The Mahindra-led revival of British motorcycle brand, BSA, re-ignites the historic rivalry between two imperial motorcycle brands now manufactured in India.
BSA and Royal Enfield were blood brothers more than a century ago, united in the defence of the British Empire through their collaboration in the manufacture of the First World War-winning Lee-Enfield .303 rifle. Royal Enfield would go on to adopt the “built like a gun” slogan for its motorcycles, but the phrase could be applied equally to those made by Birmingham Small Arms.
That’s a value BSA prefers to express visually rather than verbally, and the new Bantam 350 has a couple of images of rifles attached to the tank cap and right side of the engine. It also turns the no-longer-sibling rivalry up a notch as the two brands fight for one of the most lucrative sectors of the global motorcycle market – India’s middleweight streetbike sector, where sales are measured in millions rather than thousands.
The Bantam goes wheel-to-wheel with the segment-leading 350cc singles of Royal Enfield and comes fully equipped to sway buyers away from the highly popular RE Bullet 350 and its slightly more contemporary variant, the Hunter 350.
Placed in a New Zealand market context, the Bantam is more like a rooster with its spurs sharpened, ready for a cockfight. Its 334cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine delivers nearly 30 per cent more power than the 349cc air-cooled Royal Enfield unit, and it gets six gears to transfer its power rather than five.
I personally prefer the sharper looks of the bike bearing the hallowed abbreviation of Birmingham Small Arms on the tank, but the decisive blow that the Bantam lands is its more affordable price. At $6990, it’s $400 less than a Hunter 350, and $800 less than the more expensively finished Bullet. That difference buys quite a few extra fills of the Bantam’s 13-litre fuel tank.
Speaking of which, the Bantam can stretch that modest tank capacity to provide 250km of rewarding travel. With its twin overhead camshafts and four-valve cylinder head, the BSA single is made to rev rather than chug like its royal rivals.
The peak numbers tell the difference, the Bantam generating 29bhp at 7750rpm and nearly 30Nm of grunt at 6000. Yet there’s still enough torque developed lower in the rev range to enable chugging if that’s your riding preference, with the revvy surge of brisker overtaking performance held in reserve. It’s not only Royal Enfield that needs to fear this sweet little engine and the slick-shifting six-speed gearbox that serves it. Honda’s popular CRF300 Rally adventure model will have a serious rival on its hands when the incoming BSA Thunderbolt 350 explorer launches here.
If only the chassis components of the Bantam were as worthy as the fine powertrain. The bike has agile steering, and the rear disc has the bite that the Bybre caliper up front lacks, but the unforgiving suspension crashes into road surface imperfections, sending minor shocks through the handlebars and the rider’s seat.
Perhaps the spring rates were chosen for the utilitarian duties that motorcycles in India are asked to perform. I’m sure the suspension gains more compliance when there are three 50kg sacks of rice strapped to the back, or the Bantam is carrying the entire family to the market.
Certainly, the beefy design of the multi-spoked alloy wheels suggests the bike has been engineered to carry more than just a rider, a pillion passenger, and a bit of luggage. As does the quoted 185kg mass of the Bantam. The BSA might be named after a smaller bird than the average chicken, but it’s heavier than air-cooled rivals by 7-10kg.
Fortunately, the Bantam doesn’t feel like a heavy bike to ride. As an urban warrior, it’s a complete package, filtering easily through lanes of traffic, U-turning on a coin, and the 800mm seat height makes it easy to find your footing. Out on the open road, things aren’t quite as serene. The rear-view images in the mirrors fuzz up with vibration when the engine is turning at 6000rpm at 100km/h in top gear, making it hard to identify citizen cars from those of The Fuzz. Bantam touring is smoother and more relaxing at 90km/h.
So, it’s not a perfect bike, but when it costs a similar amount to the purchase of a half-decent bicycle, who cares? As an intriguing piece of design capped by a famous brand, the Bantam 350 deserves a place on the shopping lists of all riders seeking a new motorcycle on a restricted budge
