Fewer than 100 produced
1964 BSA 500cc A50 Cyclone

Recovering from WWII, the Brits had to live by the mantra of “export or die”, and with limited research and development budgets, but plentiful pluck, the bikes were hugely successful. By the 1960s they hit their stride with bikes that were hugely successful in all forms of racing, from flat tracks, scrambles, and desert disciplines. As BSA’s bumph put it, “Fast, rugged, designed for top performance in TT, scrambles, any kind of off-road competition”.

BSA followed Triumph with bringing the gearbox in to the engine cases in the early ’60s naming them the “A-series” engines. America’s thirst for cubes means the 500cc Cyclone road version is, in fact, far rarer than its 650 brethren with fewer than a 100 produced, as per factory records. The 500cc models were developed in answer to the American Motorcyclist Association’s competition limit of overhead valve engine capacity in road race and flat-track events. The models were short lived, lasting only two model years, mostly because they were almost as fast as BSA’s 650’s, with the Road model having a wide power band and a comfortable cruising speed of 80mph and 100mph top speed. Similarly equipped to their big brother with twin Amal carbs, the Cyclone offered high-compression pistons, sporting camshafts, racing valves and springs to deliver what the sales literature promised was “extremely zestful” performance.

Compared to other British twins of the day, BSA engines featured 1 piece valve covers with internal oil lines and pushrod tubes. Their all-welded duplex frames were in contrast to Triumph’s bolted together single downtube chassis, and give flawless handling.

The motorbike offered

This 1964 BSA 500cc A50 Cyclone hails from an extensive Southwestern collection. Nicely restored, the bike sports Girling shocks and the quick-change rear wheel. Having covered only 1,900 miles from restoration, the bike has been on static display in the private collection since. It has been re-commissioned to ready it for sale.