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A CENTRE of attraction at
Olympia, the front wheel drive
B.S.A. three - wheeler has
caused a great deal of discussion.
Obviously there are hundreds of
potential buyers who wish to know
how it performs on the road.
The answer to this question is that
the performance is altogether de-
lightful.
If it were not that the duty of a
road tester is to provide useful and
intelligent criticism, these notes
would become one paean of praise.
As it is, points for critical comment
are extremely difficult to find, and
after 500 miles of hard driving,
SPECIFICATION.
ENGINE: 85 X 90 mm. (1.021.5 c.c.)
B.S A, with enclosed overhead-valve gear.
Electric starter.
TRANSMISSION: Worm and shaft drive to front wheels.
LUBRICATION: Mechanical feed from sump to cylinders.
GEAR BOX: BSA three-speed and reverse, unit with engine. Ratios: 525, 7.81 and 1535 to 1. Reverse. 18.9 to I.
CARBURETTER: S U., single control.
BRAKES: Internal expanding, on. front and rear.
TYRES: 27x4in.
WEIGHT (Fully equipped):
896 Ib.
PRICE (With spare wheel and windscreen wiper): £125.
MAKER: B.S.A Cycles, Ltd., Birmingham.
TRANSMISSION: Worm and shaft drive to front wheels.
LUBRICATION: Mechanical feed from sump to cylinders.
GEAR BOX: BSA three-speed and reverse, unit with engine. Ratios: 525, 7.81 and 1535 to 1. Reverse. 18.9 to I.
CARBURETTER: S U., single control.
BRAKES: Internal expanding, on. front and rear.
TYRES: 27x4in.
WEIGHT (Fully equipped):
896 Ib.
PRICE (With spare wheel and windscreen wiper): £125.
MAKER: B.S.A Cycles, Ltd., Birmingham.
the final drive being by exposed driving axles
with duplex fabric-joints on the inner ends and
Hookes-type joints enclosed within the stub
heads. There is no rigid front axle. its place being
taken by four transverse springs on
either side. These springs are necessarily on the stiff side, but, as this
stiffness would be essential on any
three-wheeled vehicle-to prevent
excessive roll the point is of little
moment.
Only on full lock is it possible to
experience the slightest " feel " of
the drive; at all other times it would
be impossible to detect that the
drive was taken through the steering
wheels.
Steering by pinion and internal
quadrant is not, as a role, irreversible, but-owing probably to the fact
that the drive is transmitted through
the
only criticisms that can be advanced concern minor
details, such as bonnet fasteners and door handles.
The engine is smooth, quiet and powerful, the acceler-
oation of a very high order, the braking perfect, and the
stability and road-holding at least as good as that of the
average small car. In fact, corners may almost be
taken at any speed permitted by visibility, and only on
one occasion did the sudden application of brakes on a
greasy surface have the slightest untoward effect.
It may be best to discuss the salient features of the
design in relationship to their effect on road perform-
ance, and as it is the front wheel drive that is the most
unusual feature of the machine, this point will be
examined first.
The worm drive, with its spur-type differential, is
housed in an extension of the engine and gear unit,
the steering wheels the effect of irreversible steering is
obtained, and there is no trace of kick-back in the steer-
ing wheel when normal obstructions are encountered.
As regards the rear springing, the rear wheel of a
three-wheeler is bound to strike obstacles which could
be avoided on a four-wheeler, and therefore the former
can never be quite so comfortable as the latter. The
B.S.A. however, is well sprung for a three-wheeler,
and pneumatic seat cushions help to remove traces
of jar. The shock absorber is accessible and pays for
attention, and the long spring, enclosed in the tubular
frame member, is kept clear of mud and water.
The technically minded will wish to know whether a
steep hill transfers the weight too far aft for satisfactory
wheel-grip; and the reply is that on a gradient of
rather worse than I in 7 the machine will glide away
from a standing start without
a trace of wheelspin, while
when the machine is equipped
with suitable tyres (not,
chains) such freakish Cots-
wold climbs as Gypsy Lane
and Mill Hill are well within
its powers.
The interconnected three-
wheel brakes are admirable,
and will stop the vehicle
quickly and smoothly even
on steep descents, and the
rear wheel brake alone will
stop and hold the machine on
any gradient and surface
which provide sufficient wheel-
grip.
Incidentally, this latter-
brake is operated by a push-
on lever-a feature of the
Daimler car.
It is desirable that the
front brake should come into
action slightly before the
is an inclination to drive
normally at 45 to 50 m.p.h.,
simply because at such speeds
the engine appears to be
entirely . effortless; and,
though the maximum speed is
just over 60 m.p.h., a steady
50 does not tire the engine in
the least.
This point was emphasised
during a fuel-consumption
test for, though it was in-
tended that the machine
should be kept at a steady
36 m.p.h., within half a mile
of the start the speedometer
needle was past the 40 mark
-and therefore it was kept
around this figure through-
out. Even at this speed the
consumption proved to be
better than 40 m.p.g., a good
figure for a 1,021 c.c. engine
towing a driver, a passenger,
and a machine which in laden
back brake, and this is easily ensured by simple wing-
nut adjustments. There is only one brake drum on
the front axle, but as it is anchored to the differential
shell it has a balanced action on both front wheels.
Owing to the immense supports for the gear box
main shaft, which passes right through to a bearing
beyond the worm, the gear box is amazingly quiet, and
even on the lower ratios there is an almost uncanny
absence of whine or hum. The gear-change is extra-
ordinarily easy, and though the unusual position of
the lever-under the scuttle-might appear awkward,
this is by no means the case. The gears fall into mesh
without noise or effort, and the clutch is sweet.
Almost Perfect Balance.
And now for that very important item, the engine.
A 90-degree twin can be balanced almost to perfection,
and the B.S.A. designer seems to have hit on the exact
formula. At any speed between 20 m.p.h. and
condition scales over 8 cwt. (Incidentally, it should be
mentioned that future models will be considerably
lihghter some parts of the first batch being unnecessarily heavy.
Adequate Weather Protection.
Oil consumption during the test was about 600 miles
per gallon, but as the engine was new the setting was
arranged to provide a good steady smoke when running
light, and it is certain that the figure would be unproved
upon to a marked degree in ordinary circumstances
The model under test had a coachbuilt body with
full equipment, and- it provided weather protection
equal to that ot the modern car, having a sloping one-
piece wmdscreen, hinged at the top, a well-fitting hood
and side-screens and curtains. during part of the test
the weather was sufficiently vile to discover any faults
yet the protection afforded was adequate
Though no need for wheel 'changing was experienced,
60 m.p.h. on top gear it would
be hard to tell that the
engine was not a four, and a
very smooth four at that.
Below the lower limit violent
acceleration will show the
absence of the two extra cylin-
ders, but mainly by " voice."
The engine will tick over so
slowly and quietly and accele-
rate so smoothly, if the controls
are operated intelligently, that
top gear may be employed
even in moderately thick
traffic; in fact, it is quite easy
to re-start on top gear, even on
a moderate gradient. Never is
the thump associated- with
many big twins obvious. There
the operation, as regards the
front wheels, is at least as
easy as on a car; although
the rear wheel is not quite
so exposed there is no
difficulty in reaching the
wheel nuts with the brace.
When it is remembered that
the specification includes an
electric starter (which really
starts-the engine!), an electric
horn and wihdscreen wiper, a
, spare wheel, a reverse gear
and every modem luxury, it
will be agreed that, with its
excellent performance, the
B.S.A. runabout is something
rather remarkable in the way
of value for money
   
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