Bantam racing

[albrid-3]

How any of you vintage scramblers would be interested in a  BSA Bantam class, or how any person out their own Bantam that would like to have some fun with their Bantam. l am just checking, because they where a big part of our scramble history
regards
david

[mx250]

Bantams; now, that is vintage.

[mx250]

It might be Vintage but it ain't cheap .........

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BSA-Bantam_W0QQitemZ160321368901QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Motorcycle_Parts_Accessories?hash=item160321368901&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318

[firko]

Here's an interesting little jewell, spotted at the Nepean 50th Anniversary meeting on the weekend. It's an early version of Ray Doles string of Victa lawn mower powered machines. This one has a Victa top end grafted to a Bantam bottom end.
The later bike that Ray had at CD6 had a complete Victa engine and is the only Aussie made bike to win an Aussie title, the '62 125 motocross and dirt track titles.
           

Below:Here's Ray's other Victa, this one has twin pumper carbys and is a complete Victa engine. While the engine is far more advanced in this one, the chassis/suspension is more primitive so I'm not sure which bike came first.
           

[frostype400]

Wow that is a nice looking bike. Are my eyes playing tricks on me or is that pipe ending just under the bike very impressive thanks Michael.

[Curly3]

Your eyes aren't playing tricks Frosty, Its a dump pipe.

[frostype400]

of to the dump i go to try and find one

[mike1948]

This one reminds me of the first lightweight track bike I raced, around 1965 after giving up with my Aerial 500 twin(shackle heel rear end, try that on a scramble track).  It was a 197 James, with a motor which had seen service in a go cart, so was quite heavily ported. The megaphone exhaust made it incredibly load, but it could hang with the bigger bikes on a scrambles track, easier to ride.  My first vision of the future!!  It would make a very competitive pre60 bike today - might have to fit some sort of muffler though.
Mike

[firko]

Hows this one grab you? It's "Marulan" Ray Atkins great resto of the Bill Morris Bantam that terrorised the 125s back in the 50s/early 60s. Photographed in Kamp Kevlar at CD4. Ironically the Victa of Ray Dole and this bike were arch rivals in their day and it's refreshing to see them both survive.

[Allbrit]

What a splendid idea.
The BSA Bantam was the mainstay in 125cc scramble (and road race) competition in the 1950's and early 1960's.
There would still be a fair number of machines available for rebuilding and competition.
Photos of my Bantam in the early 1960's, and of a current machine in my collection.
Lets have them out for Broadford.

[firko]

What a splendid idea

Dave, as much as old farts like you and I can fondly remember when Bantams were still buzzing around our tracks, it's a big ask to think that anybody outside of our age bracket would be interested in racing them. As we've seen with other classes you rarely get people interested in divisions of racing that they can't directly relate to. It's tough enough to get todays vintage racers to even look at anything older than 1980 let alone thinking they'd be remotely interested in building and racing something as primitive as a Beeza Bantam.

We floated the idea of a 100cc dunger class on this forum a while ago and after the cyber excitement died down, only a small few had actually committed themselves to actually building a bike. If something as simple as that, using cheap and easily procurable bikes falls on its arse through lack of committment, you'd be 'wrestling rhinos' thinking you'd get support for a Bantam only series. Sadly Dave, I fear that the bikes from our generation will soon be destined for the 'lunch time demo' class. :'(

[EML]

Or, you could get the class going and set up some juniors on them, sought of like a feeder class for our kids or grand kids, just get them on the track. Mix then in with the 100 dunger class if need be.
We need more blokes like Ron Ash from Dalby, he owns the EML we race and is far happier seening it out racing than sitting in his shed so where are all the oldies like him?

[pancho]

there was nothing could compare to the sound of the first race of the day at bathurst when sitting up at Mcphillamy park this gaggle of screaming bantams appeared out of the mist like a bunch of angry hornets, raw methanol dripping off the lips of open ended megaphones.[no two exhaust systems were the same!] You had to be there. cheers wally.

[firko]

We need more blokes like Ron Ash from Dalby, he owns the EML we race and is far happier seening it out racing than sitting in his shed so where are all the oldies like him?

In theory EML you've offered up a good plan to get the young blokes out there on old bikes. To you and me it makes good sense BUT unfortunately, the majority of todays younger riders would rather roll in dog shit than ride something as primitive as a Bantam. I've been sponsoring riders on my bikes for years and know from trying that the juniors aren't a bit interested in our old bikes.

[frostype400]

I would be happy to race one. But I know I am one of few younger guys interested I rode in the Benalla vinduro I had to be the youngest guy there and it didnt matter what bike you were on everyone was having fun my little brother isn't interested though he has a 96 kx80.