1942 BSA Military Mk.V Roadster

[Wing Your Heel]

This BSA Mk.V has its year of manufacture (1942) stamped into the top of the handlebars. I wish all bikes were that easy to date

Frame number 'BSA59' suggests a batch of BSA's supplied to the Irish Army (N. Ireland, that is; the Republic of Ireland did not fight with the Allies in WW2).

It also retains original rifle mounts.

The rifle is a 1916 .303 Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) No.1 Mk.III.

Designed by American James Lee and built at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, the SMLE was first produced in 1903. With a ten-bullet magazine and high rate of fire, it had an enviable reputation. At Mons, advancing Germans believed that they were under fire from British machine guns. But it was the well drilled infantry of the BEF using their standard issue Lee Enfields. A good infantryman would expect to shoot off about twelve well-aimed bullets in a minute.

This summary of the bike is from the BSA & Military Bicycle Museum website. If you want to see more, you can visit this page:

http://bsamuseum.wordpress.com/1942-bsa-military-mk-v-roadster/





IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE BSA Mk.V BIKES PLEASE ADD YOUR PICTURES TO THIS THREAD
(There are separate threads for different makes and models of military bicycle)

 

[eadie]

hello mr wing.
let me just say that you are nearly entirely responsible for my bicycle obsession...
you, and the bsa eadie coaster hub....
i got one a few years ago, and have since found all i can find online about said hubs, and have owned 6 of them.
i recently sent a black eadie hub to a friend in greece (i live in australia), for his mkv bsa restoration project. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=b...tbnw=146&start=49&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:49

is all the info you have on these marvellous hubs on the bsa museum site?
if you have more info, i would like to get hold of it, as i am intending to put all my info into a resourse for budding bsa enthusiasts...
i am also a blacksmith by trade, and a sheet metal worker by hobby, and a military re enactor at heart, and would love to reproduce, (with your permission) from your photos, the rifle mounts on your mkv.
have you got other photos? or could you post more? any details and dimensions would be greatly appreciated....
from woody, in cairns australia.

 

[danny7147]

Fantastic bike!

What I find very interesting is that it's fitted with a Williams chainring instead of the BSA one. I'm sure you know that Williams suppied parts for a lot of manufacturers, and I'm guessing that during the war years they must have supplied some to BSA too... I had a 1940 a little while ago, civilian, not military, that was fitted with a BSA chainring.

 

[Wing Your Heel]

rifle mounts

Hi Woody,

Good to see you on the forum. I'm really inundated with work at the moment. But when i get a spare moment i'll put up photos and measurements of original and repro rifle mounts so you can make some.

I've got various early Eadie hubs, several on bikes and one on my shelf. Again, I'll do some pics for you when i get time

Speak soon

Colin


Hello (again) Danny

Yes, I would have assumed that all BSA's had BSA chainwheels too. But we only work from catalogue information these days, rather than reality. It limits our perspective until we see a bike we can positively identify.

Say hello to Boscombe for me (I lived there many years ago)

 

[danny7147]

It probably hasn't changed much Probably more drunks though... where did you pick this up from? BSA are of course most famous during the wartime years for their paratrooper, but I had a 1940 which was interesting as it had no chrome, just everything painted black. I've got a Norman which is the same!

 

[Hendrikus]

hello mr wing.
let me just say that you are nearly entirely responsible for my bicycle obsession...
you, and the bsa eadie coaster hub....
i got one a few years ago, and have since found all i can find online about said hubs, and have owned 6 of them.
i recently sent a black eadie hub to a friend in greece (i live in australia), for his mkv bsa restoration project. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=b...tbnw=146&start=49&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:49

is all the info you have on these marvellous hubs on the bsa museum site?
if you have more info, i would like to get hold of it, as i am intending to put all my info into a resourse for budding bsa enthusiasts...
i am also a blacksmith by trade, and a sheet metal worker by hobby, and a military re enactor at heart, and would love to reproduce, (with your permission) from your photos, the rifle mounts on your mkv.
have you got other photos? or could you post more? any details and dimensions would be greatly appreciated....
from woody, in cairns australia.

hello sir,
danny are you still have the Eddie Coaster rear hub ? if you have it, i want to buy it, yesterday im found frame of BSA Mk.V but just the frame i want to complete it,
if you have are its still function ?

thanks a lot
best regards
hendrikus

 

[adhitya]

BSA Mark V from Indonesia

Hai All,
I'm from Indonesia and my friend send me some picture about BSA Mk.V that founded
at Java Island, Indonesia, and my question is? is that a an original Mk.V?there's any data or information about BSA Mk.V that used by British Troop on Indonesia in WW2?some old bicycle expert from Indonesia said that there's no Mk.V at Indonesia because Mk. V operation only on Europe during WW2, thank's

 

[Romance1984]

Below are some pictures of my unrestored mint Coppertone '64 Jaguar with the original Pumpkin light.

 

[Romance1984]

สล็อต

 

[Awhipple]

Awesome bike and also an awesome rifle! I have an old no.4 myself. I love it.