CarBrandLogos archive · BSA · 1950

BSAA10 Golden Flash

A big, unstressed twin that would pull a sidecar all day and never make a fuss.

Photo: ozz13x · CC BY 2.0

The story

A defining chapter in BSA history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the BSA A10 Golden Flash, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Bert Hopwood joined BSA from Norton and within a remarkably short time had turned the 495 cc A7 into a larger, better-balanced 646 cc air-cooled twin. Launched in 1950, the A10 Golden Flash took its name from the beige-gold paint offered alongside black, and it went straight to the top of BSA's range.

1963 BSA A10 Super Rocket · Mfhutchins · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The design brief was torque rather than revs. The engine was deliberately understressed, with power delivered low down, four speeds and chain final drive, and the whole machine built to tolerate the load of a sidecar — still a common family vehicle in Britain in the early 1950s. Early bikes had rigid or plunger frames; swinging-arm versions followed, and the range grew to include the sportier Super Rocket and Road Rocket for buyers who wanted more.

BSA A10 Golden Flash · Ronald Saunders from Warrington, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0

In production

The A10 sold heavily at home and in export markets until 1963, when the unit-construction A65 replaced it. Among British twins it has a reputation for being less exciting than a Triumph and considerably less troublesome, which is roughly what its designer intended.

BSA A10 Golden Flash · Ronald Saunders from Warrington, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0

At a glance