Just a day back, we informed you about the return of BSA Motorcycles, and now the company has announced the comeback date as well. Mahindra & Mahindra is all set to relaunch the legendary brand by introducing its first bike on December 4, 2021. The relaunch ceremony is going to be held at the Motorcycle Live Show in Birmingham, UK.
A few months back, an early version of the motorcycle was sighted in testing near Pune. This motorcycle was completely disguised, although it did display a big single-cylinder engine. This prototype also had telescopic forks, disc brakes with ABS on both ends, and spoke wheels. We are expecting the same bike to be launched on December 4th. Speaking of BSA bikes’ introduction in our country, it doesn’t seem to happen anytime soon.
BSA Motorcycles has created new social media handles, where they have announced their return and even published their new logo. Classic Legends has already received a grant of £4.6 million (or INR 45.2 crore) from the UK government, which is roughly half the amount necessary to establish an R&D centre in Banbury, near Coventry. This will also result in 255 additional employment openings.
Birmingham Small Arms, or BSA, was created in 1861 as an arms manufacturing plant in Small Heath, Birmingham. Small Heath’s environment has been well-represented in the popular BBC Network drama ‘Peaky Blinders.’ The company commenced manufacturing bikes in 1910 and lasted until the mid-1960s. When Japanese manufacturers joined the market, everything began to fall apart, and BSA was forced to close its whole business in 1972.
Apart from the British government’s enticement, Mahindra’s decision to resurrect BSA Motorcycles in the UK is motivated by a desire to preserve the brand’s history. Anupam Thareja, the co-founder of Mahindra’s Classic Legends division, is in charge of the project. It’ll be fascinating to see what powertrains and platforms Classic Legends employ in the new BSA motorcycles. Currently, the brand uses two single-cylinder engines on Jawa motorcycles: a 293cc and a 334cc one. The same team is also preparing to resurrect the Yezdi brand.