BSA C20250

BSA C20250
Manufacturer	BSA
Production	1968 - 70
Engine	Four stroke, single cylinder, OHV
Compression ratio	10.0:1
Top Speed	128 km/h / 80 mph
Ignition	Lucas MA 12 coil
Battery	Lucas PUZ5A, 12V
Transmission	4-Speed
Frame	Single loop with twin rails under engine
Suspension	Front: Coil springs, hydraulically damped Rear: Coil springs, hydraulically damped
Front Tire	3.25 x 18 in.
Rear Tire	3.50 x 18 in.
Wheelbase	1346 mm / 53 in.
Seat Height	813 mm / 32 in.
Weight	145 kg / 320 lbs (wet)
Oil Capacity	2.3 L / 4.8 US pints
Fuel Capacity	8 L / 2.1 US gal
Manuals	Service Manual

It could reach a top speed of 128 km/h / 80 mph.

Engine

The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, single cylinder, OHV. The engine featured a 10.0:1 compression ratio.

Drive

Power was moderated via the Multi-plate with integral cush drive.

Chassis

It came with a 3.25 x 18 in. front tire and a 3.50 x 18 in. rear tire. The front suspension was a Coil springs, hydraulically damped while the rear was equipped with a Coil springs, hydraulically damped. The C20250 was fitted with a 8 L / 2.1 US gal fuel tank. The wheelbase was 1346 mm / 53 in. long.

Photos

Overview

BSA C25 Barracuda

This little machine was an anomaly when it appeared on the showroom floors in 1968; though it was a rather attractive motorcycle, it was powered by an old-fashioned single-cylinder OHV engine.

Back in the 1950s 250cc and smaller motorcycles abounded all over Europe, providing cheap transportation in an economy that was still struggling to overcome the aftereffects of World War II. But as the world’s finances grew stronger, the utilitarian 250 gave way to the Volkswagen, Fiat 500, Austin A40, and the market for these utilitarian machines virtually vanished.

In 1968 quarter-liter bikes were still popular but as sport rather than utility vehicles. Just about every manufacturer had one or two. Lots were two-strokes, like the Montesa Scorpion and Bultaco Metralla singles, or the Yamaha Catalina and Kawasaki Samurai twins, and a few four-stroke singles, like Ducati’s Mark 3 Desmo, Benelli’s Barracuda, Harley’s Aer­macchi 250 with a race-bred pushrod engine, and the rather unexciting British offerings, the Triumph TR25 and BSA Starfire. Those last two were very similar machines, differing only in styling and badges.

The loop frame used a single downtube mating with a pair of tubes cradling the engine. A shrouded fork and shocks, and a nacelle around the headlight, were the antithesis of the sporting image. Years rolled on, sales were lackluster, and BSA decided it had to change the dowdy appearance. And performance. And name. The 1966 C15 Sportsman got the nacelle ripped off the headlight, open springs on the rear shocks, and a racy little hump at the back of the long, flat seat.

Good, but not good enough. The factory decided to spend some money, and the B25 Starfire (C25 in Europe) appeared on the American market in 1968. A new cylinder barrel was cast, with the pushrod tunnel enclosed behind the newly squared-off fins. (A 441cc version, the B44, was also built, but that is another story.) A bigger 28mm Amal Concentric carburetor was fitted, a “hotter” camshaft, and the compression ratio went up to 10:1. A single set of points (so easy to adjust!) sat inside a little cover on the right side of the engine, and the electrics were 12 volt.

The very first Starfires to come into this country had the old skinny seven-inch brake drums on both 18-inch wheels, but that was soon changed to a full-width drum on the front. The frame was little changed from the C15, though the fork was improved with a double hydraulic damping system. And the metal covers protecting the sliders had now given way to sporty rubber gaiters! Yes, yes! The shrouding had come off the shock absorbers as well. And the rather dull oblong gas tank became an artfully contrived fiberglass container holding 2.5 gallons of fuel, with glorious sunburst BSA emblems. High test, please, as that compression ratio needed the best. Abbreviated chromed fenders and sculpted side panels and oil tank finished the new look, along with the chrome headlight shell and Smiths speedometer (missing on this one). Very pretty it was, in blue and white.

Put a leg over the saddle, bend down and flip the top bit of the kickstarter out 90 degrees, pull in the clutch and kick through to free the nine clutch plates, open the petcock, tickle the carb, turn on the ignition key in the steering head, and if the battery were up the engine should start in one kick. Maybe two or three if it is cold, because the Concentric does not have a choke.

Click down into first, the cush drive in the clutch smoothes the take-up, and away you motor. In-town work is a bit sluggish as the cam does not really function well at under 4,000 rpm. The fork has over five inches of travel, the shocks almost three, but the springs are on the stiff side of plush. If the road is smooth, the ride is comfortable. Now the oil is warm and you are in the country. If you are a sporting person, you might have sprung for the optional tachometer, but if not, the engine will certainly tell you when it is near the 8,000 rpm line. The speed tops out at almost 80 mph in fourth gear; you are exhilarated and consider the $750 well spent. That is until a Suzuki X-6 250 Hustler blasts by you, shifting into sixth gear at 90 mph; that bike cost less than $700.

For 1969 BSA dropped the price to $695. And added the B25S model, with an upswept pipe, trying to pretend to be a street-scrambler. Too late. By the end of 1971 all the 250s were gone from the Beeza line.

Extracts from an article by Clement Salvadori, 2007.

Make Model	BSA C25 Barracuda
Year	1968 - 70
Engine Type	Four stroke, single cylinder, OHV
Displacement	249 cc / 15.2 cub in.
Bore X Stroke	67 x 70 mm
Compression	10.0:1
Cooling System	Air cooled
Oil Capacity	2.3 L / 4.8 US pints
Carburetor	Amal 928/1, concentric float chamber
Exhaust	Single, steel, chrome
Starting	Kick start
Ignition	Lucas MA 12 coil
Battery	Lucas PUZ5A, 12V
Max Power	14.7 kW / 20 hp @ 8250 rpm
Clutch	Multi-plate with integral cush drive
Transmission	4-Speed
Final Drive	Chain, 100 links
Overall Gear Ratios	1st 18.36 / 2nd 11.40 / 3rd 8.61 / 4th 6.92:1
Frame	Single loop with twin rails under engine
Front Suspension	Coil springs, hydraulically damped
Front Wheel Travel	127 mm / 5 in
Rear Suspension	Coil springs, hydraulically damped
Rear Wheel Travel	76 mm / 3 in.
Front Wheel	WM2-18
Rear Wheel	WM2-18
Front Tire	3.25 x 18 in.
Rear Tire	3.50 x 18 in.
Front Brake	7 in., drum
Rear Brake	7 in., drum
Dimensions	Length: 2108 mm / 83 in. Width: 686 mm / 27 in. Height: 1067 mm / 42 in.
Wheelbase	1346 mm / 53 in.
Ground Clearance	203 mm / 8 in.
Seat Height	813 mm / 32 in.
Wet Weight	145 kg / 320 lbs
Fuel Capacity	8 L / 2.1 US gal
Top Speed	128 km/h / 80 mph
Colours	Blue/white, Red/white, Orange/silver
Source	Rider Magazine

External Links

• http://www.ridermagazine.com/