If you have been keeping up with the resurgence of the BSA Company in recent years, you may have some lingering questions. While new BSA Gold Star 650 motorcycles have been slowly making their way to customers in the UK and select European markets, what happened to the plans for a UK factory?
Let's take a step back for a moment and review some important history. In 2016, Classic Legends, owned by Mahindra and Mahindra, acquired BSA. Classic Legends is also the parent company of Jawa and Yezdi, with Yezdi bikes being sold in India and Jawa expanding to Europe.
Returning to BSA, in November 2020, Classic Legends discussed its ambitious plans to establish a technical and design facility in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and a factory near Coventry in the UK. The company also planned to offer both combustion and electric powertrain options for the new-gen BSA bikes, with the electric version's parts (excluding battery packs) to be manufactured in the UK.
However, as we all know, the global pandemic disrupted many plans starting in 2020. While BSA and Classic Legends have not explicitly attributed delays to the pandemic, its impact cannot be ignored.
According to a recent report in India's Economic Times, Classic Legends intends to move forward with building the UK factory, with plans to begin construction in the next fiscal year starting in April 2024. With April 2024 quickly approaching, more details are expected to be revealed soon.
Stay tuned as RideApart reaches out to BSA for updates on the new facility. Like the first signs of spring, these developments offer a glimmer of hope for the future of BSA.
