BSA Superflash Colours

[worntorn]

A friend has just purchased a running but rough plunger Superflash.
He asked me to post here for info re original colours.
I've seen the brilliant green and blue bikes belonging to Mike in Oz, both lovely.
Are these similar to original colours?
Did the SF come in any other colours?

Glen

[BritTwit]

Most were in silver, but green and black were available.

[WozzA]

Hope this helps..   

[worntorn]

Thanks, that does help.
So no special colours for a plunger SF, it was polychromatic beige or black ?

[a]

As per factory records, The two here left the factory the colors they are... Nutley Blue, and polychromatic green...

[worntorn]

I never get tired of looking at those bikes!
Special bikes headed for export, it's not surprising that there would be special colours, different than home market.
With BSA Eastern USA headquarters in Nutley, NJ, that must be where Nutley blue came from.
Hap Alzina in the west also was known for ordering bikes specifically for his west coast market.

Glen

[bikerjohndavies]

Hi Glen, as BritTwit said, I believe most were in silver on chrome like Goldstars. That is the colour scheme I will be doing mine when I get a chance to start on her. Another forum member Bsalloyd posted a picture of his in silver last year.

https://www.a7a10.net/forum/index.php?topic=13487.msg111976#msg111976

[BSA_54A10]

1) it is your bike so paint it in a colour that makes you go "Wow I love this bike" every time you walk into the garage
2) You can ignore anything Roy Bacon has put into print, It is the BSA press release  and may or may no be what the factory actually did.
He could have gone to the Uni and researched the BSA despatch records but he was too F...ing lazy to do it so a lot of what he printed is wrong or UK specific.
3) If you are anal about getting the colour authentic your only option is a extract from the despatch books for both your engine & frame numbers to see what the original factory colour finish was.
4) No matter what colour you end up with every second brain dead 1/2 wit moron with an ego twice the size of his interlect will proclaim in the loudest voice possible that your bike is the wrong colour.

As for the catalogue colour, I can be of little help.
The 13 1953 / 1954 catalogues I have do not mention the Super Flash as a separate  model at all which is no surprise when you consider they were a USA special only for 53 and the catalogues were printed in 52 according to what the factory had planned in 51 to make for next season not what the distributors asked to be made specially for them.

[Beeza]

As far as I can find - Black / Chrome,Polychromatic Silver / Black (as per RGS & Goldy), and Metallic Green / Dark Green (as per Shooting Star & Star Twin).
Which bits were painted what colour, I don't know. My shooting star (Metallic Green/Dark Green) was sourced from original photos and some original parts to colour match.
I think some earlier ones were the green and the last ones were silver/black, I do like the green though.

Good luck, Thomas.

[JulianS]

Unfortunately not all the entries in the despatch books for the Super Flash show the colour and those that do show green/chrome. silver/chrome, black/chrome, some say black (which I presume black/chrome) and some black/silver (which I presume silver/chrome)

[BSA_54A10]

Well there you go.
What more do your want?
There was only few hundred made and most likely they went through the comp shop as the engines needed the cam changed.
Plain black was always an option for any bike any size any model, usually for Mr Plod.
Lucky Mr Plod if he got one.
And don't forget, dealer resprays were not limited to the dove grey A 65 frames.
If Hap thought he could get $ 200 more if he painted them in the colours of a race team then they would get repainted.
No body cared about "originality" in 54 it was all about selling bikes