MY 1953 BSA B33
I’ve had a burning desire for a Big BSA single, and although I have my M21, a 500cc ohv single is an entirely different motor to the 600cc side valve motor that the M21 has. Once again, like the Star Twin, I have chosen a plunger frame, but what really caught my eye with this model is the 1953 tank badges. These are very Triumph and Enfield like and have a nice flashy motif especially as the badges are a combination of paint and polished brass.
I was lucky in the summer (2010) to purchase a cheap 1962 Super Rocket for only £2,500, this I used as a straight swap for this B33 with only half of the delivery cost to pay which was £75. I bought the B33 from Pembrokeshire Classics after seeing the photograph on google Image search. The whole deal was conducted by emails and photographs without even a live eye look over, well as distance was so great I did not have much choice.
So a reasonably good deal was struck and I was generally happy with the bike when it arrived but obviously nervous as to what I would find. Indeed there were problems as this was to be expected of a 57 year old machine! Most noticeably was the broken mudguard hinge, shown in the small picture below, the head lamp lens was not correct as I don’t think cibie head lights were around at that time. The seat looks so wrong although practical, I will be fitting a single sprung seat, probably the old one off my M21. Carburetor? well many owners like the concentrics but I prefer the original pre monoblocs, these old carbs with the external float chambers are good carbs when set up correctly and look fantastic when polished up with copper piping etc.
