Back in August 2020, after being signed off work with stress, Ben Rowett was in a pretty dark place, and needed a way out of it. His father, Andy, asked him if he’d like to help him in the repair and restoration of classic bikes, and he agreed and began working alongside him.
Some time later, while delivering a customer’s bike, he happened to mention an idea that’d been festering in his head for around a decade: an old British bike in a bobber style. He knew what he wanted, but had no idea of what sort of bike to use as a basis. When they got home, Andy handed him an old book of British motorcycles of the 1940s and ’50s to look through to see if there was anything that grabbed him, and he soon found two bikes that stood out – the sprung-hub range of Triumphs (1940-’55), and plunger-framed BSA A10 (1950-’56), because they had that rigid rear-end line, but also the comfort (well…) of a little suspension. As soon as he mentioned the A10, Andy said: “I know of one of them” as, it just so happened, he was keeping one, a 1955 model Golden Flash, in his lockup for a friend – they were straight on the ’phone to see if he fancied selling it? A deal was swiftly done and, later that afternoon, the bike was in the garage.
Ben couldn’t believe his luck; it was all there, and completely original and, still with the old fuel in the tank (and most of the oil in the sump), it started third kick. Ben said, in a suitably Brian Blessed roar over the noise of the motor: “‘GORDON’S ALIVE!”, and from that day on the bike’s affectionately been known as Gordon.
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Within a few hours the Beeza was down to its bare bones, and his vision began to take place. First, the engine was taken out and opened up to check nothing untoward was going on, and was found to be perfect, only needing a few minor things like the valves lapping in and the like. That done, he set about creating the bike that’d long been in his head, using as much of the original as possible. He’s a welder/fabricator by trade, so started with what he knew best: the sheet metal, using some large tube and some half-spheres to make an oil tank, adding a drain tap from an old two-stroke Scott, and machining up all the other fittings on the lathe.
Having been around classic bikes all his life, he’d seen bits on bikes he liked and drew inspiration from them, particularly his dad’s Model 50 Norton and his Scott TT replica. Both bikes have a ‘pan’ saddle so one of those was a must, and he found a guy in Germany, Alex Leather Craft, who specialised in making them, so ordered one (along with some exhaust tube from another supplier, and all the other bits he wouldn’t be able to make or, to quote his father, “didn’t have in stock”). He then turned up a brass bung/cap for the oil tank, and it looked so right he decided everything that could be brass would be, from the reducers for the fork gaiters to the washers to mount the seat springs, all machined himself.
While waiting for other bits to arrive, he made the seat mount, the engine head-steady, and the headlight mount (using a large black Lucas light at this point). The (exhaust) tube arrived, so he made the exhausts and fitted stubby cans to the backs of each (the mountings for these are the only welding done on the frame), and then work began making the mudguards. Now, he says, if he wasn’t in the beautiful (!) climate of Britain he probably wouldn’t’ve bothered with a front one, but anyway he decided to make it as minimal as possible, but capable of keeping at least some of the rain off (it doesn’t), while the rear one had to be a half-guard to keep the correct (“sexy”) line through the bike. Using an English wheel, he started to make some shapes and, while rooting through various boxes in the garage, he found some hydraulic brake banjos, and had the idea that he could use those for mounting the ’guards with some copper pipe. Nice.
Taking inspiration from the Model 50 Norton again, he made a number-plate holder and light, using a light like the one he’d been looking at since he was a child. That being the last part that needed fabricating, he and his dad could take the dry-built bike back apart, and send the relevant parts off for paint and powder. For a painter there was only one man he wanted to use: Steve Slight at Joeby’s Airbrush Art, as he’d painted many of Ben’s dad’s bikes, and he knew he could make his vision come to life. He wanted, you see, a BSA-sympathetic colour scheme, and’d decided on a maroon and gold theme and, once he’d found the correct RAL colour codes, they were passed on to Joeby.
There was one thing he hadn’t discussed with his dad, though – as long as he can remember, Andy always had a logo on his crash helmets that he did himself using his hand dipped in paint, and Ben wanted this on the tank so, with Andy out of earshot, he asked Joeby to do this in gold leaf.
When everything came back from paint, etc., they reassembled the old 650, and could finally see what’d been created. Ben couldn’t’ve been happier with the result, apart from one thing – it needed a brass headlamp. That took a while to source, but one was found, and shipped over from the States. Shakedown then proceeded, and a couple of minor issues raised their heads. The chain tensioner he’d made wasn’t up to the job and proceeded to destroy the battery box strap, so it was redesigned/remade using a small Talon sprocket; and the throttle was sticking on the (Amal) Concentric carb he’d fitted, so it was replaced with the Monoblock it should’ve had in the first place. Since then the bike’s done many miles with no other issues.
After fitting the brass headlamp, after it finally arrived, it altered the look of the top of the yokes, making them look a little bare, so he turned his hand to a little leather work and made some wraps for the top of the fork legs, along with some backers for the rubber knee pads, which finished it off perfectly.
Needless to say he’s very proud of Gordon, especially as it’s his first custom bike, and with it under his belt, he’s planning it to be the first of many, either for myself or others. We look forward to the next one!
Spec:
1955 BSA A10 Golden Flash engine (minimal air-filters, one-off stainless exhaust, BSA Gold Star oil pipes)/plunger frame/foot-rests/hangers/hubs (8-inch front/QD crinkle rear)/brakes/forks/yokes/tank (M20 brass badges), 18-inch rims (front/rear) stainless spokes, one-off alloy front mudguard, 7/8th flat ‘bars, Domino throttle/front brake/clutch levers, Vans waffle grips, one-off leather pan saddle, one-off rear ‘guard, one-off oil tank with drain tap from old Scott, one-off battery/electrics box, one-off bras strap, one-off ‘plate holder with sign-written ‘plate, minimal loom, aftermarket regulator, unknown 5-inch solid brass headlight, vintage-style rear/’plate light, duplex dip/main & horn switch, on/off light switch
Finish:
BSA maroon/gold paint & logos by Joeby’s Airbrush Art (01749 677498 or www.joebysairbrushart.co.uk), powder-coating by TPCS Powder-coating Services (01380 828561 or www.tpcs-magnesium-refurbs.co.uk)
Engineering:
All sheet metalwork by owner, electrical/mechanical work by owner & father, seat by Alex Leather Craft (www.leathercraft24.com)
Thanks To:
“First & foremost, my father, Andy Rowett, as without him this wouldn’t’ve been possible; Steve at Joeby’s Airbrush Art; Steve at TPCS; & Ray Hinton…”
