
October 4, 2020

Hello All,
I am relatively new to bikes and have "most" of a D1 Bantam (plunger) in pieces in my garage. It was my dads for many years but never got around to putting it together, I have since acquired it and hope to get it going. The frame number seems to indicate it is a 1952 post office model.
At some point I need to post pictures to work out what bits are what, and if they are for the correct model D1 etc. I know the two rear wheels I have are wrong (D1 rigid, and either a D3 or D7).
As I am new to the more "complex" mechanical aspects (doing a breakdown of the engine) I may sell of the parts and possibly by a complete D1 🙂
Â
Best,
Josh

April 19, 2018

Hi Josh and a very warm welcome to the Forum. I'm sure someone would swap some of your "wrong" parts fro the right ones. And, as a first project, an early bantam is ideal as not too "complex" but still "stimulating," shall we say 🙂
 You will find just about everything you could ever want on the Forum via the FAQs and technical sections; ** Please log in to view **
Have a really good nose around the forum and enjoy yourself. Looking forward to seeing your progress.
Good Luck!
All the best and a Happy New Year when it comes,
Stewart
 '55 D3 Battery; '58 Square Four (project); '59 D1 direct lighting plunger; '59 Tiger Cub; '60 5TA; '76 FS1-E; '91 GTR 1000; '97 Honda Sky SGX50.

April 10, 2020

Josh
Welcome.....If you want to get into restoring classic British bikes a Bantam is a great starting point. They are very straightforward to work on and the forum / club members have a wealth of info and knowledge.Â
Most of the parts are still available from quite a few companies. If you look on the Draganfly site(it shows diagramatic breakdowns of all the chassis, engine etc components to help determine what you have/have not got) and if you join the club there are loads of parts books etc in the members area.Â
Let us know where you are located, there may be someone local who can cast an eye over what you have.
Cheers
Alan
1939 Ariel VH, 1942 Ariel WNG, 1951 Triumph 6T Thunderbird, 1970 BSA Bantam B175, 1980 Honda CB250N, 1986 Yamaha SRX600

June 23, 2013

Hello and welcome. First of all, it is your bike, so whether you sell it to fund another or not is up to you. However (there is always a however, eh?) if you do that you will have lost a direct link to your Dad and the past. In the forum, we class 'restoration' as getting an old bike back on the road, whether it is missing a few parts, rusty, dented or restored to showroom condition, so don't worry too much over that.
I would advise starting with the engine. As said, they are a pretty easy thing to overhaul, especially if it hasn't been messed with very much. There are plenty of topics covering the overhaul, plus LINKS to other sites (all the early Bantam engines up to the 4 speed ones are pretty identical). The only special tool you really need is a flywheel extractor, though an engine stand is really useful.
Good luck.

January 18, 2020

Greetings - ... and a warning, I bought a "complete" D1, it's still in pieces being rebuilt!
So, is still very like what you've got now
Mike H --
Murphy's 4th law of motion states that any small object that is accidentally dropped will immediately hide itself under a larger object.

November 30, 2017

Hi Josh,
If it were me, I'd keep it for sure, as it was your fathers. It'd also be nice to see another Post Bantam done up! I believe that there is a member called Rhett that doesn't live too far from you who is very knowledgeable, not sure if he's on here or just on the Facebook group. As there isn't a Area Rep yet for Wiltshire I'm sure I can get you in contact with him.
Â
Kind Regards,
Â
 - William
Oxfordshire and Berkshire area rep. Currently own a 1958 D1 GPO BSA Bantam, 1968 D14 BSA Bantam, 1969 BSA Starfire, 1992 Suzuki Katana GSX400SSN (Japanese Import), and a 2018 Mash TT40.
Most Users Ever Online: 223
Currently Online:
11 Guest(s)
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Top Posters:
cocorico: 3372
Cornish Rooster: 3109
bart: 2687
Blue Heeler: 2543
David Dale: 2346
Sprung Chicken: 2293
Piquet: 1975
Mags 1: 1853
sunny: 1744
jess steele: 1672
Newest Members:
les7
Forum Stats:
Groups: 9
Forums: 48
Topics: 11148
Posts: 98776
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 1434
Members: 3212
Moderators: 0
Admins: 3
Administrators: Bantam-Super, JMD, Stoo63