Vintage BSA project bike for sale
SELLER SAYS: Project bike for sale. 1962 BSA 650 Super Rocket. Eng # DA10 R 1327 HC. Frame GA& 5547. Gearbox 42-3005 STD. Rolling frame. New seat, new set of rubbers, new nuts and bolt set. Frame parts painted, gearbox good. Started to work on engine as in parts. Lots of prep work done and still to do. Contact Steve on 0400 050 765 (Alfred Cove, Perth WA)
EDITOR TERLICK SAYS: I feel like a little kid peering through the window into a lolly shop. I have recently pulled a 1972 Triumph Bonneville to bits and put it back together again — and yes, it’s now a goer — and what fun it was! The Bonnie (my first-ever British bike), was in one piece when I bought it, but it was a non-runner and needed a complete dismantle. And what fun! The joy of British projects is the huge international network of expertise — there are thousands of crusty old blokes who know these bikes inside-out and are more than willing to provide advice (and, often, laughter) on your journey, and they’re all accessible through the wonders of the world-wide web. The other nice discovery is the availability of parts. The world was crawling with British bikes through the 1950s and ’60s (and ’70s, actually), so there are lots of genuine used parts still doing the rounds, as well as lots of good quality reproduction new parts. There’s also a host of technology upgrades available nowadays to better manage some of the weaknesses of the 1960s, especially around making those plugs spark reliably, if you’re that way inclined. I see Stephen’s bike comes with a couple of workshop manuals, and I’m sure the buyer will put them to very good use! The Super Rocket was a hugely successful model back in the day, of course. It was one of the early 650 twins, and the model name leaves no doubt that they were high-performance machinery. What a pity I don’t have a bit more room in the shed, and what a pity that bloody ’62 Vespa project still isn’t finished!
