Retro motorcycles are making a definitive comeback! They weren’t truly irrelevant to begin with but they have gained a lot more traction in the past few years. To cash in on their popularity, Mahindra formed a separate entity namely Classic Legends and resurrected Jawa Motorcycles shortly after that. There have been constant rumours floating on the internet that Classic Legends could also breathe a new life into BSA motorcycles. While nothing concrete had surfaced so far, a set of spy shots has made its way on the internet that suggests that we could witness the resurrection of BSA pretty soon!
Looks
Although the test mule is covered under heavy camouflage, some key details about the motorcycle are still visible. The unfinished bits like the exhaust unit establish the fact that it is just a prototype and could take some considerable time to take its final form.
It appears to be a rather low-slung cruiser, somewhat similar to the upcoming Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser. The motorcycle is quite beefy to look at and features a bench seat, instead of a split unit. The front end comprises of a wide handlebar and fork gaiters. The riding ergonomics look relaxed enough to munch some crazy miles on the highway.
Expected specs
Coming to the mechanical bits now, reports suggest that it is going to be powered by a 650cc, single-cylinder mill. That could turn out to be true because the size of the engine block appears a bit too large to be a 200-300cc unit. Moreover, to give it the ‘old-school’ look, it also gets fins and a fuel-injector cover.
You can also see the piping for the liquid cooling near the frame downtube. Big capacity single-cylinder engines are known for the mammoth amount of torque they bring to the table and it could work in its favour but its refinement is something that remains to be seen. Talking about other cycle parts, it gets a raked-out telescopic fork, twin preload-adjustable rear shock absorbers, and disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS. Another notable thing here is that it is shod with Pirelli Phantom tyres.
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Not India-bound, wait what?
Last year, it was made official that Classic Legends will manufacture BSA motorcycles in the UK and not in India because apparently, the UK government has awarded Classic Legends a £4.6m (Rs 45.2 crore) grant to develop electric bikes. The reason why it was spotted testing here in India is because Classic Legends R&D facilities are based here. Chances are, it won’t be coming to our shores.