Felix Eggenschwiler's .

Foster BSA B40 Otter.

Seems, his mates know him as "Eggi",

But he is the owner of one of the Iconic "Foster BSA Otter's" that we have been looking at for years...

 Now we know who owns the machine I have asked him to send us the story of the bike since he has owned it.

 I am sure we will get a reply one day...

 Anyway here are a few photos of the machine old and new. So enjoy these while we await the story.

The owner aboard the Iconic Foster B40 Otter, in a typical continental Europeon trial.

A Spirited attack by Felix  on a man made trials obstacle.

Don't lend your mates a machine to ride because things may happen like the kickstart breaking off.

The next shot to this photo, is of the bike being push started by the Fantic and rider behind.

But they did enjoy the ride on a true Classic of a machine.

This could be one of the frames that this machine started life with.

a Harry Foster BSA Otter... from the first batch I think...

No matter how you look at this machine, you just want to own it.

The Rickman hubs are so period they just blend into the concept of the machine. And even the Beamish Suzuki Japanese made fuel tank looks the part on this Foster Otter.. Built originally by Roy Topp in Chandlers Ford Hampshire in the UK ...

The tucked in Terry Weedy style exhaust system is true to the original Foster BSA Otters.

 And basically a copy of the exhaust system fitted to the Original BOK228C Scott Ellis Works BSA...

There are loads more photos of this machine, but now we know who owns it, and thank you Felix Eggenschwiler for sending me the photo's, and we are looking forward to the story of the bike since you have owned it...

But we would still like to know the story from the man that built up the Foster BSA B40 Otter...originally  into this style...Roy Topp...from Chandlers Ford in Hampshire...

Roy Topp was one of four race mechanics for Sir Jackie Stewart  and looked after the Ken Tyrrell  race cars but more importantly the cars that Sir Jackie raced... After Tyrrell was sold to BAR in 1998 Roy Topp went onto look after, and restore, the ex Tyrrell GP race cars for the new American owner... Then was later a mechanic for the Paul Stewart Racing team...(Sir Jackies son)... So yes you could say that Felix Eggenschwiler's Foster BSA B40 Otter was built by a man that knew what he was doing.. Roy Topp...  

And why the colour of the bike was BLUE...

Photo Credited ...

Roy Topp is the mechanic on the left with car Tyrrell 006-2...

This was said to be Sir Jackie Stewarts last F1 race.. for Tyrrell...

So More on this story  later...

The original photo of this machine... about 2010, I got it... or even a time before...

So let's take a closer look at the build, and to what I can remember the bike was said to have been built from an original Foster BSA Otter frame kit  by somone that worked in the Formula One racing industry and built it as a recreational project...this is what I was told in 2010, and what we don't know is if Felix himself work's or used to work in this Formula One industry too...

But now what I have found out from a 2017 email that I missed ...sent to me is that...

Quote:

"The Foster Otter belonging to German guy Felix Eggenschwiler  was originally built by Roy Topp from Chandlers Ford UK and in 2006 was sold through me to a buyer in Spain..."

So lets take a look at the Smart Foster BSA B40 Otter...

Lets start at the front of the bike and work back... Forks are I think Ceriani but the yokes could be from a Fantic I feel. Front hub is no mistaking a Rickman 6" alloy conical  as is the rear, wearing that superbly holed alloy 62 tooth 428 chained  sprocket, and I like the detail to the stainless steel brake Anchor...

The Foster Otter  frame was stripped and sent off to the chromer to get it's splended chrome finish coat or this could have been plated from when the frame was new...but  this is what made the bike stand out from other painted Foster Otter's.

The Beamish Suzuki tank crowns the BSA GB B40 engine  sporting it's BSA B44 Victor alloy barrel.  The seat is not the normal Ossa glass fibre based seat that most Foster Otter's were fitted with from new, but what looks like an alloy based tightly fitting one off... One thing we do know that the machine works very well like all Foster Otter's do, but this one just tends to show out more from the others because of the plated finish...

Lets hope one day that the page gets updated with the full story...

The Beamish Suzuki fuel tank actually suits the machine very well with the  chrome plated frame ...

The footrest position  is a bit lower and slightly further back than the original footrests fitted to the Foster Otter frame. But times have changed and the balance factor now comes into play a great deal...

The silencer is the same shape as the Terry Weedy ones, but looks like made in more sections than two... 

More Later...

Updat2023...05...