Apologies for posting something non-motorcycle related but having seen a BSA Para Bike recently, I wondered if someone could steer me in the right direction for info and, possibly, one that's for sale. I've seen the ones for sale on Stuart Bray's site and as much as I'd love one with apparent Arnhem pedigree, I haven't, sadly, got the budget to match.

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

they often turn up on ebay for reasonable sums,but buy as complete a one as you can because parts are rare and expensive,worth asking if you know anybody in the vintage cycle club too I got some parts that way
Also beware of post war foreign bikes masquerading as bsa s,they are very similar but with back pedal brakes

Hi Lee,

There's one for sale in The Netherlands....
If you decide quickly you can make it to Arnhem just in time!

http://link.marktplaats.nl/710245301

Good luck,

Sven

email (option): snvosselman@gmail.com

I am often thinking about selling mine, still not sure yet.

Frame number R22889

Henk

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

I have not seen many that actually can prove the Arnhem history of a particular vehicle.
The Hartenstein Welbike however was found in 1945 and has a written history.
The ex-Renkum fire brigade jeep seems still to be around, and judging by its Airborne Jeep mods could presumably is a real survivor of the Arnhem battles.

Somebody in Oosterbeek (hear-say) has two jeep engine-hoods with the pale blue census numbers still present as relics of the battle, but up to now, I have not managed to get photographs of these for my Airborne jeep book.

Incidentely, that book just saw its 2013 update and is available through me or at Paul Meekins books in the UK.
RRP is € 21,-.

For BSA folding bikes: as the war Establishment for all units within the framework of a Airborne division would roughly have some one thousand of these, and taking in account that the were only two British airborne divisions, most out the 60.000+ that were produced, most were non airborne!
And for the Danish Civil Defence copies: only a few hundred were made, so that is the real rare one, despite the present pricing of them. And for all the BSA folding bikes that were sold off to the Danish authorities post-war, most, if not all, were converted to a coaster rear brake (in a 36 spoke rear wheel of Danish manufacture), so that the bike had at least one working brake.

Rob

do the bikes with the converted rear brake still have a bsa front brake and the bsa pedal crank?

quote: do the bikes with the converted rear brake still have a bsa front brake and the bsa pedal crank?

As far as I am concerned, no. But one could easily have been missed or gotten special treatment? I was not there when they were bought and converted, and my guess is that there is no real evidence of either way. Just the ones that I have seen, ever since the Danes started bringing these to beltring, all came without the BSA logo on the pedal cranck, and has both BSA brakes copmpletely removed, incl. cables and levers.