarity you want as now is the time to change to positive earth by simply swapping the battery leads over. Your 6 volt ammeter and dynamo will still operate if you are on a budget but in the long term be advisable to change to 12 volt units. Finally, if you don’t already have one, change your voltage regulator to electronic versions. Most of them are switchable between 6 and 12 volt simply by cutting a wire. Electronic ignition, you pay your money and make a choice. There are many on the market and most are o.k. Mine eliminates the use of the mag-dynamo, simply using it to locate and operate the switching device and uses twin 12 volt coils. It has been great, never let me down, and starts first time every time. Look in Old Bike Mart magazine as all suppliers advertise there every month. Hope this helps. Ray

[@gregcarter2860]

@@raycharlton6815 Hi Ray, thank you for the advice. Looking at the video of your bike I notice you have a grab rail behind your seat which I would like to install one on my bike. Can you please tell me the details of the grab rail so I can purchase one as well (as they are not a standard BSA addition for the A10 SR). Cheers Greg

[@buncho888]

Very nice machine. What would be the maximum cruising speed?

[@clivetaylor678]

Remember this is not a sports bike and all the engine components are 60 years old therefor cruising speed is about 55 mph maybe 60 at a push. Not designed for motorways.

[@srmjo]

55 mph sounds a little conservative. I had a 1959 A10, I think it was a Super Rocket, with an aluminium cylinder head, so possibly a little sportier than this model. I would cruise it at the legal limit, 70mph. Mind you it would do 95 mph any time and the ton when the conditions were right (I was 18 and foolish, and the bike 12 years old at the time).

[@raycharlton6815]

That is all very well, but these old ladies have to treated with a lot of respect, 55 - 60 mph is fast enough without pushing it beyond its safe capabilities, after all, it is over 60 years old. I too had a Super Rocket in 1959, when I was 19 years old and like Steve Jones rode it flat out everywhere. I am a little wiser now and more sympathetic to engines.

[@splodge57]

The poor front brake also limits me to 60mph on my Super Rocket. Anyone pulls out on you and you're not going to stop on a sixpence.😅

[@silviofontana3666]

awesome, and Kawasaki copied and made the W650 and now W800

[@kdsowen2882]

With a similar-exhaust , the w650 sounds very-similar , good-on kawasaki , for making the only real modern-retro . Mine rides a lot like my old Brit-twins did , just stops-better, doesn't leak or break-down and the lights actually-work ! Dave NZ