The Clive Wood MBE Collection, 1934 BSA 4.98 hp J34-15 OHV Twin W.D.

• Produced for only one year
• One of the rarest and most desirable of 1930s BSAs
• Ex-War Department

"As I knew I would, I loved it immediately – the sound, the comfort, the look, it's all perfect, making the half-litre BSA V-twin really one of the most delightful machines of the 1930s." – James Robinson, The Classic Motorcycle, March 2017.

During the 1930s BSA concentrated on producing an extensive and varied range of dependable, well-made and competitively priced motorcycles. The majority of these were singles but for the sidecar market BSA offered the Model G 985cc sidevalve v-twin and, for the more sportingly inclined rider, a smaller overhead-valve v-twin: the 499cc Model J. Somewhat surprisingly, given its complexity, the newcomer had originally been developed for the War Department. Predictably, it was rejected by the latter, which tended to favour sidevalve singles for military use, and appeared for the first time in civilian guise in the 1934 range as the J34-11. The military version, as seen here,
appears to have been listed, specifically as a WD model, and produced for only one year. Intended exclusively for the military, it never appeared in the normal range catalogues or brochures.
The civilian model, however, continued in production and was typed J35-12 the following year when it was joined by a 750cc version, the Y13, before ceasing production at the end of 1936 as the J12. Although the '500' had gone, the 750cc v-twin continued until the end of the 1938 season. Produced for only three years (and only one in the case of the WD version), the handsome Model J is today one of the rarest and most highly sought after of all 1930s BSAs.

Finished in distinctive War Department livery, this ultra-rare BSA J34-15 is an older restoration, undertaken at date unknown. Notable features include the three-speed, foot-change gearbox; electric lighting set complete with ammeter; pillion pad; and two tool boxes. There are no registration documents for this motorcycle, which is offered for recommissioning and sold strictly as viewed (the engine turns over). A pair of 'BSA' transfers and a BMS reprinted maintenance manual and separate spares list come with it.