SR-BSA

Painful for me to look at. To have done that to a vintage BSA — is it a complete BSA sans engine or a hodge-podge with a BSA tank? — is a crime against humanity. What was gained over a stock SR with a BSA tank, if masquerading is the game? Or why not just put BSA decals on an SR tank?

Putting an SR engine in a Royal Enfield is probably not so serious an offense, since there are plenty of those around — way too many, some would say — and more are being turned out every minute. But, Matt, other than a sort of comic novelty, what would you get for your time and money?

It wouldn't be anywhere the bike a stock SR is.

I don't know - BSA and the SR are quite linked. I remember reading a while ago that BSA did put SR engines into their frames towards the end.

I appreciate the objection some would have to this, however there are varying perspectives. Perhaps he couldn't get a good original engine for it, or perhaps his perspective is different from the purist / classic restorer one - eg this was his Dad's and his bike before the motor blew and it matters to him, in terms of his appreciation of what the bikes means to him, that it remain a working bike in the sense of something that can be ridden every day and often hard. Again, it was common practice back in the day to make hybrid bikes (Norvins etc) and people still make Tritons, so what is the problem with this, unless it is an issue for somebody to mix Japanese and Brit components (a moot objection!); I have no issue with doing that even though I also love pedantic classic bike restorations, indeed the original reason for doing Tritons etc was performance - and it may be the reason here also.
Regarding Enfields, I would do it because I prefer the Enfield chassis but I prefer the SR's engine power and reliability. So I appreciate that there's a quite different and sometimes incommensurable (depending on its strictness) perspective such as you seem to be expressing, bigshingle, but I think there are serious perspectives that can come into play in doing such hybrids which are capable at the same time of appreciating the either distinct or vintage value of the British machines. I dislike most choppers and I feel the former perspective sometimes when I look at those all-too common chopper projects on old Triumphs, but then I remind myself that the bike is not - or can, or perhaps should be, more than - a museum piece, and that it has a broader horizon of meanings than those I personally attach to it, and that's the attitude we need to take generally. So I'm not disagreeing with all you say so much as suggesting a robust different opinion.

I should add that I don't like masquerading at all, and when I purchased my SR and it had BSA badges on it - which looked great! - I took them straight off. But this is not masquerading at all, and I'm sure he knows full well that anybody for whom "BSA" means anything will know straight off that it's a different engine, and he does not seem to be hiding the fact - indeed he should be proud of the project!

Matt

Looks like he's riding with a BSA club - so the true believers haven't linched him

I'm split both ways - I would have to take the BSA badges off, but if its keeping an old bike on the road, go for it.

I love it..."Old Spanish" is a running gag in my field...Latin teachers! I also belong the the BritIron listserv and a few years back one member had a BSA M20/21 (can't remember which one exactly) sans engine; he installed (as if it is as easy as the word sounds) the powerplant from a wrecked Suzuki Savage. Cutting up a complete bike to do something like this or the SRB25 above makes me cringe but there are a lot of these bikes out there in less-than concours condition, some even left to rust or scrap out...it can be an exercise in garage/shed engineering too...years ago Classic Bike had an occasional series on hybrid bikes (special brews??) including a Matchless chassis with a Honda GB/XBR 500 engine. The bloke who put it together made it look terrific.

Only my two cents.
Kevin

My buddy put a tt in a goose necked triumph frame

Sweet, do you know where the front end's from?