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HARWINTON, CT – Is BSA’s return to the U.S. finally about to happen? Or has it already occurred behind a curtain of secrecy and no one’s spilled the beans? It appears that a return is quietly moving forward and just hasn’t been publicly revealed, but will an official announcement be forthcoming soon?
It was nearly 18 months ago that RIDE-CT wondered in a story “Will BSA Finally Come To The United States?” Since then, there’s been silence from brand owner Mahindra and few clues.
Until now.
To recap the backstory, it was in 2021 that a revival of the once British marque that stood for Birmingham Small Arms was announced, and it was 2022 that India-based Mahindra began selling a single-cylinder, 652cc Gold Star model in the U.K.
It was only logical to assume that sales in the U.S. would eventually come to pass – sooner rather than later. After all, BSA’s Indian rival Royal Enfield was doing well here with small to mid-sized bikes. But, as the months passed (and now years), thoughts about and hopes for BSA’s arrival waned.
Again, until now.
An impromptu check this evening of BSA’s website in the U.K. revealed that dealers in the U.S. are now being identified. And a separate brand website dedicated to North America has been discovered as well.
BSA’s North American website blares the headline “Coming Soon” and lists 18 dealers spread across 11 states. They include Arizona, California, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Just how long the North America website has been active isn’t known. Also unclear is when dealer identities were disclosed.
What is clear is that BSA is still keeping mum on its planned U.S. presence and is likely cautioning its dealers to do so as well. A check of the websites of probably half of the dealers listed showed none of them displaying a BSA logo and hawking BSA product.
Google searches failed to either turn up a press release from BSA on a North American debut or any news stories touting such news. But it does appear that BSA will finally arrive stateside.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the just concluded MotorcycleLive show in Birmingham, England, BSA’s U.K. Facebook page shows a new model that has joined the Gold Star 650 in the brand’s lineup – the B65 Scrambler (photo below).
Given BSA’s steadfast stealth over the past three years, it’s impossible to predict when U.S. sales might begin. Whatever happens, having a second model geared to on-road and off-road riding will give BSA a better story to tell when the signage goes up.
(Photos courtesy of BSA)
