SON OF A GUN

How do you spell sexy across the pond? B.S.A British Birmingham Small Arms Co. -- better known to the world as BSA -- producing motorcycles that ultimately became among the most iconic in the world. The Birmingham Small Arms Co. was formed in 1861 by a group of gun makers to supply weapons to the British government during the Crimean War. As the war declined, the company branched out into making bicycles, and by 1903 produced its first experimental motorcycle, along with automobiles. Its first in-house motorcycle appeared in 1910, and a subsidiary, BSA Motorcycles Ltd., was created after the first World War saw the company move back into arms manufacturing for the duration. BSA Gold Stars, Shooting Stars and other models rightfully earned a reputation for performance on the track, and played a large role in the brand remaining popular long after the factory shuttered its doors in the 1970s In 1938, a new BSA model the M24 Gold Star, was released in commemoration of Wal Handley's dramatic 100-plus mph lap times at the infamous Brooklands concrete bowl Perhaps its most famous model was the Gold Star, "born" in 1938 but refined after WWII. It was named after the Gold Star pins awarded to motorcycles that lapped the famed Brooklands track at more than 100 mph, and would ultimately become the bike of choice among England's young rockers, who stripped them of unnecessary parts and turning them into café racers. During the 1950s the company turned to racing, fielding teams in the Junior Clubman class at the Isle of Man TT. By 1956, BSAs made up 53 of 55 entries in the class. During the1954 Daytona 200, which, at the time, was held on the beach course. Aboard a mixture of single-cylinder Gold Stars and twin-cylinder Shooting Stars, BSA riders swept the top five places in the race, cementing the brand's image in the U.S. as a performance machine. By the 1960s, small, reliable, oil-tight Japanese machines were gaining momentum. To strengthen its position, BSA merged with Triumph, and had mild success with its Rocket 3, a three-cylinder bike that shared its engine and drivetrain with the Triumph Trident. Nevertheless, by the 1970s, performance Japanese motorcycles had displaced BSAs in the minds of many motorcyclists. Following a merger with the Norton Villiers Triumph Group, the combined company stopped producing BSA-branded machines in 1973. Still, BSAs endure today as both competitive vintage racers and, along with other British brands such as Triumph, staples of the modern café racer culture.