Bonkey's Bantam.

04/03/2025...

Photo Courtesy Alan Wright...

The Last Works BSA Bantam as it is described as...

Bonkey’s Bantam…(Mike Bower's)

I know there are pages about the history of the BSA Bantam trials bikes and even the Works ones but… Bonkey’s bike was a bit different to the other works BSA Bantam’s…

For a start Mike’s Bantam, a Bushman, was how it started its life, and was bought by Mike and was always his property, although the BSA works at Redditch and Umberslade Hall supplied most of the engine parts has a development project, and Mike was one of the development engineers along with Michael Martin… and the rider and machine were included in the works BSA trials team…and when the BSA trials team was disbanded Mike rode his Bantam's to innumerable Midland Centre trials wins from 1969 to 1971, and to 19th place in the 1971 Scottish Six Days Trial. He also rode it to the Midland Centre Championship title. The little BSA Bantam by now had long lost its standard “Bushman” frame, and even the Bultaco forks in disguise that Mike favoured, had now been dropped and had been replaced on this newly framed machine with the now well developed BSA-Triumph Four-Stud forks…

The new frame used still has a mystery about it, as Mike has been asked the question to who had built the frame for him, but has so far declined to say…one suggestion has been that it was not, as thought, built by someone working for BSA but was built by frame wizard from the West Country, Mick Whitlock…

Moving on Mike Bowers sold the bike in 1972/1973 to a Yorkshireman, who then sold it on to John Radcliffe from who Mike Bowers bought it back several years later, in a sorry state, and it needed work to bring it back to its former glory. The Bantam was subsequently passed on again to Alan Wright, who rode it to two wins in the Pre65 Two-day Scottish  trial in 1992, and again in 1996. The Bantam still had one of ten cast works BSA alloy Bantam barrels developed by Michael Martin. And the  factory made trials gear cluster, that gave a low first and second gear along with the high top for the then road work that was put in at trials of the time, even with this gear box fitted Mike Bower’s still had his engines bigend bearing seize in the 1969 Scottish Six Day Trial…mid week.

While in the ownership of Alan Wright, (Wrighty)...and the bike getting a bit tired,  Alan decided in 2000/2001 to build a replica Bantam to the ex Mike Bowers bike has he had another alloy barrelled Works BSA D14/4 Bantam engine and gearbox, and a newly built machine may spark interest in getting a replica BSA Works Bantam by the general public, as the Classic Trials bike scene was growing at that time, and Mr Wright could see a profit in these machines like Sammy Miller was getting with his Ariel, BSA Otter, and Triumph Cub machines… So Wrighty commissioned Miles Webb and Howard Fawkes from HGV Engineering (Faber Frames) to build him a replica frame for assessment… The first frame off  the jig was assembled into a machine using the other Works engine, and Alan started to ride the machine in trials to get an idea to-if there was an interest in these replica Bantams… especially the frames …well only Alan knows how many “Bowers Bantam Replica” frames he sold.. but Howard has told me they built four frames for Alan and then they had a disastrous workshop fire that destroyed the Bantam frame jig…so that was the end of production…It has been suggested that Mick Whitlock may have built Alan a couple more Replica Bowers Bantam frames but that has not been confirmed…  So do we know what happend to any of these little machines.. Well yes at least a couple…So lets take a look…  

Photo Courtesy Ed Freeman...©...

This is the Miles Webb built first"Replica"Bowers Bantam  frame for Alan Wright with the Works BSA Bantam engine fitted with the Michael Martin developed alloy barrel and head, and breathing modifications...

High hopes for a good run of these frames until the disastrous fire struck the Miles Webb workshop...

Photo Courtesy Ed Freeman...

This is the Alan Wright built replica Bower’s Bantam with Miles Webb built frame using T45 tubing, and one of the ten alloy works head and barrels from 1970 when they were cast…the exhaust system was a one off WES unit built for the machine. Hubs are now the famous Alan Whitton BSA Bantam copies in aluminium, forks now fitted in 2023 are a pair of the Gerry Minshall BSA -Kawasaki hybrids…

The photo of the "Wrighty" Bantam was taken at the 2023 Telford Dirtbike show where it changed hands to the present owner...

Photo Courtesy Ed Freeman...

The now cleaned to perfection in 2024..."Bowers Replica Bantam"...another part of Classic trials bike history...

Photo Courtesy Ed Freeman...

What a superb little bike the "Wrighty" BSA Bower's Replica Bantam is...

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So lets move on to the other "Wrighty" BSA Bantam that has come to light...

Photo Courtesy John and Matt MacDonald...

This little bike has only just come to light (2025) after years of being built up slowly...

The frame I know is one of the four built by Faber in 2001 although Howard does not recognise the frame he says, but just compare the two and the swinging-arm gives the game away ...it is one Miles Webb built it is a HGV Engineering Faber...

Photo Courtesy SW Trials and Enduro...

Built with all the right bits WES  exhaust system BSA B44 air box MP forks Alan Whitton hubs, (that need adjustment to work, centralizing, and the brake pull on the front hub sorting, with the correct lever angle...) The engine is said to have all the right bits and running sweet, a Suzuki piston is fitted, and John says the gears have been swopped around...

Photo Courtesy John and Matt MacDonald...

The BSA Bantam D14/4 engine with modified clutch leverage... and the Faber frame steering head ...

Photo Courtesy SW Trials and Enduro...

A bike built with all the right bits over a period of time...

Photo Courtesy SW Trials and Enduro...

Yes a "Wrighty" BSA Bowers Replica frame built in 2001 by Faber Frames... Just look at the swinging arm Howard...

Sorry Chaps the little BSA Bantam has been SOLD into a new owners bike collection... Do we want one ? last year Howard told me they would consider building more of these replica frames, in fact my name has been put down for the first one for BSA Otter... 

More later...