A BROMSGROVE local has been reunited with their 1960’s BSA motorcycle after almost 60 years apart.
Donald Westwood, who bought the BSA Rocket 650 in 1961 was fortunate to see his beloved bike faithfully restored by another enthusiast, James Lucas, who took ownership of the bike in 1984.
Donalds daughter, Carol Westwood, was inspired to track down her father’s motorcycle after looking through old photographs of the bike at their family home.
Donald’s BSA Rocket 650 in the 1960’s. s
After her search bought her to the BSA Motorcycle Owners U.K. Facebook page, she posted about her father’s bike and was delighted to be contacted by the motorbike’s owner.
James Lucas, along with other members of the BSA owners club, travelled to Donalds home in Bromsgrove to show him the bike, which had been restored to its former glory.
Donald said: “I was really pleased when I saw the bike. It cost me £220 back then and I imagine “it’s worth a whole lot more now.
“I’m glad someone has looked after it.”
Carol said: “It’s great to see him reunited with his bike. He’d been looking forward to it all week and it was lovely for him.”
Donald sold his BSA in Redditch in 1966 and has since come to learn that the bike had remained in Worcestershire for most of its life, now residing with James Lucas in nearby Herefordshire.
Donald wearing his motorcycle gear. s
At their height of production, BSA’s were the most manufactured motorcycles in the world and were first designed and produced in Birmingham in 1910, by the
Birmingham Small Arms manufacturing company.
After BSA’s poor financial decisions and fierce competition from Japanese and European motorcycle manufacturers, a government led rescue operation saw Norton
Villiers, later known as Norton Villiers Triumph (NVT) purchase the company in 1973.
Despite best efforts to live on the famed BSA name, production of the bikes ceased after parent company, NVT liquidated in 1978.
The rights to produce motorcycles under the BSA name then bounced around from owner to owner but various attempts to reignite the brand throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s did not receive the demand or reception they would have liked.
Current owners, Mahindra Group, who purchased the brand in 2016 bought the beloved BSA back to its routes by announcing a new model was in development in Birmingham in 2021.
The new model, named Gold Star, in a nod to the 1950/1960 BSA model of the same name, has been in production in India for the last couple of years.
