BSA Bantam 175 Restoration Tips?

[tomrandall95]

Hi Guys,

Was wandering if any of you have ever restored a BSA bantam? I know they are shitty little bikes but i have a barn find of one and wanted to simply make it ridable again! I am expecting people to say 'dont restore, sell it for scrap' but i fancy just getting a bit into working on bikes as i am about as mechanically able as an ape!

Any advice would be great!

Cheers in advance,

Tom
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Honda CBF 125 ... at least its not a twist n' go 50

[garth]

Well it obviously depends what kind of state it is in. Pics?

[tomrandall95]

This image is what it was like when we got it. Since i have striped it, sanded off the previous paint and repainted black. We also got hold of a 175 engine for it that had been rebuilt so ,touch wood, that works! Obviously going to be a fair few bodge jobs to do!
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Honda CBF 125 ... at least its not a twist n' go 50

[bikenut]

:D oh bantam days and youth............i can just about remember ( if you can remember them then you wernt there ) them.........

175 eng 3 or 4 speed??

my d7 started first kick when cold but the little bitch was terrible at starting when hot...........out handle and out speed ( just ) a mates cb125s, but the rd125 would piss all over me ( AND HER ).......

more pics and progress reports......... 8o)

[Ollie1995]

Bantams aren't shit, yours just looks a little worse for wear. Need more information too, we can't tell you what to do if you don't tell us what's wrong with it.
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XR 125, DT125 LC, Greeves Scottish, RS200, XS400, GPX600r

Theory Passed - 18/7/13 MOD1 Booked - 24/9/13

[tomrandall95]

not sure whats wrong with it but just looking for some pointers when restoring bikes? ive got a small amount of space in my garage (3 other bikes and 5 push bikes) i also bought a haynes manual for it. Are there any things you would suggest when restoring a bike? As you can tell I am totally alien to this stuff!!
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Honda CBF 125 ... at least its not a twist n' go 50

[lihp]

[Ollie1995]

[jjdugen]

Sprung hub rear suspension, so a very early one. I would restore to a reasonable standard, people actually collect them. The Yanks got Werner Von Braun and rocket technology after WW2..... We got the DKW 125cc 2 stroke engine that went straight into the Bantam. Always thought we were short-changed.
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The CBR900RR has been sold. Aprilia Falco worms its way into my heart.
Try Soi 23 on Amazon for a good read.... Self promotion? Moi?

[unitynotsocri...]

its a 125 model , that tank is rocking horse pooh , look after it ,its got beautifull lines.
Fork bushes a must , check the frame welds and headstock .
IMHO the 125's are a better bike , except for the engine .

The Brit army used to cook eggs on the petrol tanks in Lybia years ago .
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nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[bikenut]

:D if you ever want to work on the engine and split the crankcases, get the flywheel puller of 15quidish as you will need it!!


you can make a clutch compresser yourself..................plunger rear rather than sprung hub...........grease nipples nearly everywhere so use them...........

the engines can be tuned..........your 175 3 or 4 speed ??........

bantam club for info.........enjoy :D

make like an ex gpo bike?

[Lone-Wolf]

Wotcha.

Ah - another Bantam owner

Fairly easy to restore

RIDE / RESTORATION

The BSA BANTAM CLUB is a good place to start.
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Cheers.
^..^
L.W. - www.moonshiners.org.uk

[garth]

I quite fancy a Bantam.

What would a 175 realistically cruise at / go like?

[Lone-Wolf]

[unitynotsocri...]

they make great lightweight trials bikes , esay to rebuild , and economical . The post office used them for telegram delivery .
With modern brake shoes and oils , electronic ignition , modern tyres and shockers they are a very practical commuter / town bike .

Check the engine on yours ,it looks like a 125 / 150 , so if its been bored to 175 you need to check the engine for correct parts.

The later ones were faster and far more ' modern' and road usable but the early ones are far less ugly , and reflect prewar design , with plunger rear , metal on metal fork bushes , the seat and tank , crossplys and sht brakes . Carbs are hard to find for early ones but you can get a new 'amal' for £120 , or a new cg125 / pitbike carb for 25 .
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nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[Islander]

People also race them - I did a bit of marshalling for the Bantam Racing Club in the 70s.

[bikenut]

:D hi lone wolf,

d7?? and about 100mpg??

they are great on back roads which you know so therefore dont touch the brakes! arnt they...............about 4 years on a bantam so got to know them well............the joys of youth..... :D :karma:

[moonzoomer]

My best advice is to bolt in a real MZ unit engine and not repair a bag of shite BSA copy.

[Lone-Wolf]

[Ariel Badger]

Make sure the forks are straight, I just pulled an 8mm kink out of a pair and get new bushes.
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