Britbike forum Forums British Motorcycle specific Brands Bsa bulletin board 1944 bsa m20; do I buy it?

Hi everyone. There is an auction this month that features close to 100 bikes. One of them is a green military 1944 BSA M20. The current winning bid is $1400. It does not run. It was running when stored many years ago. I know nothing about BSA motorcycles but love the way this looks.

How much do you feel this would be worth?
How hard is it to find parts?
Would it be nearly impossible to replace/find/fix the stater?

Anything I should really know before I place bids higher than this?

Thank you,

Dan

You might have better luck posting your question to the general BSA forum. Although there is a family connection, the M20 is only a distant relative of the Gold Star. Although other sporting singles sometimes end up being discussed in the Gold Star forum, 'sporting' and 'M20' don't go together in the same sentence.

buy now

think later

I have to ask why you posted this question in the Goldstar interest section. I realize they are both BSAs but a M20 is about as far from a Goldstar as you can get in the BSA model range. I was at Jim Hunter's shop (was a local Goldstar legend) when a guy brought in a M20 motor for repair. Hunter told the guy to get that damn "boat anchor" out of there. If you are truly a Goldstar enthusiast, and aspire to own one, don't buy the M20. If you just want an old BSA to mess with, and don't mind going slow, go ahead with the purchase and direct your questions to the more broadly oriented BSA interest group.But, to answer your question with my opinion, $1400 would be a bargain for for a complete M20. Parts are readily available and there is a large group of dedicated enthusiast for this model. Girder forks can be a challenge but they look cool and work fine on a smooth road if properly set up. An M20 does not have a "starter", you kick it.

"stater"

barring unmentioned red flags, i would buy a complete M20 for that money in a heartbeat

It doesn’t have a stator, it has a dynamo as part of its Magdyno.

An easy mistake for a first time poster.
Like 'starter'.

As I understand it, the M20 was developed just before WW2 started and as a result, most of the production ended up being used by the Army and other services.

It's a very solid and dependable bike and there is even a dedicated website, see This Link.

I don't know much about spares availability, but Russell Motors in London seems to have a fair amount of stock, you can download their spares PDF at This Link, also check out Draganfly Motorcycles Here.

As for value, $1400 would seem to be a bargain, but be prepared to spend as much again on refurbishment as its almost certain it will need attention.

One of the resident WM20 experts on this forum (BSA_WM20) will likely post better info than I can in due course.

Is this one of Jim Hultman's bikes? He used to post here, and seemed a knowledgable, nice bloke.

Not many of the bikes have very high bids yet, so the M20 is likely to go for a lot more than the current bid.

M20s seem to be indestructible, and can stand up to lots of mechanical abuse and sparse maintenance.

If Jim owned it and it was running when he stuck it in the shed, it will almost certainly run if the carburettor is dismantled and cleaned and the magneto points are cleaned. The magneto may need to be refurbished at some stage, which will probably cost a few hundred dollars.

Dan, welcome to BritBike!!

Where can we find this auction, in order to give you some insight?

yeah whar it at so i can buy it

I moved this thread to the BSA forum. A bit more appropriate place. But, IMO, a lot of Gold Star DNA is shared with an M20! That may cause some angst, but there is clearly shared lineage.

An M20 is not gonna set any performance records, but an intact WM20 has some value. And is quite the conversation piece and does attract attention. Like others have said, with a little TLC, they run for a long time.

A BSA T-shirt on me and a WM20 owner in Athens Greece made for a memorable afternoon in Athens. He saw me sitting at an outdoor cafe and started the conversation. He had ridden the WM20 into town. We likely had too much to eat and drink that afternoon, but it was a good time.

I wondered about that. Hopefully the OP figures it out.

It's a disease.

I would much rather have the round-case 750 Ducati @ $3500 than the M20 @ $1400.

Oh, and the B44s would be nice as well
and maybe the Super Rocket

WM20's seem to go for around $ 5,000 US if running and up to $ 10,000 if they have genuine military provanance and have been fully rebuilt ( a bike is only original once and even that is debatable )
IT was part of the 1936 rationalization plan BSA got Val Page to oversee .
They are simple, low power ( 13.2 Hp @ 4,600rpm with peak torque at 3,400 rpm ) & virtually indestructable.
Much of the parts will interchange with the B Series preunit singles so most parts are not a problem .
The mag/dynos are different to the B series but a B series one will go in & work just fine
If you are thinking about riding it then remember they come from the age when "gentlemen" rode bikes and you ride them at a gentlemans pace.
The gearbox is their achilies heel but you can fit a B series box in there .
The engine is slow, the gear change is even slower. They will do 45 mph all day & all night without any bother , 55 mph with protest and 65 mph under duress
The M range was the heavy weights designed to be hooked up to massive double adult side cars .
So if you can handle the roads at 45 to 60 mph , do not worry about oil drips and are willing to put up with its funny little fobles then you are in for a long & fun time
If you expect an oil tight bike that can do highway speeds with fine precision handleing aand actually stops when yo apply the brakes them you will be bitterly dissapointed .
I got mine around 1996 and have done several hundred thousand miles on it and once I stopped trying to keep up with the A 65's and ride at M20 speeds it has been a blast .
While the standard tool kit supplied is about all that you need for day to day riding you will find getting your hands on most of the special engine tools shown in MM's 54 Gold Star thread https://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/889308/1954-bb-gold-star#Post889308 will make you life a lot easier.
And apart from them you must fabricate a single spring clutch tool or you will never get the clutch back together if it is running the original single spring clutch.
A lot of WM 20's run the 6 spring B series clutch but if you fit one you will need to space the primary drive sprocket out about 1/4 "
The riders handbook instructs you to check all Fasteners EVERY time you ride the bike and they are not kidding as all of the nuts & bolts work loose and the one behind the cylinder on the timing side is "not easy" to get to .

i believe this is one of the bikes up for auction
( probably came by way of Canadian Armed Forces )
red/green patch appears to be
the HQ of Divisional Royal Army Service Corps ?

OMG i want one of those so bad but it was the Hefeweizen talking that Dave brought me when he picked up the Commando that said "buy it buy it buy it" anyway i started taking the 71 SL175 apart to make into quasi-military bike that will keep me occupied for a while...............sigh

The M20 is creeping up in price (currently $2,100) with a week to go, but most of the bikes in Jim's auction are still way too cheap.

git it do not delay money in the bank an investment they dont make em like that no more my uncle had one etc. etc.

You have a slot for it.
Bid. You will have sweet dreams.

dave stop tempting me!! tried to sell tractor this morning to electrician who put new breaker box in garage. his fee was..$800!.....he called his wife for permission she said no my wife got pissed i tried to sell "Butterbean" guess i am lucky...