The dust has long settled on last November’s EICMA motorcycle show, but there’s still plenty to process, including the staggering amount of bikes BSA is scheduled to introduce this year.
As a little recap, BSA (British Small Arms) traces its routes back to Birmingham in the 1860s, where it was manufacturing arms and motorcycles on an industrial scale. The BSA Bantam, for example, is often credited with getting post-war Britain moving again in the 1940s and has remained a coveted collectable since. Exaggerated by the fact the original company closed its doors in the 1970s.
India’s Mahindra Group resurrected the badge in 2016 and has since been launching models at a whiplash pace. Early last year it announced the Bantam 350 and BSA Scrambler 650, which both draw inspiration from their original counterparts but inject some serious modernity with the latest engine technology and rider aids.
“It looks like a mini-Dakar bike thanks to the twin headlamps and rally-style beak at the front”
Like Royal Enfield, BSA is playing on the brand’s heritage and the latest in a long line of retro-inspired machines is the Thunderbolt. BSA says the last badge to roll off the original Birmingham production line promised both touring and off-road capabilities — two attributes this modern version intends to celebrate.
It is built around a lightweight 334cc single cylinder, DOHC, liquid-cooled engine that’s nestled inside a modern adventure bike ‘exoskeleton’. This is joined by upside-down front forks and a mono shock at the rear, an upswept exhaust and rally-raid inspired bodywork, including knuckle guards and a reinforced bash plate.
It looks like a mini-Dakar bike thanks to the twin headlamps and rally-style beak at the front. The EICMA show bike was also perfectly complimented by soft luggage at the rear and chunky off-road tyres.
BSA says the modern-day Thunderbolt also includes high-tech driver aids and accessories, with traction control and three ABS modes (Rain, Road, Off-Road) helping to improve grip and performance on an array of surfaces.
“BSA is playing on the brand’s heritage and the latest in a long line of retro-inspired machines”
A USB charging port helps keeps devices brimmed and a digital display takes care of speed readouts, turn-by-turn directions and other key information. There’s also an adjustable windscreen that can easily be operated when stood on the pegs.
There’s no promise on when the bike will arrive, but a BSA spokesperson told MCN that the UK will likely be the first market to receive it. Considering the Bantam costs just £3,499, it is bound to be on the more affordable end of the spectrum.
