LOT 108
1963 BSA A10R Super Rocket Frame no. GA7.24730 Engine no. DA10 R9765
Sold for US$7,820 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 108
1963 BSA A10R Super Rocket
1963 BSA A10R Super Rocket
Frame no. GA7.24730
Engine no. DA10 R9765
Frame no. GA7.24730
Engine no. DA10 R9765
In production from 1947-63, the BSA A10 engine was prime mover of everything from plodding sidehacks to speedy Daytona 200 winners. Never as well-known as Triumph's 650 vertical-twin, BSA's A motors were nonetheless touched by three greats of British motorcycling: Val Page laid down the basic architecture pre-WWII; Edward Turner, on loan from Triumph during the war years, contributed the signature three-lobe timing cover; and Bert Hopwood, supposedly in a 10-day flurry, recast the 497cc A7 into the 646cc A10.
The 1958 Super Rocket, using a tuned 'Big Valve' version of the motor, impressed the editors at Cycle magazine, who termed the new model, a "Missile with Muscle," noting favorably, "Too often, low-end performance must be sacrificed in order to gain power like the Rocket's, but unlike many factory hop-ups, the Super Rocket is easy to start and says flexible throughout its entire speed range – which reaches well over the century mark."
By 1963, the last year of production, serious backroad scratchers could have the pukka Rocket Gold Star version of the A10, allowing the Super Rocket to be more flamboyant in its trim, and BSA did not spare
the chrome-plating (or graphics)! In the U.S., with its two BSA distributors, slight changes were evident in the so-called Eastern and Western models.
The Western example presented here has the correct smaller petrol tank without knee grips and the dual seat and "Gunter Bend" handlebar variations typical of that offering. The machine has been on static display for quite some time and will require a thorough service to return to fully roadworthy condition.
The 1958 Super Rocket, using a tuned 'Big Valve' version of the motor, impressed the editors at Cycle magazine, who termed the new model, a "Missile with Muscle," noting favorably, "Too often, low-end performance must be sacrificed in order to gain power like the Rocket's, but unlike many factory hop-ups, the Super Rocket is easy to start and says flexible throughout its entire speed range – which reaches well over the century mark."
By 1963, the last year of production, serious backroad scratchers could have the pukka Rocket Gold Star version of the A10, allowing the Super Rocket to be more flamboyant in its trim, and BSA did not spare
the chrome-plating (or graphics)! In the U.S., with its two BSA distributors, slight changes were evident in the so-called Eastern and Western models.
The Western example presented here has the correct smaller petrol tank without knee grips and the dual seat and "Gunter Bend" handlebar variations typical of that offering. The machine has been on static display for quite some time and will require a thorough service to return to fully roadworthy condition.
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