In July 2004 we couldn't believe our luck when we found some colour photos taken at Daytona 1954.  Still recovering from the shock, project member Myles Raymond got a out of the blue from an ex-BSA apprentice who helped prepare the 1954 twins. He had heard about our project through the BSA grapevine and wanted to offer help, information and... more photos.

Although the 54 colour pics had given us vital extra details at just the point in the restoration when we needed them, we still didn't have good left and right hand side shots of the twins that would answer questions about the finish or material of many small parts like brackets and levers. We were also still largely in the dark about post- 54 bikes and the differences between them and the 54 machines.

This is important to us because we have many photos that haven't been posted on the website taken from Daytona in later years which show works bikes alongside the previous year's works bikes ridden by non- works BSA riders and bikes that have been modified by non-works BSA riders to look like the works bikes. So identifying this year's model from these photos has been a nightmare!

So when Colin told us that what he had were the official BSA photographs taken by the official BSA photographer for both the 54 and 55 twins, we were getting the champagne ready!

Colin was one of the small army of apprentices mentioned in Roland Pike's memoirs that were taken-on to help with the Daytona effort for 1954.  He worked in the experimental department under Len Crisp, the competitions manager from 1953 onwards.  The twins were prepared in the experimental department from parts taken off the production line. Some modification work was done here. For example the 54 rigid rear Daytona frames were - Colin thinks - made by Reynolds but had strengthening added to the rear loop afterwards in the experimental shop.  Colin was also able to confirm that the rear brake pedal was made of alloy, something we suspected after finding the 54 colour pics.

On engine specification Colin was also able to confirm that the bottom end, crank and rods were stock shooting star, not modified, just blueprinted during build. The head had larger valves, a nimonic exhaust and much porting and polishing work.

There are still some mysteries to be solved, though.

Promotional picture of 54 twin before shipping to the USA with Roland Pike leaning over the bike. Note the  alloy extensions on the rear mudguard.

The Alloy Extension and colours questions.
From photos taken at Daytona in '54, we know that extended alloy mudguards were fitted around the rear wheel to protect the bike and carburettors from sand.

These are shown in '54  promotional photos (left), in photos taken at the beach in '54 but not in Colin's  '54 photos. 

But these ARE shown in all the photos we have from '55  - beach, promotional and Colin's 55 photos.

We also know the twins in '54 were painted two-tone green like the roadsters. This appears to be the case with the promotional photos too, but Colin's  '54 pics appear (they're B&W so were making educated guesses) to show black cycle parts.

Promotional photo time again, this time a year later after Roland Pike had left BSA

We don't know the answers to either of these questions.  Maybe the photos were taken at a stage before completion, without the extra alloy guards perhaps deliberately to show that there was nothing exotic being hidden under them that would have upset the AMA?

Or perhaps some other reason, we just don't know. If you do, we'd love to hear from you!

THE WORKS PHOTOGRAPHER
BSA kept a works photographer whose job was to take photos of all bikes - production and racing. These would be used in catalogues and for promotional material. In the case of the racing bikes for Daytona, we think these would also accompany the bikes and be used as verification that they had not been modified after manufacture in the factory.

We think this because we have BSA photos of other Daytona bikes found in the US that are stamped with AMA identification marks.

As well as preparing the bikes, Colin also had to assist the BSA photographer. In the case of the photos shown here his job was to hold the white sheet up behind the bikes to provide an evenly lit backdrop. But the sheet was there not just to provide a backdrop, it was also to hide the other bikes in the experimental shop. For anyone else, taking a camera in there was verboten – if found, you’d be sacked!

The photos Colin sent us were scanned and burned to CD. The originals are 45Mbs in size - huge - so the downloadable pictures on this page have been reduced. But these are still detailed enough to be able to spot the photogapher reflected in the tank and of course, Colin Washbourne's shoe!