BSA Bantam D7 - FREE BIKE - Resto Thread

I will copy and paste into this thread as build thread for the bike IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE ?

Loads of pics to be added later.

Please add any information, and if you know where parts are going cheap, or free, please let me know.

There are a few bits missing and some bits knackered.

What you see in the photos is what I was given today.

This will be 100% learning for me.

The head is seized, and I could not get the plug out with modderate force earlier.

Got to meet up with Kev today, and have to say, what a thoroughly decent and knowlegable chap.

I had my mate Kevin use his wife's car to tow my lightweight bike trailer to fetch the Bantam Kev gave me ( he had rescued it from the crusher recently), a lovely 200 mile return road trip.

Look in Kev's signature for the other bikes he has, including a stonking Kawasaki Z1000 MkII and a BSA with a neat story.

The other bike that took my fancy was a little Yellow gem of a Honda (a bike I had incidentally had on my Ebay watch list a few weeks ago)

I can now say that I have FREE BSA Bantam D7 with a seized head to restore.
Thanks to England-Kev.

My wife is not convinced, but hopefully she will allow me to get it back to running, and much later do a cosmetic resto or clean up.

In the mean time I will start looking for bits and pieces that are missing off it.



Read more: http://www.retrorides.proboards.com...mod&action=display&thread=96377#ixzz1BtQh99fo

Ah happy memories of schoolboy idiocy on a Bantam offroader....wasn't much better than yours but it ran...seemed feckin fast at the time

I'll watch this one with interest...Stay with it

I started my grass track racing on Bantams, we used to tune them to the eyeballs. D14/4 was the one to have.

This isn't mine but they ended up looking something like this.

I'll watch and follow with interest Grizz being as I cut my teeth on an old D7.
Did my RAC/ACU training course back in errr mmmm 1963 on it

You have your work cut out my friend

If things get really grim you could always use the Bantam forum......
http://bsabantamclub.11.forumer.com/

Thank guys, I am sure there will still be loads of tears.

Have a few pics taken when we collected the bike.

Kev's very Rare in the UK, Honda 90 , it is a USA import that I had been watching on Ebay too.
Having seen some of his other bikes, I know this one will be a good one too.

Kevin and Kevin discussing what a bike with two rear sprockets can get up to with a postal delivery guy on it, or out hunting on the farm.



Note the two sprockets at the rear, one bolts over the other, and then you splice a section of chain in to lengthen the chain, and hey presto...... low range.





Loaded Bantam.



Just what have I let myself in for ??




The long road home.......




Parked up at home in the garage..... it will stay here for a bit till I know what to do and what I need.

More detailed pics later.

NIce one Grizz Look forward to the thread

Are you sure you want to do this?
My first bike was a Bantam 150cc D3 carb.
I do not recognise ANY of the bits on your D7. apart from the weedy swinging arm.

BTW the magneto will almost certainly be junk. If you ever get that far you can start a bantam with a duff magneto by shutting the contact breaker gap to half the normal gap and bumping it. I did that for several months as could not afford the £13. for a new one.

Have fun

I'm awaiting this with interest, I had a Bantie for 5 days, till someone offered me 5x more than i'd paid for it [enough to buy a Royal Enfield Bullet 350]..
Many years later I found out why
It was a Bantam Bushman mk1 [not the later one in the tiger Cub frame] [ supposedly rare as rocking hoss shit ]
He restored it to within a whisker of Concurs and was winning Stafford etc for many years....
Get on to the BSA historians, find out exactly what yours was..
If it's a Bushman you've got a very worthwile project

Grizz .... I have the Glass's Guide Motorcycle Check Book 1946 to 1958 if you want help dating the engine and frame numbers!

OK ... it was a confidential publication back in the 60's but attaching copy, nothing here that can't be found through the BSA owners club or manuals anyway

Hope it helps

Nice on Rian

A man cannot have too many bikes, just too little a space in which to keep them

I had a bantam Bushman when i was a yoof great fun good luck with the restoration

Would be nice if it was a Bushman, but somehow I doubt it. 1966 marked the introduction of the Bushman and was a 4-speed D7 for one year only, so if you've got a '66 it may be a Bushie. Next year was designated D10 and in '68 it became D14 which lasted until production ended.

I had a '68 four-speeder which quickly became a 3-speed, the 'box was notorious for dropping 2nd gear and was a bugger to fix. When you did, it ran for a few months and dropped the friggin' thing again.

You might be able to identify the year using your engine and frame prefixes on this site.

Good luck with the restoration

I believe the last one was the B175 (also known as the D175). From memory it was the only one that had the spark plug mounted vertically in the centre of the head. I've still got the Haynes Super Profile book on the Bantam that I bought years ago. Good luck with the restoration.

Is it finished yet?

Timolgra said:

Is it finished yet?

Click to expand...

Patience Grasshopper......


Just back from a job interview, had tea, now playing internet.

Tomorrow in London, Wednesday plumber in to connect new electric shower after I gutted my bathroom and redid it.

I will sit down with the bike and start looking at it soon as I get a bit of time.

Tonight I had Tom (Nicola's son who will "never ride that thing" ) in the garage sparaying every nut, bolt and joint with WD40, seemed he enjoyed it too, which makes me happy as he is suchan X-Box generation kid.


Micky, yes please, I will give you a PM once I have found the numbers, where ever they are on the engine and frame.


How true.
" A man cannot have too many bikes, just too little a space in which to keep them "

Grizz said:

Micky, yes please, I will give you a PM once I have found the numbers, where ever they are on the engine and frame.

Click to expand...

The frame number will be on the headstock, I think the engine number will be on the crankcase just below the barrel!

The swing arm model was introduced in December 1957 with the Bantam Super.

Happy days sniff sniff .....

Thanks Micky, I will start cleaning and digging when I get to it.


Right, now for some detail pics.

What you see is what I have , no spares, and the missing or rotten bits are the bits I will be needing to see this bike back together.

Keeping in mind I want..... no NEED to do it on a shoestring, being unemployed etc, buying brand new parts or trading vital organs for bits aint gonna happen.



Side engine cover missing, and probably everything inside there rotten.



Chain will get a diesel bath and soak, then a decent wash (maybe in the wife's dishwasher indoors)



OK, who knows Sammy Miller ?

Original number board hints at history of this bike, which I do not know yet.



Home made footpegs, corrosion, and exhaust tell part of the story.



I want to flip the exhaust up to be high level, and will make up a heatshield for it from some ally I have here, or modify something else.




Rear subframe was "modded" with a 10 pound hammer or something similar.
Ideally it needs replacing.
The seat also needs significant editing I would say.
Rear shocks will probably get replaced if I can get a decent set.



Rear view, needs a bit of magic.



Front view.



Handlebars and throttle assembly have probably seen their best days.



Front and rear wheels are both 19" items, surely not correct.
I plan to sand them down and paint, either black or silver Hammerite, spokes are only in need of a clean up.
Hobs need to be checked.



Loads of little dents on the tank, rusted inside, and sticker stating " Bantam Super " was painted over at some point.
Happy to clean up the tank and repaint it, and clean the inside with modern rust agents and seal it, unless I find a really decent replacement tank.





Seat has a large rip that could be micro sewed up, or replaced.



Lastly for tonight, I am led to believe this is a competition head on there, enough reason to fix it all up.




There you go then, that is the story to date.

Tomorrow I am in London for most of the day, but hope to find the engine and frame numbers by the weekend.

In the mean time, keep fingers crossed that mirracles happen around this lovely little bike.