1968 BSA Victor

[indianajonze]

Earlier in the summer I (and two others) acquired 3 bikes.

1968 Triumph Trophy 250 (completely restored but currently hosting the BSA 441 motor)

1968 BSA Victor Special 441 in a terrible state, parts rusted and hanging off (with the Triumph 250 motor in a box)

1968 BSA Victor Special 441 parts bike (literally a rusty frame accompanied by 2 giant bins full of parts)

First job is completely rebuilding the half built BSA. Ultimately switching back the motor's to their original bikes and having 2 well functioning bikes while parting out whatever we don't use from the third.

Started tearing down today. Unloaded 2 buckets of parts and found a ton of spare engine parts. To my surprise 3rd motor was almost completely assembled other than the side cases and parts of the transmission which will be the hardest part.

Stripped the BSA down to the frame and prepped it for painting as well as the swing arm and motor cover on the bottom.

Here are pics. One is the bikes on the trailer when we bought them. Triumph with the BSA behind it. There's a pic of us power washing the frame and our table of parts.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

SUBSCRIBED!

 

[Bert Jan]

SUBSCRIBED!

 

[indianajonze]

UPDATE #2

BSA frame, swingarm, top and bottom fork yokes, handlebars, throttle housing and levers have all been sanded, primed and painted. Everything is looking good as is after 2 primer coats/2 color coats. Thinking i might just leave them as is and cancel the clear coat step. Is this a terrible idea?

Going to try and order some tires tomorrow so I can put the frame on wheels and start rebuilding. Probably going with these:

http://www.jcmotors.com/p-9967-dunlop-k70k81tt100-vintage-tire.aspx#.UDrzMI4TvJx

Also, im going to start making a list of wiring harness components I need. I have a CB350 with the radio shack rectifier mod and it was super easy. Anybody know if that will work on this bike or should I just plan to use the original rectifier?

Lots more sanding/priming/painting to be done tomorrow. Will post a photo of a pile of freshly painted parts.

 

[stroker crazy]

Had a B44 back in the day!

Will definitely follow this one. Do you have the original alloy tank in good condition?

Crazy

 

[indianajonze]

I do, although its in rough shape. Stripped paint and a ton of dents. Gunna have to honda and paint unfortunately.

 

[indianajonze]

UPDATE #3

Finished painting first batch of cleaned parts today. Did the engine swap last night to convert back to original (the Triumph came with the BSA engine in it) but ran into a snag. The Triumph bike (with the BSA engine in it) had an electric ignition installed so when we did the engine swap the electric ignition wiring and transistor stayed on the frame and the rest went with the BSA engine behind the points cover. We ordered another ignition system so the wiring can go onto the BSA and the internal stuff can be added to the Triumph engine. Should be in Monday. Going to bondo and prime the BSA tank tomorrow I think.

Triumph tank and fenders are being repainted. Should be back on tonight. Then all it needs is a battery and the new ignition to come in and its ready.

Here are a few pics. The painted BSA parts, BSA triple, BSA tank and the triumph.

Here are a few pics.

 

[stroker crazy]

One thing stands out in my mind about the B44 - always wear boots with a steel shank in the sole.

Kick-starting these bikes can be a boot destroyer!

Crazy