BSA is bringing back one of the most famous names from its storied history, with a new 350cc model bearing the Bantam name set to hit our roads imminently.
Developed from German DKW designs received as part of war reparations, the original BSA Bantam was a 125/175cc two-stroke which sold in its hundreds of thousands in a production run from 1948 to 1971. It got Britain moving and remains a much loved lightweight classic which is still cheap to run and easy to maintain.
So, despite the original not being the most glamourous motorcycle ever built, the new Bantam has a lot to live up to. The 2025 iteration is closely related to the Jawa 42 FJ, an Indian market motorcycle which is built by Classic Legends, the company which has been hoovering up old European motorbike brands in recent years and which has both BSA and Jawa in its portfolio.
Priced at £3499, the BSA undercuts popular 350s from Honda and Royal Enfield while promising more performance. With a heady 29bhp ready to be unleashed with a twist of the wrist, the liquid cooled twin camshaft single has almost 50% more power than the air-cooled designs at the heart of the GB350S and HNTR.
The engine (which actually measures at 334cc) is mated to a six-speed gearbox and claims just under 30Nm of torque at 6,000rpm. It’s a combination which, like the original, suggests an easy to ride package and even though it’s technically a new motorcycle, the fact that it is very similar to the Indian market Jawa and Yedzi Roadster (from another Classic Legends brand) mean it’s already a pretty well proven machine.
As you’d expect for the price, it’s all basic stuff - but then that’s what’s selling these days. The 800mm seat height and 185kg kerb weight make for a manageable machine that’ll be great for hustling around city streets, while the styling follows the same sort of contemporary retro you’d expect to see on something like Triumph’s mid-range Bonneville-based Speed Twin 900.
That means cast wheels, flat bench seat, single headlamp, single binnacle dashboard and lots of blacked out componentry. The chassis features a bigger than norm 18” front wheel, which gives the Bantam 350 a nice proportion, while the front forks feature traditional chunky rubber gaiters for that classic look. Disc brakes front and rear feature the (now mandatory) anti-lock assistance, with the calipers coming from Brembo’s budget ByBre brand. It’s the same stuff used on competitors in the sector, not least on a number of Royal Enfields, so should be competent enough.
Five base colours will be offered at launch: grey, red, yellow, blue or black, and all are two-tone with some pretty neat graphics. The tank design on the ‘Barrel Black’ version features a design element based on the British union flag, paying homage to the brand’s Birmingham roots, while the radiator is well packaged between the down tubes at the front of the frame and is largely hidden away in a sea of black paint.
Unlike the revived BSA’s first effort, the Gold Star, the Bantam appears to be pitched at a younger and more mainstream audience. Where the Goldie unashamedly attracted classic bike fans and played to a niche buyer, the Bantam 350 goes into a high volume sector.
Globally the market for this kind of motorcycle is huge, with Royal Enfield knocking out 15,000 HNTRs alone every single month, and while BSA’s lack of brand recognition and smallish dealer network will make it tough to topple the staggering success shown by Royal Enfield and Triumph in the UK in recent years, the Bantam 350 will undoubtedly play a major part in brand’s comeback.
As well as the 350, a Scrambler derivative of the Gold Star is also arriving imminently, giving this resurgent company a meaningful range of models with which to breathe new life into this once iconic brand.
We watch with bated breath.
