1960 BSA C15

Description

• UNSOLD at auction August 2023
• Fully Restored
• An exceptional example
• Matching numbers
• From a private collection
• Transferable registration

The BSA C15 is a 250cc single-cylinder ohv motorcycle manufactured by the British company BSA from September 1958 until 1967, it was BSA’s first four-stroke unit-construction bike.

For most of that period, after the introduction of ‘Learner Laws’ in 1961, a 250cc was the largest capacity solo machine that a learner could ride unaccompanied when displaying L-plates in the United Kingdom. A road-going Sports derivative was added in 1961, and off-road versions, for Trials and Scramblers, were also available in the range.

The BSA C15 we have here was registered in April 1960 and is complete with matching numbers and has been in its current ownership for thirty years. Our vendor shared that the registration 132 AUY is transferable.

The V5 shows only four previous owners since 1980, clearly the DVLA records were pretty poor prior to that, although it does suggest that the bike is a very low ownership example. Supplied with the old style V5 in our vendors name and a handful of paperwork.

The Bike

Starting with the aesthetics you can see from the images why we have described it as an exceptional example, but we will never let that stop us from describing how good this bike actually is. Firstly, the paintwork, well there really is no other word to describe it other than lovely, well ok there probably is, but we did not want any confusion here as it really is just that. Lovely!

Painted during the current ownership, this BSA C15 has not seen the road much since, however our vendor has shared that there are a few small scuff and chips from over the years; mostly from the bike being moved around whilst in storage. There are photos of these marks in the gallery. He also shared that it took him a few years to get the black badges for it as he felt it just didn’t look right with the red ones.

Moving on to the brightwork, the spoked wheels were re-chromed 30 years ago but still look good – see the photos in the gallery. The hubs have been cleaned and refitted with brand new brake shoes. The exhaust is brand new and is not a cheap aftermarket job, it is a brand-new replica that as well as looking fantastic sounds it too.

The brand-new seat is made of moulded rather than shaped foam, upholstered by R K Leighton, a classic motorcycle specialist based in Birmingham, and it looks as good as it did when it left the factory. Even the rubbers on the footrests and gear change look brand new, we are talking an aesthetically perfect restoration, except a couple of little niggling parts that are missing in the chainguard and centre stand. Not a bad effort for a sixty-three-year-old bike.

As you can see, this really is a stunning looking bike, but it does not just stop at the aesthetics; everything else has been done to make this a truly remarkable restoration.

Turn on the fuel, prime the carb and then flick out the kickstart, and very soon the dulcet notes of that 250cc engine are rumbling out of the exhaust.

All those with raised eyebrows can just settle back down because there is a very good reason the bike starts well, and it is predominantly due to the extensive engine rebuild our vendor carried out over the years. Don’t forget that since then it has been in his collection and hardly used so is running as well now as it was when rebuilt. Either way, look at the images, it looks like a new engine. The other reason it starts so well is the new battery and 12-volt negative earth conversion.  Those that know will understand how important that conversion actually is.

Swing your leg over the lovely seat and lower yourself on to the bike, you are taken back to a bygone era of Ace Cafés and ton-up boys. Okay, you may not get to a ton on this, but it’ll feel like you could.  If stretching the engine to its limit is not your thing then just walk around it and just marvel at the quality of the design, it just smacks of British history in every department even the quality of the original clocks will take you back. It truly is an iconic piece of British History.

What more can be said about this totally restored British classic? Not a lot other than someone is going to be extremely pleased to have the opportunity to win at auction, what is probably one of the best examples of the BSA C15 on the market today. A true British Motorcycle legend in virtually perfect condition….  Wow!