Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
General Discussion => Campfire Talk => Topic started by: Chasfield on September 27, 2009, 09:05:44 am
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October's Classic Bike Guide (UK) has a number of great home-brewed machines. Most interesting for me was a hugely re-engineered Sunbeam S8, which appears also at:
http://www.onthebeam.co.uk/Specials.html
The owner has used his ultra-bike-shed skills to sort out all of the the machine's flaws (weak shaft drive, poor cyclinder head design, weak clutch etc.).
He actually machined a new cross-flow head from a billet of alloy, into which he arranged Kawasaki valve gear.
The obvious question that weighs down on you as you read the article is: if a guy can sort the ruddy thing out in his shed, why on earth could the BSA/Sunbeam empire not get it right with the resources at their disposal?
A sister machine to this a special is featured in the same write-up. This is a "Moto-Beam" - a Moto Guzzi V50 motor dropped into a Sunbeam chassis. And I tell you what, it fits like a glove.
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Those bikes are grand, I think I need one.
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I think that those Sunbeams were great looking, distinctive bikes and that BSA kind of squandered a decent brand.
That episode of automotive history reminds me of all the fantastic car marques that got sucked into BMC before it morphed into Austin Rover and slowly curled up and died.
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Ever since I saw a S8 'Beam in person I've wanted one. It sounded like nothing else I've ever heard. And looked like it would really handle the road. Thanks for the pics and link. Will.
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People will excel in creativity when there is an incentive to do so.
Some how that must been lost with the Sunbeam line up.