The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

1938 Buell Powered BSA by Dr Robert Harms

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1938 BSA powered by Buell
1938 BSA powered by Buell

Dr. Robert Harms, who’s work we’ve seen before, offers up another fascinating hybrid creation, this one is a 1938 BSA, powered by a 2002 Buell Blast engine, with parts help from Suzuki, Honda, Triumph, Royal Enfield, Matchless, Norton, IZH and Velocette! What an amazing parts pile he must have.

This 1938 BSA with a rubber mounted single, belt drive, disc brakes and modern lighting still looks like the vintage bike it’s derived from. In fact, with all of these modifications, the bike probably has the all day reliability to take the doc wherever he might wish to go in very vintage style. I suspect not many owners would try that with an original 1938 BSA.

1938 BSA powered by Buell
1938 BSA powered by Buell

How many vintage bikes are sitting around unused while the owner waits for the correct parts, which he may never find for years to come, if at all? It could instead be on the road giving years of pleasure, not only in the riding but in the construction process itself, if only the owner wasn’t afraid to work outside the box. Not every old bike needs to be restored, some simply need to be re-engineered. It’s nice to see someone going his own way. Nice work!

Here is the project as described by Dr. Harms:

This is a 1938 BSA Star with a 2002 Buell motor.

The frame (or more correctly the steering head and partial backbone and equally partial front down tube is late 1930’s Star of some unknown derivation (Blue, Empire, Silver but likely not Gold). The backbone was sectioned into a BSA ZB plunger rear section which is joined to a rigidly mounted Buell swingarm. The frame has no lower cradle which allows the Buell head to be rubber mounted and sets the proper distance for the stock Buell drive belt and front and rear sprockets to be used. The lack of a lower cradle necessitates the mounting of the left and right front pegs (Suzuki as I recall) to the motor as illustrated. The Buell swingarm was modified (increased in throat depth) to accept the rear 19″ wheel (Honda CB750 front) which is joined to the OEM Buell rear sprocket via the large (sprocket side) and small (brake side) adapters.

The headstock was bored to accept sealed metric ball bearings and holds a BSA M20 front fork. All of the 26 tpi springer assembly hardware was remade in 1018 stainless and the right fork leg was modified to accept a Buell front caliper and Suzuki Savage front wheel and rotor.

1938 BSA powered by Buell
1938 BSA powered by Buell

Also note the headlight (Harley V Rod) and the LED front turn signals mounted to the new alloy headlight ears. The front and rear fenders are generic India produced alloys modified for this bike. Note that the rear fender stay is actually the fabricated alloy taillight holder and that the taillight itself is LED.

1938 BSA powered by Buell - V-Rod headlight and LED turn signals
1938 BSA powered by Buell - V-Rod headlight and LED turn signals

The rear carrier started life as TRW Triumph but has been widened and changed in most other dimensions. The alloy shelf under the seat base carries the resistors required for proper LED flashing. The rack also holds the plywood based vintage UK pillion (it was incorrect on my Sunbeam) and the grab handle is 1940 IZH. The rear footpegs are fabricated and the bags are restored Cravens that have a quick release system that was made to adapt them to the rear carrier.

1938 BSA powered by Buell - rear carrier and LED taillight
1938 BSA powered by Buell - rear carrier and LED taillight

The exhaust is shop made (front pipe started as Enfield) while the muffler is adapted Velocette with increased interior baffles.

The Buell wiring harness was modified as needed for placement and the relays and fuse box resides in the Norton Electra tool box on the left side. The actual toolbox is Matchless Brave (I think) on the right side. Using the OEM harness simplifies wiring and allows the use of the standard switch gear and the OEM electronic speedometer.

1938 BSA powered by Buell
1938 BSA powered by Buell

The gas tank started life as India Royal Enfield and is hand striped.

The frame is power coated blue and matched to the blue frame Thruxtons.

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Here’s another 2 shots of the rear wheel and swingarm, as Phoebe requested below. – kneeslider

BSA Buell rear wheel closeup
BSA Buell rear wheel closeup
BSA Buell rear swingarm and wheel
BSA Buell rear swingarm and wheel

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Thanks Doc, for the opportunity to see another fascinating build!

Comments

  1. It’s interesting. I would really like to see better shots of the swingarm and rear wheel assembly.

  5. My hat’s off to you, Dr. Harms. You did a really nice job. You’ve made a prime example of what our British cousins call a “bitsa.” I’m sure it was much more involved than your description implies. I know from experience that once you move or modify one thing, you find a number of others that now also have to be moved or modified. It all tends to snowball, but you’ve clearly dealt well with the challenges. In some ways a restoration is much easier.
    One thing puzzles me, though: where on Earth did you find a grab handle from a 1940 IZH? IZHs can’t exactly be thick on the ground.

  7. Amazing. forget buying “custom parts” out of the catalog when you can take parts from a classic that’ll never see the road again. A lot of traditionalists are cringing at the sight of the bike right now… I say keep up the good work! It takes balls to execute what one believes a motorcycle should be because of the lot of underengineered crap bikes out there with rear ends hacked off and left unsupported, exhausts made without performance considerations, etc. This definitely looks like function and form exist together.

  8. OK Paul, We need a bio on Dr. Harms. Who is this guy and what makes him tick? This guy is starting to inspire me…like Britten; definitely outside the box.

  9. It’s beautiful, but that headlight kills it. The Blast motor is convincingly vintage looking, but the modern headlight spoils the illusion. Altogether, fine work and craft.

  10. Looks like the good Doc is using a 70’s CB series front wheel hub as the basis for his rear wheel, a path I’ve always thought had potential for lowering the mass out back on a spoked bike…..say the cafe I’m currently building.
    I do wonder about a lack of cush-drive, though I get the impression the Doc probably takes much of that type of thing into consideration. Could be a non-issue with the belt and the Blast’s relatively low output….dunno.

    Anyone have contact info for this guy?

  11. guess I shoulda read closer…..the Doc talks about exactly that above…….

  12. Ok, this is a man who obviously has way too much time on his hands, and the ability to use that time to entertain the rest of us with those weird and wonderful bikes. Should anyone want to build a bike with a part representing each year ever since the ICE motorcycle was invented, surely iyt must be him.

    Kneeslider, you know how to cantact him; make him send pics of his Yanmar Diesel powered old Brit.

  13. Wow… where do you even begin with something like that? I mean, it’s one thing to just take two bikes and meld them together, but take all those parts? And make them work? That’s a mind-slap right there.

    I really like this one better than his last, though. I mean, except for the headlight, which is just a bit too overboard, everything has this aesthetic air to it. The last entry, I’m sorry to say, looked like a giant lego or erector set, if you can see what I’m saying. But still, the workmanship is prevalent in both models, and my hat is off to the good doctor.

  14. The only thing I would do different, and this is not a critsism but matter of personal preference,is I would polish the head,cylinder ,case and covers.

  16. Great creation ! What’s the cluster of large blue cables running into the left hand pannier, is the bike a hybrid with a hidden electric motor and battery pack diguised as a pannier ?