LG's eBay score for 1/21/13: Bedford (Spear & Jackson) BA DBE Offset Wrench Set!

[lbgradwell]

My most recent eBay purchase showed up today. (I seldom bid on eBay any more since shipping costs to Canadaare prohibitive...)

Rickster from GG & GJ had listed this very nice set of small BA wrenches for working on the "electrics" of the vintage British bike I still threaten to buy.

They appeared safely wrapped in the bomb-proof packaging for which Rick is so well known:




The set has seen little use over the years as BA is essentially a long-obsolete standard. Spear & Jackson only acquired Bedford in 1972, and BA & Whitworth was obsolete then, so the condition shouldn't be a huge surprise!




BA sizes are in reverse order. That is, the higher the number, the smaller the size. Here is the smallest size in the set - a BA6 - which is 4.9mm:




BA sizes were actually available down to BA12...

These small ignition wrenches were the last BA/Whitworth tools I was looking for & I think I can now safely say I am fully-equipped!

[Papaw]

So now the question is--Which bike will you buy?

I say get one of these!
Source-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brough_Superior_of_T.E._Lawrence.jpg
This is the last Brough T E Lawrence owned, and is the one he was riding when he was killed.
It is in the Imperial War Museum.

[lbgradwell]

AWESOME!

[Branson]

Nice company, Spear and Jackson.  Excellent saws -- and wrenches too?

Lawrence's motorcycle!  Wow!  Just wow!

[lbgradwell]

Lawrence's motorcycle!  Wow!  Just wow!

Quite, quite, old boy...

The motorcycle pictured was apparently a SS100 model where "SS" stood for "Super Sports" and the "100" meant it was capable of at least 100mph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brough_Superior_SS100

[Papaw]

And don't forget to say it right- "bruff", not "bro" superior.

[lbgradwell]

Two very old catalogues. Unfortunately, I don't have dates for these:






And the old factory (now offices):




The company was founded in 1792!