Will i regret a bsa b21 250?
Discussion
Will start by saying the oldest bike i have ridden is a 90’s blade and currently own a newer blade.
Always fancied an older (pre war) bike for pottering around and taking to the odd show, tinkering with and generally admiring.
Im ok with the spanner’s, general oil changes etc and maintain a fleet of 50’s woodworking machinery so used to greasing nipples and checking bearings etc.
How hideous would it be to ride, i wont be flying around but also don’t want to be holding anyone up!
How different are the controls - I understand the brake and gear levers are reversed, but what about the advance/retard - valve advance - choke!? Joking i know what the choke is for
Always fancied an older (pre war) bike for pottering around and taking to the odd show, tinkering with and generally admiring.
Im ok with the spanner’s, general oil changes etc and maintain a fleet of 50’s woodworking machinery so used to greasing nipples and checking bearings etc.
How hideous would it be to ride, i wont be flying around but also don’t want to be holding anyone up!
How different are the controls - I understand the brake and gear levers are reversed, but what about the advance/retard - valve advance - choke!? Joking i know what the choke is for
It all depends what you go in expecting!
A 1930s 250 BSA will be pretty slow even by old bike standards, but if you're ok with that then you'll have a whale of a time. Expect the brakes to feel comically bad (as in you can pretty much push it about with the front brake on!) and it'll feel 'bouncy' with a lack of rear suspension.
Controls wise, it'll be a twist grip throttle I think (1920s machines tended to have lever throttles) so that'll be pretty normal. You'll have a manual ignition (retard the ignition to give you more torque for climbing hills etc) and depending what year you get the gears will be on the right of the petrol tank or on your right foot. Hand change makes for a bit more of a challenge, especially on a smaller engine machine as you won't be able to rely on leaving it in top and using the torque but it's very good fun and satisfying! The hand change won't have a positive stop so it'll either be one up then through neutral to second (without carrying on to top!) or one down and vice-versa.
So long as you're happy to slow life down a bit when you ride it I'm sure you'll love it. I ride a range of bikes from the early 1920s to the 60s now but in my youth I had various sports bikes like ZX6Rs and RS250s. I wouldn't go back to a sports bike now, I much prefer the satisfaction and involvement of riding the really early stuff.
If you're in two minds there are a few 'try it' style days organised by the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) where you can try an early machine on private land. The National Motorcycle Museum also did a scheme where you get to ride some of their machines although you'd have to check it's started again post-covid.
A 1930s 250 BSA will be pretty slow even by old bike standards, but if you're ok with that then you'll have a whale of a time. Expect the brakes to feel comically bad (as in you can pretty much push it about with the front brake on!) and it'll feel 'bouncy' with a lack of rear suspension.
Controls wise, it'll be a twist grip throttle I think (1920s machines tended to have lever throttles) so that'll be pretty normal. You'll have a manual ignition (retard the ignition to give you more torque for climbing hills etc) and depending what year you get the gears will be on the right of the petrol tank or on your right foot. Hand change makes for a bit more of a challenge, especially on a smaller engine machine as you won't be able to rely on leaving it in top and using the torque but it's very good fun and satisfying! The hand change won't have a positive stop so it'll either be one up then through neutral to second (without carrying on to top!) or one down and vice-versa.
So long as you're happy to slow life down a bit when you ride it I'm sure you'll love it. I ride a range of bikes from the early 1920s to the 60s now but in my youth I had various sports bikes like ZX6Rs and RS250s. I wouldn't go back to a sports bike now, I much prefer the satisfaction and involvement of riding the really early stuff.
If you're in two minds there are a few 'try it' style days organised by the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) where you can try an early machine on private land. The National Motorcycle Museum also did a scheme where you get to ride some of their machines although you'd have to check it's started again post-covid.
There's no need to regret it as long as you know what you're getting in to. You won't use the BSA for any ride you'd use the Fireblade for, so do you have the time to ride differently? I have an '50s AJS which I bought about 8 years ago and love it. When I get a couple of hours I head off into the smaller lanes and potter around, quite often never exceeding 40mph. You have to hunt for the quiet roads as you'll be on the ones you normally avoid as too slow, quiet, overgrown etc. but they're there if you look for them. If you have a buddy with an old bike to stop at a country pub with then that's a nice afternoon out (if you don't then join the VMCC/brand club and adopt one as there's plenty of old boys wanting a ride and pint!).
The one thing I've mentioned before on old bike threads is size. Old bikes are really small. If you're over about 5ft7 then try for size before you buy. I'm 6ft2 and when I sat on a late '40s B33 a while back it felt tiny, the best thing about my AJS M18S is that for the age of bike it's quite big physically..... so I fit. British bikes did seem to increase in size generally though, and my brothers 1954 B31 is a sensible size as well.
Maintenance is more regular than a modern bike but they're pretty simple things. Some odd tools will be needed e.g. Whitworth sockets/spanners but not many. Parts are easy for mainstream classics and Facebook groups will fill an gaps in knowledge. Insurance is cheap and tax is free.
There's a lot of fun to be had with old bikes. Some meets are good, there's riding events, shows and all sorts of things to keep you busy. For me I do the occasional event, try to get to some of the VMCC runs, but mostly just potter around lanes on my own or with my brother. It's like automotive Valium!
The one thing I've mentioned before on old bike threads is size. Old bikes are really small. If you're over about 5ft7 then try for size before you buy. I'm 6ft2 and when I sat on a late '40s B33 a while back it felt tiny, the best thing about my AJS M18S is that for the age of bike it's quite big physically..... so I fit. British bikes did seem to increase in size generally though, and my brothers 1954 B31 is a sensible size as well.
Maintenance is more regular than a modern bike but they're pretty simple things. Some odd tools will be needed e.g. Whitworth sockets/spanners but not many. Parts are easy for mainstream classics and Facebook groups will fill an gaps in knowledge. Insurance is cheap and tax is free.
There's a lot of fun to be had with old bikes. Some meets are good, there's riding events, shows and all sorts of things to keep you busy. For me I do the occasional event, try to get to some of the VMCC runs, but mostly just potter around lanes on my own or with my brother. It's like automotive Valium!
Blakeatron said:
Will start by saying the oldest bike i have ridden is a 90’s blade and currently own a newer blade.
Always fancied an older (pre war) bike for pottering around and taking to the odd show, tinkering with and generally admiring.
Im ok with the spanner’s, general oil changes etc and maintain a fleet of 50’s woodworking machinery so used to greasing nipples and checking bearings etc.
How hideous would it be to ride, i wont be flying around but also don’t want to be holding anyone up!
How different are the controls - I understand the brake and gear levers are reversed, but what about the advance/retard - valve advance - choke!? Joking i know what the choke is for
Miserable old git mode on:Always fancied an older (pre war) bike for pottering around and taking to the odd show, tinkering with and generally admiring.
Im ok with the spanner’s, general oil changes etc and maintain a fleet of 50’s woodworking machinery so used to greasing nipples and checking bearings etc.
How hideous would it be to ride, i wont be flying around but also don’t want to be holding anyone up!
How different are the controls - I understand the brake and gear levers are reversed, but what about the advance/retard - valve advance - choke!? Joking i know what the choke is for
I was the same. Until I tried one. In my opinion, for me, they are pointless to use but very nice to look at and have one in the garage. I like the old engineering and the need to use materials like cork and leather.
I've got a couple of 70s bikes in the garage, they never get used, I don't like bike shows, talking boll*x to people just like me, about things we mostly know little about as we weren't there when they were made or used, getting sun burnt and drinking stale tea. I'd rather go for a ride on my own on something more modern.
Same thing with cars, I tried a friends Rover P7 I think it was, lovely to look at, leather, wood and V8. But on the road the brakes are terrible, the handling woeful so the car rolls around like a beach ball and it used fuel at a rate it most certainly did not deserve to, given the limited amusement it delivered.
But a friend of mine has a BSA something or other which he bought new in the 60s, he's 75 years old and he really enjoys a 10 mile round trip in the lanes in the summer on it. It leaks oil everywhere and is too slow to use in traffic but he really enjoys it.
stang65 said:
The one thing I've mentioned before on old bike threads is size. Old bikes are really small. If you're over about 5ft7 then try for size before you buy. I'm 6ft2 and when I sat on a late '40s B33 a while back it felt tiny, the best thing about my AJS M18S is that for the age of bike it's quite big physically..... so I fit. British bikes did seem to increase in size generally though, and my brothers 1954 B31 is a sensible size as well.
Yep.A lot of old Brit bikes are comically small.
My father in law has a 1959 Norton Dominator. Here's a photo of me taking it up the street after fettling the clutch.
It felt absurdly small, despite being a "big twin".
You get used to the "one up and three down on the wrong side" gearbox pretty quickly. More challenging is the absence of any worthwhile braking.
I'm not sure that I could put up with a 250 or 350 single, but I would happily use something like an A65 for pottering down the lanes.
srob said:
It all depends what you go in expecting!
A 1930s 250 BSA will be pretty slow even by old bike standards, but if you're ok with that then you'll have a whale of a time. Expect the brakes to feel comically bad (as in you can pretty much push it about with the front brake on!) and it'll feel 'bouncy' with a lack of rear suspension.
Controls wise, it'll be a twist grip throttle I think (1920s machines tended to have lever throttles) so that'll be pretty normal. You'll have a manual ignition (retard the ignition to give you more torque for climbing hills etc) and depending what year you get the gears will be on the right of the petrol tank or on your right foot. Hand change makes for a bit more of a challenge, especially on a smaller engine machine as you won't be able to rely on leaving it in top and using the torque but it's very good fun and satisfying! The hand change won't have a positive stop so it'll either be one up then through neutral to second (without carrying on to top!) or one down and vice-versa.
So long as you're happy to slow life down a bit when you ride it I'm sure you'll love it. I ride a range of bikes from the early 1920s to the 60s now but in my youth I had various sports bikes like ZX6Rs and RS250s. I wouldn't go back to a sports bike now, I much prefer the satisfaction and involvement of riding the really early stuff.
If you're in two minds there are a few 'try it' style days organised by the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) where you can try an early machine on private land. The National Motorcycle Museum also did a scheme where you get to ride some of their machines although you'd have to check it's started again post-covid.
This reminds me of that Henry Cole video when him and a mate tried to do an old rally, and they didn't make it IIRC. I was considering buying a really old bike, but the mechanic guy had to mess with the ignition retardation, I was like yeah, that's me oot! A 1930s 250 BSA will be pretty slow even by old bike standards, but if you're ok with that then you'll have a whale of a time. Expect the brakes to feel comically bad (as in you can pretty much push it about with the front brake on!) and it'll feel 'bouncy' with a lack of rear suspension.
Controls wise, it'll be a twist grip throttle I think (1920s machines tended to have lever throttles) so that'll be pretty normal. You'll have a manual ignition (retard the ignition to give you more torque for climbing hills etc) and depending what year you get the gears will be on the right of the petrol tank or on your right foot. Hand change makes for a bit more of a challenge, especially on a smaller engine machine as you won't be able to rely on leaving it in top and using the torque but it's very good fun and satisfying! The hand change won't have a positive stop so it'll either be one up then through neutral to second (without carrying on to top!) or one down and vice-versa.
So long as you're happy to slow life down a bit when you ride it I'm sure you'll love it. I ride a range of bikes from the early 1920s to the 60s now but in my youth I had various sports bikes like ZX6Rs and RS250s. I wouldn't go back to a sports bike now, I much prefer the satisfaction and involvement of riding the really early stuff.
If you're in two minds there are a few 'try it' style days organised by the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) where you can try an early machine on private land. The National Motorcycle Museum also did a scheme where you get to ride some of their machines although you'd have to check it's started again post-covid.
https://youtu.be/0pO9o_1Q0yQ?t=1220
SteveKTMer said:
Miserable old git mode on:
I was the same. Until I tried one.
I've got a couple of 70s bikes in the garage, they never get used, I don't like bike shows, talking boll*x to people just like me, about things we mostly know little about as we weren't there when they were made or used, getting sun burnt and drinking stale tea. I'd rather go for a ride on my own on something more modern.
I was the same. Until I tried one.
I've got a couple of 70s bikes in the garage, they never get used, I don't like bike shows, talking boll*x to people just like me, about things we mostly know little about as we weren't there when they were made or used, getting sun burnt and drinking stale tea. I'd rather go for a ride on my own on something more modern.
We should go out for a ride together one day, I'm also a miserable old realistic sod 
Blakeatron said:
Well deposit is paid, its going for some checks and bits next week and then getting delivered up to me.
Nervous and excited in equal measure - now to read up and watch youtube to learn how to ride it
Great I’m into off road and modern stuff , but very happy memories of my late uncles vintage and veteran bikes and riding them , the whole world slows down and you are lost in a haze of oil smoke !!enjoy .Nervous and excited in equal measure - now to read up and watch youtube to learn how to ride it
Blakeatron said:
Well deposit is paid, its going for some checks and bits next week and then getting delivered up to me.
Nervous and excited in equal measure - now to read up and watch youtube to learn how to ride it
Good man.Nervous and excited in equal measure - now to read up and watch youtube to learn how to ride it
You won’t regret it. And before you know it, you will be scouring the classifieds for another one.
Blackpuddin said:
Or for a brand new Royal Enfield 350 Classic which gives you all the retro you want plus modern day reliability, decent performance and braking. Good luck with yours anyway!
It's odd you say that. I'll happily ride a classic bike (see above), but the idea of buying a new bike that has little new about it strikes me as pointless. When I buy new bikes, I want...well....a new bike. I don't get the retro thing, some of it looks nice if done well (the Yamaha MT XSRs were particularly badly done) but never as nice as an old bike IMO.Takes all sorts though doesn't it.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff