Oh dear !

[Richard Negus]

The story in Epi #88 of the BSA-badged Classic illustrates all too clearly how some person's prejudiced viewpoint can, in the fullness of time, be perceived as a 'truth'. How, in the summer of 1973, Denis Poore was persuaded by the government to take on responsibility for BSA/Triumph (with anuual losses then running at £4.0 million) in addition to running Norton Villiers is well documented and doesn't include 'dodgy dealing' and 'share scams'. The eventual failure of the conglomerate is also well documented, and in my opinion, was inevitable given the abysmal labour relations, outdated production processes and outdated products. Remember the Honda CB750 in 1972 ? Four cylinders, overhead cam, five speeds, disc brake, mirrors/indicators/pillion footrests as standard ?The decal on the handlebar clamp suggests that BSA had a fully developed, production-ready rotary in 1973 and that it finally appeared as the Classic in 1988. That conveniently ignores the total re-design by NVT, putting the gearchange on the now-standard left, introduction of a pressed steel frame, and many patented features. It also ignores the many Interpol 2 machines sold to police forces and to the military before the Classic was made, all of which helped to pay the overheads of what I will always believe to be Mr Poore's personal pet project. It's a shame that he didn't live long enough to see the Classic in production."1976 BSA TORNADO -IF ONLY" indeed ! What a fraud !As both an ex-BSA employee and involved in the design and manufacture of the Classic, I seem to have this strong feeling of outrage that such a series of wrongs could have been perpetrated firstly on Denis Poore, on BSA, on Norton and on such a pleasant motorcycle as the Classic.As Bill H remarks in his note, it makes a good talking point !R.

[rotarian]

I agree Richard, what a talking point! What a way to de-value a lovely bike! Complete and utter rubbish. The best thing Bill could do is invest in a proper paint job(including wheels) and get the Norton badge back on it.

[Interpol2471]

I think we all knew that was coming better take a blood pressure tablet Richard

[Malc]

Uploaded a file that reminds me of this into gallery! Adapted from Shobba from Bike MagazineI like the BSA badged bike, no worse than the 'Chinese' Nortons.

[rotarian]

The Chinese Nortons have never been near a Norton Factory,The BSA badge is the only thing that is BSA! At least the bike came from a Norton Factory.Why call a bike that was made as a Norton something else? Just putting a badge on a bike doesn't mean that's what it is,the possibilities are endless otherwise.A lot of the parts are Yamaha,but I have never seen one badged as one,(yet)!

[Richard Negus]

Badge engineering is nothing new in the motorcycle world and perhaps BSA Triumph was the worst culprit. To the accountants of the time, using similar components on differing brands and models made sense but the end results were a compromise.The association between Yamaha, BSA and Norton has been going on for longer than most people realise ; few know of the Yamaha trail bike that was re-badged BSA and re-exported to Australia, perhaps to avoid import tariffs on Japanese bikes.Or the Yamaha four-stroke motocrossers actually assembled by Norton ?Or the batch of Yamaha XS750 three-cylinder, shaft drive bikes that were kitted out with fairings and other equipment as Norton police demonstrators ? If that had been successful, there might never have been an Interpol 2 - and then where would we be ?The point I was trying to make in my original post is that the bike is a NORTON ; putting BSA on the tank and a personal political statement on the handlebar clamp doesn't make it a BSA !R.

[Interpol2471]

Oh I know someone who tested one of the Yamaha engined Police Nortons ... and there was me calling him a fibber

[Malc]

I was on a Yamaha course as at the time worked for Yamaha main agent when the instructor mentioned that there was a police bike version of the XS 750 under test. Remember doing some gearbox mods under warranty to them and having a 'middle' gearbox fail due to the driveshaft flange nut coming loose and having to wait ages for parts. Never heard that it may be badged as a Norton though.I dare say some in BSA OC would say the badge is the best part of the re-badged classic but then if it was put back to standard it would be the same asa the other 99 or so and if they were all lined up in a row most people would look at any Classic and then at the re-badged one. Would not matter if it was rebadged or green with red spots, it would stand out. I dont think it matters as 'its just a bloody motorbike'.Motorcyclists of a certain age sem to want to personalize their bikes only to get them back to standard at another age or stage in their life.As we get older, nostalgia is the thing until you ride the older bikes and then you realize just how far things have progressed.At the sharp end working the spanners for a living, the badges become less important as no one has yet made the perfect bike that runs for ever on minimal maintenance and without breakdown. As for police bikes, I am not alone in having the unbiassed opinion that the old 8 valve BMW K100s were the best for the job.

[Derek Nicol]

Aside from the inacurate plaque... i like it, in the same way that i would like to see an F1 painted up in the Blue/Silver/Red paint scheme of the original race bike. It is a good talking point and serves to remind us that if things had worked out differently our Rotary Bike could well have borne a BSA (or even a Triumph) badge. Personally im glad that my bike has the Norton name on it, to my mind it is the superior of the three marques but credit where credit is due, it was BSA that started it all in 1969.Could somebody prise that 'handlebar clamp rant' off and everyones blood pressure could return to normal