BSA 300...The Brian Martin BSA 350 B32...

Is this another of the Works BSA bikes that have been missing for years... We take a look and try and find out...

Photo Courtesy Deryk Wylde Offroad Archives ...

A photo of a young Dave Langston aboard the second generation works BB32 BSA trials bike with registration number BSA 300...

So we try to find out what happened to another of the ex works BSA trials bikes of this time the late fifties. And this one had the registration number BSA 300. Firstly ridden by John Draper at his first stint at BSA when a young man…Then it was Brian Martin's allocated works bike, from 1952, he gave up the ride of the machine to Bryan Povey to ride in the Scottish Six Day 's of 1953 while Brian was riding an Army owned BSA in the Army team of that year while doing his National Service.

(Photos down the page)

Brian Martin went on to develop the BSA BB32 with the later springer frame up until 1958...

Photo Courtesy Norman Vanhouse book...

Brian Martin aboard BSA B32 BSA 300...

When all the works trials riders had moved over to the lightweight BSA C15T trials bikes in 1959 most of the BB32A trials Gold Stars were sold on by the factory to most generally, interested BSA motorcycle dealers. One was kept as an example of what an heavy trials bike felt like, so one or the other of the disgruntled riders with their C15T’s visiting the factory, were told to climb back onto the BB32 and take a lap or two of the BSA test track on that machine,  they soon climbed back aboard their C15’s after taking the ride on the old heavy bike…

Anyway tracking the history of these works BB32’s, it seems that there was a batch of seven or eight of the prototype springer frames that were found at the factory, and these were kept for the works trials riders to use only, with one kept has a spare, these frames differed from the production Gold Star swinging arm frames, in that they had slightly smaller diameter engine under-run tubes that tucked in closer to the engine, and the bend around the engine oil pump was a forging in steel that tucked in tighter than the normal, compared to the bent steel tube loop. Also it was noticed that the bend for the top suspension Mountings were slightly lower and further forward allowing the use of shorter or lighter suspension units, and forcing the swinging arm lower. And altering the steering head angle slightly, from its 61 degrees. to nearly 63…

Tracking down one of these so few built machines after all this time would seem like an impossible task, and it would only be by chance as most you would think would have been given the scrap man in the seventies when the bikes by then were classed as rubbish. Only if one or two had been tucked away in a dark shed and hiding from the world would one ever come to life… 

Well this could be that story… And like most it is not until the last owner of the machine passes away  and the wife or family of the bikes late owner try to salvage something and send the machine for sale by an auction house, that the history of the said bike is investigated enough to value it more than the scrap, by this time it looks like that. And this is what transpired with this machine.

From the Auctioneer…

Photo Courtesy Bonhams auction house...

However, following the intro of the 250cc unit construction C15 in 1958, the Comp Dept's Goldies were gradually Sold; either to their former riders, or to discerning purchasers with links too BSA.

At first glance, and with its Birmingham registration, WOK 159 resembles an ex factory team machine. Although clearly used while owned by the factory, possibly as a 'test-bed', and although Sold by Comp Manager Brian Martin to Ron Langston, there is no evidence that it was ever a specific "works" machine,... despite fitted with several non-standard components such as alloy 'guards, and a central oil tank. Langston had ridden with great success in the official [by now disbanded] Ariel team; he duly rode the 350cc BSA in a few local trials, but, on finding it so different to his HT5, Sold it through Roy King, a dealer in Cheltenham. It was then acquired by the vendor's late husband in 1960; who happily used it in numerous Western Centre events. Despite the present deterioration resulting from many years in storage, plus a missing footrest assembly, this handsome BSA conjures memories of a long-vanished trials scene.

Photo Courtesy the Auction house..

The late owner aboard WOK159 before it was stored for years and then sent to auction upon his demise.

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Anyway the machine showed interest and the machine was purchased by an avid collector of classic works trials four-stroke bikes and mainly Ariel and BSA. Getting the machine home and starting to take a deeper interest to what. He had bought along with his son who also collects BSA trials bikes with a interesting history…

Looking at the frame it was soon discovered that it was one of these springer prototypes used by the factory boys, and certain details made you wonder if the bike was even one used by the “Captain” as it just had a feel like one of his machines.. So was this BSA B32 machine one of the factory bikes to wear the BSA 300 number-plate at one time… Unfortunately has with all ex works bikes you can never be certain with out clear evidence from the time that any machine is what it is made out to be.

What we are hoping when the machine is mildly renovated one or the other of the parts may offer up a small fragment of information. It may be under, inside, or outside, of anything but don't forget that this is how we found the dinosaurs… a lot more to come from this one…And now we have the photo of Dave Langston aboard BSA 300... did it leave that family with this plate still on, and was it the Cheltenham dealer that Sold the BSA 300 plate to a wealthy business man for his Jaguar... like other BSA plates ended up... and this was the reason the bike was registered again as Wok 159? well it could be, and so this is why we think we have found the bike that used to wear the BSA 300 plate again...We will do a lot more delving...

Photo Courtesy Auction house...

Another  good photo of the BSA BB32  while being ridden before consigned to years being stored.

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Well after publishing this page to the site the photos and more information arrived to me hours later.

And with these photos we have a much better case to be correct.

Here is a magazine cutting of Ron Langston competing in a trial on BSA300. as well as the photo of brother Dave above.

So a couple of more shots of the BSA in its unloved state before being sent to auction, we hope to have new photos of the BSA BB32 shortly.

Photo Courtesy Bonhams Auction House.

You can see from this shot the narrow under engine rails ...

 Photo Courtesy Bonhams Auction House.

And this side you can see the forging section to clear the oil pump bulge, and not the bent tube of the production bikes.

New engine photos...

Photos Courtesy EW Freeman...

And a close up shot of the forging...

Photo Courtesy EW Freeman...

A good shot of the tucked in engine rails.

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A note from the auctioneers said that there was evidence of the frame and engine numbers being over stamped, and if you look at this photo you can see that the old number has been peened over with peening hammer and the new number stamped over, and the mistake was that they used a different number two stamp to the original... this altering engine and frame numbers would have not been at the factory as they just stamped the numbers onto new engines and frames used in the comp shop. so it looks like the numbers swaped were to corespond to a different log book, and we all know dealers did that way back as it happend where I worked a few times. So this looks more like the numbers from the frame and engine to corespond with the WOK159 registration log book were applied. 

Photo Courtesy Bonhams Cars Auction House.

After looking up the engine register in Roy Bacons book  I find that the engine number coresponds to the engine being from 1955, which is is about the time the springer versions were introduced.

And you can see that we have "GS"and not "A"...

(getting more information on this)

So have we found BSA300 I think we may have...

Photo Courtesy EW Freeman...

And a photo taken from a book of a young Pat Lamper competing on the BSA B32 with the WOK159 plate on...

Photo Courtesy EW Freeman...

And a nice photo of the BSA B32 wearing the Wok 159 plate should that be realy BSA 300...

Photo Courtesy EW Freeman.

And another shot from the photo album taken in June last year 2023...

Of Ron Langston reunited with his old BSA B32 ...

you can see him saying "Yes that my old bike"...

Photo Courtesy Ray Biddle...Norman Vanhouse book.

Brian Martin with BSA 300 that he has just taken over the ride from John Draper in 1952...

More later...Just a start...

Updat2024/06.