Hi folks,
just joined up this weekend as I found the site while looking for some pictures of A10 tank lining. I've had BSA'a since I was at school, and still have an A7 and A10 now.
Like a lot of people, I have been in and out of serious riding as families come along.
However, I'm back full time - with the exception of recovering from a broken arm! While this was a pain, it gave me 3 months at home to sort my garage out and I finally unearthed my bikes.
I have a plunger A10 from 1951 and a 1948 rigid long stroke A7, and a 1948 M33 rigid / girder, but we won't talk about that -or the other non BSA's!
I took the A10 to the north of England in 2002 where it suffered an engine problem (I had only just bought it and didn't know the history), so I decided a complete engine rebuild would be a good idea. As I was working away from home I entrusted this to a local engine builder, and fellow club member.
As I didn't want to be without a bike, and I needed to repaint the A7 the same guy did an engine swap and put the A7 rigid motor in the A10 plunger frame, which while not that simple did eventually happen and I still had a twin to ride.
He rebuilt the A10 bottom end, rebored the barrels and generally plodded away at the rebuild -I was in no rush as I was out of the country with my job.
Then a twist of fate intervened and my engine builder was called up to go to Iran with the UK territorial Army where he worked on military vehicles. He had to leave all his work as it was and go, so I collected my engine in a 90% complete state. It was well protected, labelled and boxed up, so I put it at the back of the garage.
Roll forward 8 years, I've worked in Scotland, New Foundland, Monaco (Monte Carlo) and now back in Sussex, and due to the accident have had time to sort my garage- it took some doing!
As of yesterday the engine is back in one piece and I'm hoping to get the A10 road legal ready for original engine to be fitted next week. After 9 years I might actually find out what a plunger A10 rides like. In the meantime I'm preparing the A7 for paint before re-uniting it with it's original engine, so by the end of Autumn should have 2 fully working 'A' series bikes. I'm sure it will have been worth the wait. I'll post some pictures later, but as it's a beautiful day I'm off for a ride!
