Great video! You managed to show the BSA 441 experience exactly as I remember it, particularly the part where it quits and you are pushing it down a lonely country road. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for 441s and I think they are one of the best looking bikes ever made.
I still have the BSA 441 I bought 50 years ago when I was 15. It had a Cheney frame, Italian front forks, girling gas rear shocks, billet clutch, energy transfer ignition and Rickman hubs. It was also 475cc. It now needs a total restore which will start when I retire. I think it was originally an ex-ISDT bike that I bought from a local farmer and MX GP track owner.
Hey, I'm in nearly the same situation as you! My bike is only a vanilla B-50T, but it was my first bike when I was 15 or 16. I was 5'8" and weighed 125#. It had no compression release so starting it was a 'joy'. I sold it and then bought it back a couple of years later as a near-wreck (the new owner had stripped it down to be purely off-road). It's been in storage for decades and, now that I am close enough to retirement, it's going to be pulled out and fixed up.
Bill you bring back memories. In 1974 I was finally tired of my 1970 BSA thunderbolt topping out on rough trails. I drained the oem front fork fluid and changed it for something that a friend who ran Norton's recommended. I'll be damned if I can remember the name of the product. It worked wonders for my bike. Your Victor acted just like mine did. It actually was making the same sounds. It was a easy fix. The rear shocks were adjustable and I think that I had them on the middle setting and the difference was very pleasant. Good luck!
Had the 441 Shooting Star, I remember it being a lot bigger, but back then I was 16 and smaller. The torque was unbelievable mind you so was the vibration
My first bike was in 1973 and it was a 1971 BSA Victor 500 B-50T. This video you've posted is the single best thing I've ever seen for conveying what it's like to ride one. The tractor-like thudding along with a glorious sound, nothing succeeding in even slowing you down, the jars and jolts as the terrain takes its toll directly on you, and then some weird problem killing the rest of the day. That was EXACTLY my experience!
Brings back memories of the 441 I bought, my first street bike it was 1970 the engine was in a cardboard box, the guy said it was coming out of second gear and tore it down. I was 14 yr's old not even a permit, I bent the shift fork and put it back together. I don't remember it ever starting as easy as yours when it kicked back it could leave a bruise. It was a larger bike then any of my friends so it got a lot of attention. Thanks for the memories.
You know what’s amazing? Well, besides this channel and all the great bikes you bust out. Anyway, it’s amazing that I have the exact same T-shirt that you are wearing and I love it 😊 Thanks!
Great video. Brings back memories of 1974 when I had an MT-250 Elsinore and miles of trails to ride. I'd come across all sorts of bikes from yellow 450 Ducati scramblers to metalflake blue Greeves motocross bikes. And yes the occasional 441 Victor. Thanks for the memories.
I had one of those as my first British bike. It was a 67 with the Concentric carburetor and full length seat. I used it as a street bike and an off road machine. It could be hard to start but I never had to push it home. Yes, those front forks were stiff in the rocks!
Absolutely right. I have spent the last few months resurrecting a '66 B44. Not yet road legal but I rode it on farm tracks last week. New stanchions, springs and bushes in the front and it was hard work. The gearing is for road use so I only used first and second gear, but what a lovely punchy engine. Light weight and lots of torque, I can see involuntary wheelies coming soon !
Love your videos! You nailed the Victor's limiting factor, "old, heavy, steel suspension". I modified the neck bearing seats, made a new front axle, and swapped in a 1972 BSA B50 alloy front fork on my '69 Victor. Since the mod it takes on everything I throw at it!
Buddy had one of these in about '72 and we all drove the snot out of it, first thing I drove bigger that a mini bike, and frankly I scared myself more than a few times, but holy cow what a fun ride! This vid made an old guy happy :)
My first ride was on a bored out BSA 441 made ready for the races at Pepperell MA in 1968 .They had bought it from Ray Brock who was Alice of Alice Resteraunt's Husband and a dirt racer in STockbridge ... Kick starting that high compression could break your ankle if you didnt know what you were doing ... :) It took some work keeping the front wheel on the ground ...
Bought my first VS new in 1970. Sadly cremated in a barn fire in -83. Now have 2 good running Victor Specials. 5 days ago got a 441 special with Scottish Six Days Trial history. At 230 pounds wet quite nimble. As it has a couple of battle scars, another dent in the tank don't matter. Will have fun with it. With now three 441s, you'll think I'm a BSA nut. Wrong, the Manx Norton is my favourite, but too long time between races so I need bikes that I can ride whenever I want.
230 lbs wet wow! The BSA factory built a titanium framed, titanium everything BSA single for John Banks to race and I doubt they ever got it that light. You got a good one, lighter than a 2024 450 4 stroke racer.
@@bradsanders6954 Has a modified Husqvarna motocross frame, tiny brakes from a 165 lbs Husqvarna 175cc road bike etc. The 27 hp engine did not need the sturdy chassis as modern high power bike. Compared to the then popular Bultaco Sherpa trial just 11 lbs heavier.
Suspension! Yup... although I'm still working through mine, in the front I've got progressive springs and currently 7.5 weight oil which REALLY helps; I think the manual called for 20 weight which worked OK on the road but really not for anything rough. The rear I'm running Ikon shocks and I will say they actually work so well you don't even worry about the rear end anymore, and unless you know you really can't tell that they aren't factory. Bummer about the fuel/electrical issue man! Boy I've been there and spent waaaay too much time trying to re fire the engine (only on exceptionally hot afternoons of course!).
I had a 125 Vespa Allstate years ago. Every damn time it would run like a top and then suddenly die. If I waited long enough it would start then the exact same thing would happen. No one knew anything about Vespa’s in small town Kansas in the early 90’s. At least no one I could find and eventually sold it. Years later I figured out that the guy I bought it from had, badly, painted the tank and blocked the breather vent on the tank and that was starving the fuel supply. Having RU-vid and the internet is a godsend for people into old bikes.
That has happened to SOOOOO many people! And so often not readily diagnosed. If you're lucky, you take it to an honest mechanic...... I had an XT500 with a tank bag that kinked the breather tube out of the fuel cap, same syndrome exactly! And a couple of others....
Back in those days they were call "electrics". Electronics hadn't been invented yet, and it too bad they ever were. I have a 1966 Triumph Bonneville, and have had very few problems with it, and it is infinitely more fun to ride than anything new.
@8:00, mine does that too! Stops for no reason whatsoever. I had thought it was a Concentric issue, but you're running a Monobloc and get the same thing.
I really miss my BSA singles. They were great fun (when they worked) but 250, 350, 500 singles back in 1970 to 1978 were infuriatingly annoying for everyday transport. This is why i moved to large Japanese multicylinder bikes in 78. Strangely, i forgot all about this and let my heart rule my head when i purchased another B50SS Gold Star in 2017. I sold it, five agonising years later because it was so unreliable and purchased a real fun Royal Enfield (2020) model 500 trials. Comfortable Reliable Economical Easy to live with But no soul to the exhaust note
Hey Bill, great video as always. I just picked up my T-shirt from the Post Office here in Berlin Germany today. It looks fantastic and fits perfectly. I must wear it while riding my '72 Ducati 450 Scrambler next time :) . Dom
Any chance of a 3xl Spitfire Summer Shirt?? Got the others in 3xl and they fit great. I just want to keep supporting your channel. Life's Good, Life's GREAT!
I had one of those used to overheat and quit I think it had an oil problem. Let it cool off for 10 minutes and would run fine. Never did figure out the problem was. Only happened occasionally.
No chain guard… front fender support is great. I get mine back next week. The one person saddle seat is mmmeeeehhhh need the muffler guard too just fyi :) just giving you crap. Looks great. Ps. LOVE THE AHRMA sticker on the helmet!! Hi Dave Lambert. Corky Root says hello!!
I always wanted one of these in the 60s, but I had to settle for a Maico 400 MC in the 70s! Just vent that gas cap and go for it! And your suspension would be greatly improved if you just put heavier springs on it, keeping the original look. WFO! 🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️
Great bike. I rode My 66 441 in Cali and exploring the backroads of Tennessee as well as all over central New York before mistakingly selling it. Had the timing set at Bills BSA in SoCal when I first got it in about 79 and it was a one kick bike from then on. Would trade bikes for the weekend with John Selk from the Walter Eagen band a Norton fast back. Damm I want to go back to those days. You’re bike looks to also be a 66 as well maybe 67 because of the round barrel and the seat doesn’t have the kickup in the back or the grab loop (68) Bang second and ride wheelies through town with a bag of groceries in my lap. Ok I better go before going on and on about my Jack Haitly Triumph. Hopefully we can take our memories with us. 🚬🐔🪓
Send off the fork to Race Tech. Put a pair of gas shocks on the rear, remount the rear fender, should be able to gain a little confidence with those mods.
My 1968 Shooting Star 441 did the same thing downhill on a dirt road. The gas cap is not too tight so not a venting problem. Could it be the compression release not seating firmly and releasing compression on a bumpy road?
No, there were MX and Enduro versions (and road bike) but the prefered trials engine was the Cub and the B40 (from which the B44 Victor was developed). The B40's were a good trials engine and cheaply available as military surplus.
That is one bike that I wouldn't ride without leathers. It will eat your lunch in a second. Fun but on a hill it can get nasty. I had a friend with one. I had a 1969 Bonneville at the time.
These were horrible bikes on dirt, they got street bike forks from olden days. Shocks that can really shock.. A clanker and a banger. But they look cool! I had a B-50 MX for a while, also an oddball thing to ride. Once it was sideways on smooth ground it was happy. Puked oil every where if ran hard.
One way a 441 was good was as a cheater open class scrambler... much lighter than the 650s, 500s twins. This one in a Rickman frame. When it quit the pits were close by...
I can't believe you are riding in a short sleeved T shirt and what looks like every day jeans. You could suffer serious injury from the smallest spill.
I rode with a half-dozen friends all through the 1970s and T-shirts, Levi's, and combat boots were our standard riding gear in the summer. In the winter, we wore field jackets and during the spring/fall we had jeans jackets. We caught a little road-rash but not much (I've crashed 1x at ~60 mph, 2x at ~45 mph, and more times than I can count at ~30 mph). The major injuries during that time were one guy with a broken collarbone and two guys with torn ACLs from landing in a sitting position and then somersaulting forward which bent the knee backwards. We tried to roll when we came off.
We had one for sale in the Kawasaki shop where I turned wrenches. Nobody then would buy it, and I was the only one who would ride it. You haven't lived until you try to kick start a 441 and it back fires bouncing the kick lever up into your calf. I swear my calf muscles are still sore after all these years.
