American idol

IF THE 1960s were the decade when ordinary people did extraordinary things, BSA certainly did their bit for Britain.

The giant of Small Heath exported a significant proportion of its production to the USA, invested £750,000 in plant improvements and were at the forefront of technology in installing a computer-assisted assembly line.

In 1964, Harry Sturgeon, managing director of the motorcycle division, said that sales to the US could be much increased as they were based on “the national acceptability of our machines, which in turn would largely depend on their performance in sporting events.”

Read more in May’s edition of CBG