Great vid thanks. Dad had a Bantam, he fitted a 197 Villiers 8E engine for a bit of extra power, made the engine plates etc. himself. He even fabricated and fitted a sidecar to it for family outings, back in the day! Still remember it with affection.
Hi Joop...thanks for that mate...I got a B175 a few months ago...completed my CBT about a month ago..already started toward mt group A...such a pain to have to do the full hit on a 650 bike just to ride my bantam which is just sitting in my garage. 40 years since I last took a road test...theory at the end of this month.
+Paul Fabrique Then the Japanese came along with their Hondas, Yamahas and Kawasakis - and revealed a level of engineering to us that we couldn’t ever begin to conceive of given our limited skillset - it simply wasn’t within our makeup or repertoire - but, we learnt humility and found a way of living alongside our betters - Banzai!
+Paul Fabrique We might have started the ball rolling - but by god, did we drop it - for decades now it’s been a case of - no Rolls Royce Aero without BMW and no Cosworth without Ford. And a good thing they came along - neither company would have realised its potential under our sole stewardship - we’d be nowhere now with that revitalising injection of 'johnny foreigner' know-how to sort us out. We had our innings and we fared well at the bat in our time - that time’s gone - but we can console outselves with our new role as junior partner to the earth’s current great nations. Banza! Yeehaw und Hurra!.
+C Huzz All ‘take me back to dear old blighty’ sentimentality aside - The expertise is not all ours and we are not world leaders. RR is a multinational company because it failed as a national project on the technology front in the 70s and had to be propped up by the then conservative government. Then in the 80s Thatcher’s government privatised it rather than carry it any further. Without foreign engineering and guidance there would be little British engineering. We are very much - backseat drivers. This decline or relegation in our world standing sticks in our collective craw and is, culturally, something we have yet to reconcile ourselves with.
+cahillgreg Oh dear, I fear you could find a negative in anything. You write as if we're some kind of inferior race of half wits and the entire rest of the world are all geniuses simply by virtue of being foreign! Cheer up, British engineering is in a much healthier state than you seem to think.
+C Huzz No, it’s not that I’m being overly or purposively captious; it’s more an overdue dose of constructive criticism re broken Britain being a busted flush - I like your nit wits/geniuses take on things - it catches something of that fool Britannia fumbling and floundering where others exhibit an easy facility.
I real;y like the look of these simple bikes...I dont have a M/C licence but have a full UK car/hgv licence. What licence would I need if I got myself a 175 Bantam. What is the best year to go for seeing I'm a newby. Nick in the UK.
Very late response, but was a holiday in Skegness that convinced me to find one. Two were running around as apparent daily rides and one was in a shop window on the high street.
They would sell now by the shedload now, and the the 80:1dual entry lube technology they'd get past the emissions laws too. Novelty bikes are only enjoyment left in this radar-crazed world.
The bike that delivered the death knell to the Bantam and many other small British designs was the Honda C90. the reason it was superior to the small two strokes that dominated that area of the market. Having said that, the bantam does deserve its place in British motorcycling history. Many, in differing capacities and styling were built before its ultimate dismiss by the Japanese invasion.
@@brianperry I'm talking about a toy for the over 50s who have a car, several bikes and bit too much money. Obv the cheap mode of transport option will carry on being a fifteen year old Astra.
Great vid thanks. Dad had a Bantam, he fitted a 197 Villiers 8E engine for a bit of extra power, made the engine plates etc. himself. He even fabricated and fitted a sidecar to it for family outings, back in the day! Still remember it with affection.
I had a Bantam 175 in Scrambles trim when I was a schoolboy - used to ride it down a disused railway line. Fun times.
Hi Joop...thanks for that mate...I got a B175 a few months ago...completed my CBT about a month ago..already started toward mt group A...such a pain to have to do the full hit on a 650 bike just to ride my bantam which is just sitting in my garage.
40 years since I last took a road test...theory at the end of this month.
aww shes lovely i just bought the 1968 BSA D14B today, best investment ever!
1968 bought a bas Batam brand new from C and C motorcycles Burnley .had some great times on
I had a D14/4 from 1970, second hand from Parson's Motors, Redhill. Excellent little commuter bike till I rebuilt a Triumph T100
sounds nice and healthy lovely thanks for sharing. Enjoy your BSA :)
Well behaved Bantam, started first kick!. My old D3 could be a right old bugger to start cold!. 🤣🤣
nice bike sounds and looks good
I remember these being the go to commuter before Honda arrived with the CD175.
My Farther had a lawn mower witch sounded like this but riding this bike is far more fun than mowing..
That's the sound of power right there
What you see here, is all that is great about Blighty. This is what we fought for!
+Paul Fabrique Then the Japanese came along with their Hondas, Yamahas and Kawasakis - and revealed a level of engineering to us that we couldn’t ever begin to conceive of given our limited skillset - it simply wasn’t within our makeup or repertoire - but, we learnt humility and found a way of living alongside our betters - Banzai!
+Paul Fabrique We might have started the ball rolling - but by god, did we drop it - for decades now it’s been a case of - no Rolls Royce Aero without BMW and no Cosworth without Ford.
And a good thing they came along - neither company would have realised its potential under our sole stewardship - we’d be nowhere now with that revitalising injection of 'johnny foreigner' know-how to sort us out.
We had our innings and we fared well at the bat in our time - that time’s gone - but we can console outselves with our new role as junior partner to the earth’s current great nations. Banza! Yeehaw und Hurra!.
+C Huzz All ‘take me back to dear old blighty’ sentimentality aside - The expertise is not all ours and we are not world leaders. RR is a multinational company because it failed as a national project on the technology front in the 70s and had to be propped up by the then conservative government. Then in the 80s Thatcher’s government privatised it rather than carry it any further. Without foreign engineering and guidance there would be little British engineering. We are very much - backseat drivers. This decline or relegation in our world standing sticks in our collective craw and is, culturally, something we have yet to reconcile ourselves with.
+cahillgreg Oh dear, I fear you could find a negative in anything. You write as if we're some kind of inferior race of half wits and the entire rest of the world are all geniuses simply by virtue of being foreign!
Cheer up, British engineering is in a much healthier state than you seem to think.
+C Huzz
No, it’s not that I’m being overly or purposively captious; it’s more an overdue dose of constructive criticism re broken Britain being a busted flush - I like your nit wits/geniuses take on things - it catches something of that fool Britannia fumbling and floundering where others exhibit an easy facility.
I real;y like the look of these simple bikes...I dont have a M/C licence but have a full UK car/hgv licence.
What licence would I need if I got myself a 175 Bantam.
What is the best year to go for seeing I'm a newby.
Nick in the UK.
Full bike license mate.
this looks like a fun bike
yer man i had one 1971 loved it . colin . skegness
Very late response, but was a holiday in Skegness that convinced me to find one. Two were running around as apparent daily rides and one was in a shop window on the high street.
Beautiful
Very nice!
They would sell now by the shedload now, and the the 80:1dual entry lube technology they'd get past the emissions laws too.
Novelty bikes are only enjoyment left in this radar-crazed world.
The bike that delivered the death knell to the Bantam and many other small British designs was the Honda C90. the reason it was superior to the small two strokes that dominated that area of the market. Having said that, the bantam does deserve its place in British motorcycling history. Many, in differing capacities and styling were built before its ultimate dismiss by the Japanese invasion.
@@brianperry I'm talking about a toy for the over 50s who have a car, several bikes and bit too much money. Obv the cheap mode of transport option will carry on being a fifteen year old Astra.
Mmmmm
I want one, Sub and like from me!!!