56 Gold flash resto

[bikerbob]

Hi there
I still maintain that for any marque of bike the owners club is the way to go. I give you my experience, some 16 years ago I bought a basket case with dating certificate from the VMCC that stated that the engine and frame numbers were both 1957 and I restored it as a Gold Flash as near as I could to  original but when I joined the  owners club I found out that in fact the frame is early 1956 and the engine is 1957 also the frame left the factory as a Shooting Star, in those days I did not know the differences between the frames. It is registered with the DVLA as a 1957 Gold Flash. I have just restored a BSA A65 1963 and the info I got from the owners club is quite detailed  the bike is all original it left the factory in October 1962 dispatched to a dealer in Bristol but sold originally by a different dealer and was first registered in June 1963 also the engine was with that bike when it left the factory and it was blue in colour.

[KiwiGF]

Hi BikerBob I agree with everything you said and thats why I joined the NZ BSAOC but in case there is any confusion I did not get a dating certificate from VMCC UK for 8 pnds, I only asked for and got a certificate as to what was showing on the BSA despatch records for the frame and engine numbers that I supplied them.

The local VMCC in NZ would visit and inspect a bike before providing a certificate for the purposes of registering a bike (they are approved to do so by the NZ authorities) and that would cost a lot more than 8 pnds!
 

[wackyone]

Just gone back over some paperwork that came with the bike and found a letter from the bsa owners
club dated march 2010.
It states the bike was dispatched to Claude rye on the 29th march 1956 with the engine number that is still
in the bike.
Colour should be polychromatic silver beige, The letter seems to be for the use of retaining the reg number
which was given to her in 1956

[bikerbob]

Hi there
From what you have indicated your bike is 1956 and as I said earlier now is the time to decide if you are going to go for originality. If you are then I am afraid you have quite a few changes to make,from what I can see from the photos the whole front end is wrong wheel, forks, mudguard, headlight also rear wheel is wrong not sure about the petrol tank it should have provision for the winged badges the sides of the tank should not be reccessed for the round or pear shaped badges. I would strongly suggest that you obtain a copy of the original parts list for that year. Good Luck with what ever you decide to do.

[KiwiGF]

Hi Wackyone here is a pic of my VMCC UK cert  - I thought you might to see one!

[wackyone]

I think as MG said Bsa started the 56 models back in august 55, as far as the rear wheel I think its correct along with the
tank. The front end is wrong and has already gone to a new home  8 inch half width drum being painted and the off for a new rim.
Im going to join the Bsa owners club and send off the details of the bike and see what it comes up with as the letter I have is not the same as the cert you have Kiwi.

Thanks for all the suport and info  keep it coming please

Rich

[trevinoz]

Rich,
                 Probably just old stock being moved out from the '55 production.
Nothing wrong with the '55 Flash. I ride one myself.

  Trev.

[bikerbob]

Hi there
I would say that if the dispatch date given is correct then you are 8 months into that year's production run and any old stock would have been used up long before that and both wheels would have been fitted with the ariel hubs. But if as the owner says he is going to join the owners club then he will get the correct details about the  bike and then he can make a decision about which way he is going.

[MG]

Hi bikerbob!

The despatch record says November 1955, so it is only 3 months after the model change. It was then registered early 1956, maybe has been standing at the dealer for some time, or the new owner waited for spring to come before using his brand new bike, who knows.  

The frame definitely is 1954/55 spec, and fitting an Ariel hub at the rear would require enlarging the hole for the swing arm spindle and fitting the cable bracket on the rhs frame loop. Also, as I have mentioned before, the swing arm and rear chain guard for 1956/57 models are markedly different. So using Ariel hubs is not a simple swap job, and the guys at BSA for sure would have used the QD rear hub on such an old stock frame, most likely together with the 8inch half width hub front.

[bikerbob]

Hi there.
 Must put my specs on when I read these posts you are probably right MG. As an aside from this it is possible to fit ariel hubs onto earlier front forks as I have already done this way back in 1995 when I undertook my restoration there was no Ebay and I could not find any front forks so I modified the earlier ones that came with the bike. If I remember correctly I just removed the the brake anchor lug and made a new anchor one to suit, fitted smaller internal  diameter bearings to suit the original spindle then had machined new distance pieces to keep wheel central in the forks and I also had to take a small amount off the inside of the brake hub as the new bearings were slightly wider than the originals. Most people do not notice until you point it out.

[KiwiGF]

Hi wacky as you have the silent blocs job to you might be interested in this thread as there are some pics of when I did it in frame section

http://www.a7a10.net/forum/index.php/topic,4293.0.html

[wackyone]

Thanks Kiwi, I had a good look at that one and hope mine go in the same !