Keith's Walwin winner
By TMX Archives on 6th Sep 07
THE lovely little bike you are looking at is Keith Quinn's unique and recently re-built Walwin BSA Bantam, the subject of this short story, spanning some 40-years, that started at the tail-end of the British motorcycle industry and recently resulted in me having my first competitive outing in something like five years!
A brief history of the bike is as follows: it was was conceived andbuilt by brothers Ross and Mike Winwood and their dad in the mid-1960swhen they were employed in the British motorcycle industry and wantedto present a challenge to the Spanish factories, led by Bultaco, whichwere taking over trials at the time.
The light, peppy, Bantam engine was chosen and slotted into the workof art that is the dural frame, all hand-crafted, literally screwedtogether and well-worth standing and staring at.
The bike was sold to well-known off-roader Pete Edmondson, and Pete- who as luck would have it was at the Nostalgia - told us that he rodeseveral trials on it back in the days before he, in turn, sold it toLancaster character Bill Goad. The bike then languished in the late,lamented Goady's Lancaster garage for many years before Keith Quinnfinally persuaded Bill to part with it after years of trying. Thesteady drip of water, etc...
