1967 BSA AWD B40 350cc Motorcycle

Designed as a replacement for the post-war M20 and derived from the smaller 125cc C15 released in 1958, the 350cc B40 proved a staple for the Birmingham manufacturer BSA in the face of increasing competition from Japanese bike makers in the 1960s.  The B40’s understressed overhead-valve single developed a relatively meagre 20 horsepower at 7,000rpm, mounted in a full-cradle tubular welded frame with a telescopic fork, while the C15’s four-speed gearbox was carried over.  Other notable features include the easily detachable rear wheel and chain enclosure and optional panniers.  Popular with British Armed Forces, who ordered 3,000 B40s for their military forces to replace the ageing M20s, the B40 also did service in Australia, Denmark and Jordan, proving a rugged workhorse that was relatively simple to maintain and easily ridden both on or off-road, these contracts proving instrumental in BSA’s survival into the Seventies.  In addition to the War Department (WM) military version, BSA also offered the B40T (for trials) and SS90 Sports version, proving quite successful in both capacities.