Bantamweight champion
I’ve been on a lot of new bike press riding launches over the past 27 years. And I’ve been to a lot of neat places, from race tracks in Japan and Malaysia, to Californian valley roads, German autobahns, even the unrestricted mountain roads on the Isle of Man.
I’ve ridden new bikes in London too, of course. But as I trundle down the A3 by New Malden on the 2025 BSA Bantam 350 launch, I chuckle – because it’s the first time I’ve been on a bike launch which passes by the end of the road where I actually live…
Because, yes, the BSA firm launched its latest new bike at the Bike Shed in Shoreditch, London – a favourite haunt of mine. And the riding route finished up at Ryka’s Café in Box Hill, Surrey, by far the nearest biker meeting point to my house. I couldn’t have been more at home on this job.
I’m not quite so familiar with the BSA brand though. The legendary British marque died off in 1971 – the year I was born, coincidentally – and I’ve never been a massive fan of old British iron anyway.
My early biking years were dominated by Japanese machinery, and I was actually more aware of the Birmingham Small Arms brand from the world of airguns and target rifles –my dad was a keen target rifle and pistol shooter, and I spent my early teens on the local range.
The old bikes were a bit of a mystery to me, but I knew that the brand itself had passed through a few hands, without being blessed by a John Bloor-style adoptive parent to revive its fortunes.
Nearly ten years ago, though, BSA was in fact adopted by suitable parents, with the Classic Legends company taking on the brand, and the ultimate owner as the massive Indian firm Mahindra. In 2021 the firm released the first ‘proper’ new BSA for decades, the Gold Star 650, and the brand was properly re-born.
Now though, BSA has released another model, aimed at the sub-400cc sector which has become so crucial in the Indian home market – but has also sparked a revival in European markets too. British riders have gone crazy for recent machinery like the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and Hunter 350, the Triumph Speed 400 and the latest entrant, Honda’s GB350 S.
All of these lightweight models promise a lot of fun for not a lot of cash, and that has been a popular message in the recent hard times. Sales have been good – and a lot of riders seem to be enjoying something less intense and serious, more light-hearted than the massively powerful full-sized adventure, naked and sportsbike models that fill the mainstream.
We had a bit of an introduction to the bike before the riding group set off from the Bike Shed, so I had an idea of what to expect before we pulled out into Shoreditch High Street. It’s a simple recipe in a lot of ways: conventional steel tube frame, twin rear shock swingarm, basic forks and disc brakes for the chassis, powered by a single cylinder 334cc engine.
That engine is a bit fancier than the main class competitors though: where both Enfield and Honda are offering long-stroke, two-valve air-cooled SOHC units making around 20bhp, the BSA unit is a different beast.
The Bantam comes with an oversquare water-cooled design, with a four-valve DOHC head, and drives the back wheel via a six-speed transmission compared with the five gears on the other two. It also has nearly 50 per cent more power – a solid 28bhp.
This engine spec lifts the BSA up – but it’s still some way off the fire-breathing Triumph Speed 400, with its wild 40bhp (albeit at a significantly higher price point).
Riding bikes isn’t just about spec sheets though – so I’m keen to get on board and see what the new Bantam is about. That name is a real check back to the original firm’s heritage of course, which is underlined by the (very excited) members of the official BSA and Bantam owners’ club who are here on this launch.
The Bantam was a super-basic 125 two-stroke, built using plans snaffled from German firm DKW after World War II. All the Allies essentially took what they wanted from Germany’s shattered industries, including blueprints and tools for motorcycle production.
The BSA firm put the DKW design straight to work, and the utility-spec Bantam went on to be a massive success for the firm. Nearly half a million were sold between 1948 and 1971 according to the company, making it by far the biggest-selling British bike ever.
The original Bantam was ideal utility transport for a UK economy ravaged by war, and desperate to get workers on the move cheaply. This is long before the era of cheap cars like the Austin 7 or Mini, and a basic 125, 150 or 175 Bantam was the only real option for most people who wanted something more than a bicycle or the bus.
The 2025 Bantam has a slightly different role though. Okay, many owners here in the UK will be buying one as a practical commuter, but the default personal transport for the general public these days will still probably be a car.
So the 350 BSA has to offer a bit more than the pure utility of its ancestor in order to appeal to more demanding customers, and tempt them away from the handsome Honda and classy Enfield 350s.
A lot to think about then – but it all falls away as I ride out of the Bike Shed entrance. BSA has left us to it largely: the bikes all have phone mounts, and the organisers seem to trust us to follow a Google Maps route. Being my manor though, I know where to head to, and am soon battling through the City, heading down to Tower Bridge, round the Elephant and Castle and on to the A3 south.
My first impressions of the Bantam are pretty good. The riding position is simple and easy, with my stumpy 30” inside legs easily accommodated, and both feet on the ground at a red light. The seat feels lower than the 800mm spec, thanks to the narrow construction, and the BSA feels very light and manageable.
It’s the engine that grabs me from the off though. It’s got great low-down drive, even in higher gears. You can trundle along easily at walking pace in town in second or even third, then it accelerates away smoothly with no harsh vibes. It’s sharp off the line, and you can definitely get the jump on any smaller bikes away from the lights.
When the A3 opens up into a fast, wide dual carriageway on the way down to Surrey, the little Bantam feels just as lively. That extra eight or nine bhp over a more basic air-cooled 350 is a clincher on these open roads, and you really feel like you’re able to keep ahead of traffic no worries.
Later on, on a section of the M25, I saw 80mph on the clocks with a bit more to come. The gearshift is a little bit stiff at times, but the launch bikes were almost new – mine had just 90 miles on the clock, so you’d expect things to be a little tight. The gearbox itself is decent, with well-spaced ratios, although the change was a little bit crunchy on my bike – again perhaps down to the low miles on the motors.
I’m also impressed by the brakes on the Bantam. The spec looks basic – a ByBre twin-piston sliding front caliper – but it bites on a full sized 320mm disc, which is a smart touch. A lot of small budget bike designers seem to have little interest in great stoppers, which always seemed mad to me.
No matter how low-powered a bike is, there’s no reason not to have brilliant brakes. And they are very good here, with plenty of power and progression. I almost got caught by a red light camera in town, and had to suddenly haul on the anchors. The BSA stopped as if I’d hit the back of the proverbial TfL double-decker. There’s the safety net of ABS, albeit a fairly basic system, and the MRF tyres on the bikes we rode worked perfectly well.
There was good grip on all the roads we used, but it was a fairly warm, dry day, so there’s not too much to ask there. If I was doing year-round miles, I’d want to see how these hoops perform in cold wet conditions before sticking with them.
We get down towards Ryka’s itself, and the snapper takes a few shots on the roundabout outside the café. The rubber works well again, letting you lean over more than far enough for most typical Bantam riders, and there’s a lot of ground clearance too, thanks to the narrow chassis and tucked-in footpegs. Again, the Bantam does everything I ask of it, with no complaints, and more than decent performance.
Lunch at Box Hill over and done with, and I race back to Shoreditch to return the bike. Settling in on the Bantam 350 for the return journey, I make a note of some other quibbles, like the mirrors which vibe quite badly, making it hard to see anything behind you when on the move.
My phone’s battery is running a little low, making me yearn for a handlebar-mounted USB socket as seen on the firm’s bigger 650s. And the LCD dash, while looking slick, and having decent info readouts, has some rather small text, which elderly eyes might struggle with.
Minor stuff of course, and the only real complaint in my notes is about the suspension, which feels a bit harsh and unsophisticated over the speed humps, pot holes and badly-repaired roadworks on London’s streets. It’s what you’d expect for the market though: this is a very well-priced bike, and expensive, complex suspension parts are never going to be part of the deal.
And I’m pretty happy with that: a capable engine, decent brakes and good handling would probably come above ‘plush damping’ in my book anyway. If you’re that bothered, then the aftermarket will no doubt provide options in future.
My local bike launch was a big hit then – good locations, decent roads, and a sweet new bike to try out. The new Bantam is a very promising entry into the small-capacity class from BSA, and at the super-low launch price of just under £3,500, it’s got to be worth a look if you’re in that market. More info: www.bsamotorcycles.co.uk.
2025 BSA Bantam Tech highlights
Engine
This unit has appeared before on other bikes in the Mahindra range, including Yezdi and Jawa. It’s a modern, high-performance design, with water-cooling, four-valve DOHC head, an oversquare 81x65mm bore and stroke, 11.5:1 compression ratio, and peak power output of 29bhp@8,000rpm.
Suspension
Five-way preload-adjustable twin rear shocks, RWU front forks with rubber gaiters
Brakes
ByBre floating twin-piston caliper, 320mm front disc, single-piston caliper, 240mm rear disc.
2025 BSA Bantam 350 Specifications
ENGINE
Engine Type: DOHC four-stroke, four-valve single, liquid cooled
Capacity: 334cc
Bore x stroke 81x65mm
Compression ratio: 11.5:1
Max Power: 29bhp@8,000rpm
Max Torque: 29.62Nm@6,000rpm
Transmission: six-speed
BRAKES
Front: 320mm Floating Type Caliper , ABS
Rear: 240mm Floating type caliper , ABS
Frame: Steel tube double cradle
SUSPENSION
Front: Telescopic Hydraulic fork, 135 mm stroke
Rear: Twin shock absorber, 5 step adjustable, 100 mm wheel travel
WHEELS/TYRES
Front wheel: cast aluminium, 100/90 18 MRF
Rear wheel: cast aluminium, 150/70 17 MRF
DIMENSIONS
Wet weight: 185 kg (with 90% fuel)
Fuel capacity: 13 litres
Wheelbase: 1,440 mm
Seat height: 800mm
Rake: 29°
Colours Union Black
Camber Smoke
Ton-Up Blue
Redbrick Rush
Flash Amber