The Foster Otter Frame Register...

Alfonso Sanchez Foster Otter . Do you recognize this machine?

~~~~~~~

The Foster Otter Register…

21/05/2020…

After the amount of Foster Otter's turning up during this “Lockdown”….

And speaking to the man that sold most of them, and has the records…

The sensible thing to do was see how many of the 43 Harry Foster  built we could find…

So I am just going to list the bikes we know about, and then add to it, and put the bikes in order of frame numbers later…

BSA Otter.Com’s Otter…. BSA C15G....Ex Keith Henbest machine...

Frame Number….80…

Ian Ballard …two…

BSA B40, Frame Number   80…

Triumph. T100, Frame number T5088038…

Mike Smallshaw.

BSA B40 with History…

Frame Number…   80…

Andy Foster –Stretton Honor…

BSA B40 Frame Number   80…

Keith Henbest…

BSA Frame Number   80…

J Castiaux BSA B40 Belgium Ex J & M Dismore… Frame number …80…

Maggie Smith.. Now owned by Steve Hammond...

BSA B40 ex Jon Bliss.. frame Number …80… reg no 855 ETO...

Felix Eggenschileis…Ex Roy Topp built machine... 

BSA B40… Frame number …80…

Pete Wright…

BSA C15 Frame Number …80…

Stuart Coward…

Triumph 3ta…Frame number AC 9…

Mark Griffiths…

B40,GB… Frame Number …80…

Malcolm Coombes…

BSA Frame Kit New unused

Frame Number B5088039…

Barry Pocock …

Two Triumph T100. Sidecars…

Frame number …080…

Ex David Tarwacki… Frame number…?

Rene Mabily….

BSA B40 Frame Number... 080…

Michael Beard…

BSA B40 Frame Number… 080…

Hugie Irving …Could have been Tony Sulivan's Otter

“Cornwall Bike” BSA B40 GB…

Frame Number…080…

Duncan Wright …USA ….

BSA B40 ….

Frame Number… 080…

Dick Ramplee…

BSA C15…

Frame Number T …080…(last built by Harry Foster)

Philip Ives… sold to Ally Clift.

BSA C15-B40…

Frame Number…B 5088036…

Peter's, ex Stan Robinson…

BSA B40 CT… Frame Number B50880**…Could be Don Morley's old bike?

David Hickman's 

BSA B40... Frame Number ...3088...

H&H auctions...

BSA C15...  Frame Number ...080...?

Andrew Black's 

BSA C15 Frame Number  ...080...?

Ed Freeman's...

BSA B40 GB ex Dave Chick -Bill Hartnell machine...

And I think the Mike Hamm frame.

Frame Number.  ...080...

Photo David Hickman...frame number 3088...

Jim Susans Tells me that he had two frames  with the recommendation of Don Morley who had one of the frames for himself.

Jim built his first one into a bike for himself to ride, but later sold it on, has did Don Morley did with his.

The second frame  Jim built into a bike for the late Tony Rossie of the Barnet Club.

27/05/2020...

So I had a chat with Ally Clift, and he as kindly sent me the list of Foster Otter original Frame sales, that he had noted down in his sons old Truro school book...

So here you go this is the original sales list from him

~~~~~~~

So these are the 31 Frames and bikes that Ally Clift Sold... he did have some back through his hands later on ...But Ian Ballard told me that he had three frames two for him and one for his brother...

But Ally only has one listed, so did two come direct from Harry Foster?.. and were two of the 12 frames Harry sold below... 

_______ 

And the remaining 12 frames were sold directly from Harry & Carol Foster...

Mark Foster may have the records for them... We Hope...

16/12/2024...

Carol's list...

From Mark Foster..FB...

So Mark Foster has found this list of Otter frame sales... he said written by Carol  for records... Mark also listed the page with the sidecars on, that will be on the New Sidecar page to come...

The ? mark by Ian Ballards name, is because he had bought his first frame from Ally Clift, but also had a second frame for his brother from Harry and also the Triumph Otter frame kit that he has just built up...

Now adding these lists together we come up with the right number 43 as the last bike number 43 was not sold, but was to be Harry's bike and was built for a Triumph engine...Carol. let Dick Ramplee have the frame, and Dick used the jig to alter the brakets etc, to fit his BSA C15T engine.

If you look, it seems that the Keith Henbest, now the BSA Otter.Com number 25 bike was the last recorded by Carol and the underlined ones on the Ally Clift list were only recorded by him...

_______

This is the bike that I nearly bought. It went in my knowledge from Oxfordshire to Cornwall and then to Yorkshire?...

and could have been the one Ally Clift sold to Tony Sullivan...

SO...

 Let's see how many of these bikes we can bond with the current owners...

_______

Just a start to this page and photos will be added, and I hope another twenty bikes...

22/03/2022....

We found this Foster BSA Otter C15T  engined bike that was for sale on H&H Auction site.... it is said to have sold for £1900...? at the end of the auction... which was a steal for someone if that was right? But no one has come forward to say they own the machine, and there was a link to bsaotter... So we do not know the frame number...080... or who is the present owner?

Lot details...

Registration No: N/A
Frame No: Not Seen
Engine No: C15T 17807
CC: 250
MOT: N/A

• This BSA Otter was built by Harry Foster
• One of just a handful built by the maker...43built...
• Used by the vendor for a few events in his ownership
• Unusual hand-built machine which could be ideal for Pre 1965 trials
• The BSA has not been used for a couple of years
• Will need recommissioning before use...
•  

Photo H&H auctions...

So this machine is one of the missing bikes so can be added to the Register...

Photo Courtesy JCW © and Deryk Wylde...

Andrew Black aboard his Foster BSA Otter...This could be one of the Foster Otter's that were sold up into Scotland by Ally Clift...

Photo Courtesy Deryk Wylde...

Another Foster BSA C15 Otter, we think in one of the Northern trials Championships.?...And what rider?

11/02/2024...

And another Foster B40GB engined Otter joins the Fold ...

bought by a friend at The Telford Show... after I had checked the photo sent to me for conformation...

This one was owned by Dave Chick and Bill Hartnell from the Taunton Club and lived down in Somerset... 

Photo Courtesy Ed Freeman...

More history later when we find a frame number... of this one...

And more Foster BSA And Triumph Otter's will turn up later...

Photo Courtesy Dave Hickman...

Dave Hickman's Foster BSA B40 Otter, after his superb ride in the 2023 Talmag trial...

Photo from The Classic Motor Cycle.. 1988...

This is Stan Robinson aboard his Foster BSA B40 ... this bike is said to have been one of the Don Morley bikes...11/2024...

_______

Photo Courtesy Dave Hickman...

Dave Hickman aboard his Foster B40 BSA Otter, that he has rebuilt after being left in a shed until his father handed over the bike to him...There are more like this in sheds still, lets see if we can find more. You know the numbers...43...

_______

Photo Courtesy sidcupmcc.co.uk...

Dave is so pleased he now has the Foster BSA Otter. and enjoys riding the little bike...This ride was in the 2024 Jack Thompson trial...

So More later...

Updat2024...12...