# BSA Airborne Folding Bicycle



## Flatfender (Feb 19, 2017)

Hello  All Together 

I own since a few time a  BSA Airborne Folding bicycle .   And now I want to know in which year the bike was builded.   Frame number is   R  28704 .

Also I am looking for  a front wheel for that bike .     

Thank you in advance  and best whishes     Gero


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## Mercian (Feb 19, 2017)

Hi Gero,

Nice, I have two that I restored some time ago, but then I come from near Birmingham UK, so they were always of local interest to me.

Where did you find yours?

Some years ago there was a guy in Canada collecting Parabike frame numbers on the internet. I sent mine to him then, but I've just looked, and his site seems to have disappeared.

The only help I can give you dating it is from this very basic document which suggests 1943.

http://www.oldbike.eu/museum/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/BSA-frame-serial-numbers-dating.jpg

You may be interested in this too:

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?37998-BSA-Folding-Paratroopers-Bicycle

The bike featured is R28563, a close cousin to yours.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## Mercian (Feb 20, 2017)

OK, the 'Guy in Canada' is Captain Colin MacGregor Stevens (Retired). He has changed websites since I last looked, but his list of surviving BSA parabikes is here:

http://captainstevens.com/military/mv/bsa-airborne-bicycle/bsa-survivors/

No dates (I'm not sure any are known other than '1943') but it gives you an idea of the frame number range for survivors, and some other information too.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## Flatfender (Feb 20, 2017)

Hello  Adrian  , thanks for your information .  Very interesting .   I purchase my bike from a saler near Antwerp / Belgium .  He bought several civilian bikes and my para bike from a belgian collector in Flandern/ Belgium .  

Best Regards     Gero


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## graybeard biker (Apr 3, 2017)

Hello guys,
I have a folding BSA ser # R34496 that i bought from a collectors son in law. No previous history was known. it is very original and pretty good shape but missing a few items, a brake handle/lever and a complete brake, and it has a made in Holland non original seat.
Any leads for parts? I have been looking on line and found the museum in UK, not sure if it is online only or if they have a store?
If there is one in the London area, I would like to visit as I will be there in a couple weeks.
Thanks, Steve


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## Mercian (Apr 4, 2017)

Hi Steve,

The only place in the UK to regularly have spares is Stuart Bray Motorcycles.

http://www.stuart-bray-motorcycles.co.uk/spares-bsa-parabikes.html

Other than that, it's Ebay, help from friends or lucky finds at Car Boot/Miltaria fairs.

Please put up a picture of your bike if you can.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## Craig Allen (Apr 7, 2017)

I have a WW2 era BSA folding bike that has been painted two different colors. I believe both colors are original. When the bike is turned upside down there are places where a khaki color can clearly be seen. The bike currently has the army green paint. Would this indicate the bike was originally used in North Africa and then reused for the Normandy invasion?


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## Mercian (Apr 8, 2017)

Hi Craig,

I don't think that it is possible to say that with any certainty.

Frames are often painted with a black undercoat, and then Brown or Green paint, depending on the date of manufacture (and, possibly, what was available).

Does the second layer of paint have any of the original transfers on ? It would be interesting if it did. I suspect, though, that it was repainted as part of standard maintenance, or because a tidy minded RSM decided that all bikes should be the same colour.

Again, it would be nice to see pictures if you have any?

Thanks,

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## Craig Allen (Apr 8, 2017)

Adrian, There are only traces of the water decal on the head tube on the green paint. I called this khaki color, but I can see now someone else might call it brown.  There are places where the green paint has runs in it, so it looks like when it was painted green, it was done very hurriedly.


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## Craig Allen (Apr 8, 2017)

Adrian, please excuse me but I need to correct myself.  The decal was on the khaki or brown paint. The green was painted over it. I recall now when I got this bike many years ago I carefully chipped off some of the green paint to expose the decal.


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## Mercian (Apr 8, 2017)

Hi Craig,

No problem (-:

Thanks for the photos.

I have a little more time to explain,

Yes, I'm sure that both shades of paint were applied during it's service career, and to me add to it's history.

Pre WW2, and into the early years, British vehicles were painted a gloss green, Deep Bronze Green No.24, which didn't work so well under combat condition.

1939-41, they used a Khaki Green No. 3, and a Dark Green No. 4.

From 1941 to 1944, the British then standardised several colours to paint vehicles, and published this as British Standard BS987C (like an ASTM). The BS contained Standard Camoflage Colours. Your bike is painted originally in SCC2. This brown shade is partly because the pigments needed to produce Green were now in very limited supply.

In April 1944, the SCC was changed to SCC15, Olve Drab, to match the US vehicles now being supplied under Lend Lease. This is the second colour on your frame.

The brown shade on BSA's is more uncommon than the green paint, so may very well be that it was repainted to match ther others in the unit. Perhaps for DDay? Sadly we'll never know for sure.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## Craig Allen (Apr 8, 2017)

Thank you kindly Adrian. This is most helpful. I wrote your information down and put it in the original tool bag.


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## Nashman (May 21, 2017)

graybeard biker said:


> Hello guys,
> I have a folding BSA ser # R34496 that i bought from a collectors son in law. No previous history was known. it is very original and pretty good shape but missing a few items, a brake handle/lever and a complete brake, and it has a made in Holland non original seat.
> Any leads for parts? I have been looking on line and found the museum in UK, not sure if it is online only or if they have a store?
> If there is one in the London area, I would like to visit as I will be there in a couple weeks.
> Thanks, Steve



Hi Steve,  That seat isn't a "Lepper"( made in Holland) is it? The BSA I sold ( barn paint red) many years ago was equipped with one. See PDF attached.


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## Mercian (Oct 25, 2022)

Hi @Craig Allen 

I'm currently collating as many second pattern BSA parabikes as I can find. (see the Military Bikes forum).

We spoke about yours (above). Would it be possible to share the serial number, stamped on a rear dropout? Since your bike was brown to start with (a quite rare colour, as it turns out,), I'm guessing it's somewhere in the low 10,000's, a quite early bike.

Thanks for your help.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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