Bsa Bantam, 1950. The Quintessential. Born in 1948, the Bsa Bantam is one of the great British icons of the 20th century. Like warm beer and black taxi cabs, the heart of the humble commuter is its no-nonsense simplicity. It is also said that the Bantam was everything that was best about the British bike industry: that is, it was German, as the heart of the machine was a Dkw (German) blueprinted design.The Bantam had fewer parts than did the vast majority of other bikes made during the same period which meant that less could go wrong - a fairly logical design philosophy. Although it could seize easily, the vibrations could quite easily shake the thing apart if the owner were not vigilant with regular spanner application. The Bantam also boasted feeble brakes and wildly basic electrical system. For many, the Bantam was an introduction to basic maintenance skills, milk bars, stocking-clad girls and mates with too much Brylcreem.