The mystery of tank-badges !

[Nitti]

Eventhough I have a lot of more engineering work to finish on my-53 Golden Flash, I can not stop being mystified by the various colouring of the tank-badges.

In various pictures I have come across a fantastic variety, like ;

Black background+golden wings+golden text

As above but with Red BSA text

Golden background and wings with red text

Silver background and wings, Red BSA and golden "flash" and golden "golden flash text"

Red background+golden BSA and Wing etc.


So, it seems that everything is possible using 4 colours, black+gold+red+silver. My badges were definately homepainted, but seems to have had a red background and silver wing originally . The metal as such is silver plated, not gold plated.

Is there a story to be told about this, how much did it differ between the years, did the export bikes get different badges...., did it differ between black and beige bikes

What about the decals, any differnces there , do they rhyme with the tank badges ? BAS motor in Sweden sells a "golden flash" decal that should go on the rear-fender, I have not seen any in any picture, should it be one, if so where ?

Roy Bacon's book Restoring BSA Twins, gives a bit of guidance, but not enough to answer these questions.
I'm not a purist, but I like badges and decals

Nitti

[a10gf]

I understand your interest.

From some brochures:

oct 1949 brochure:
A7 rigid: rectangular BSA with winged B, black background, silver letters?
A7 Star Twin plunger: star shaped, decal.
A10 GF plunger october 1949 brochure: like A7 49 rigid.

jan 1951 brochure:
A 10 GF plunger: wing badge, red BSA on black background. Looks like aluminium lightning + letters, alu wing, but could be some gold?


A pic ic of a 1950 GF, wing badge. Seems to be alu wing, alu lightening \ lettering (could be gold) on red background.

Then a 54 or 55 GF swingarm, with alu wing, golden lettering on red background.

Maybe we'll find some pattern of evolution.
e

[trevinoz]

These are pictures of my '55 swinging -arm Flash tank badges. I had them rechromed, they are brass, and painted the background "Hull Red" which is as close as I could get to the original colour. I was fortunate to be able to match to an untouched example. It was hard to tell what other colours were on the badge so I left it plain chrome.
  Trev.

[trevinoz]

I meant to add this one instead of the double entry!
Trev.