BSA

BSA (Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd) was formed all the way back in 1861, in Small Heath, Birmingham.

The company was originally set up for the production of firearms but added a motorcycle division in 1903, producing their first ever motorcycle seven years later.

The company played a pivotal role in the two world wars, producing 1.5 million rifles, 145 Lewis machine guns, along with motorcycles, the world’s first folding bicycle, machine tools, jigs, gauges, aero components, gun locks, shells and fuses to support The Great War, and 126,334 service M20 motorcycles, munitions components, Browning guns and shell fuses to support World War II.

Between wars, BSA re-entered the automotive market under their own name in 1921 and increased its motorcycle production.

After purchasing Triumph Engineering Co. Ltd, BSA Motorcycles Ltd. was created in 1953 by separating from BSA Cycles Ltd. By the 1950s, BSA was the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, with one in every four motorcycles sold worldwide sporting the BSA badge.

In 1967 and 1968, the company was awarded the Queen's Award to Industry for the export of BSA and Triumph motorcycles. By 1969 they accounted for 80% of the British motorcycle industry's exports. Many organisations, like the AA, used BSA motorcycles for their patrol machines, and police forces all over the world preferred the BSA.

In 1971, despite all their success, the Group found themselves with a trading loss of £3m. The launch of 13 revised BSA and Triumph models was met with numerous production problems, meaning they missed the market at home and in America.

By the end of the year they were on the verge of bankruptcy. Sixty-three years of non-stop production ended abruptly in the summer of 1973.

However, following acquisition in October 2016 by Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group, nearly 50 years later, BSA is back, with the first new model the BSA Gold Star.