View source for Engineering:BSA B44 Shooting Star

{{short description|British single cylinder motorcycle, produced by BSA in the 1960s.}}
{{Infobox Motorcycle
|left|
|name=BSA B44 Shooting Star
|image = [[File:BSA B44 ss.jpg|frameless|upright=1.35]]
|aka= Victor Roadster<ref name="shooting star" /> 
|manufacturer= [[Company:Birmingham Small Arms Company|BSA]]
|production=1966–1970
|class=
|related=
|wheelbase= 52 inches (53 inches in 1969)<ref name="bacon gold star" /> 
|length= 82 inches (83.2 inches in 1969)<ref name="bacon gold star" /> 
|width= 28 inches (28.2 inches in 1969)<ref name="bacon gold star" /> 
|height= 
|seat height= 31 inches<ref name="bacon gold star" /> 
|engine= 441cc (26.91 cubic inches) Four-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled, OHV, 2 valve per cylinder
|power=30&nbsp;hp 21.9 KW @ 6500&nbsp;rpm
|torque=
|dry weight=155.0&nbsp;kg (341.7 pounds)
|fuel_capacity=3.96 gallons (15.00 litres)
|fuel_economy= 65mpg
|transmission=4 speed/chain
}}

The '''BSA B44 Shooting Star''' was a [[Engineering:Motorcycle|motorcycle]] made by [[Company:Birmingham Small Arms Company|BSA]] at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Similar to the [[Engineering:BSA C15|BSA C15]] and sharing many of the same parts, the B44 had an uprated chassis.<ref>{{cite web |title=BSA |url=http://www.classicmotorcycles.org.uk/bikemuseum/museum_bsa.htm#B44 |website=Classic Motorcycles |accessdate=6 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304172010/http://www.classicmotorcycles.org.uk/bikemuseum/museum_bsa.htm#B44 |url-status=dead |archivedate=4 March 2008}}</ref> A weak point of the BSA 250 and most 350 unit singles were the big end bearing and timing side crank bush. The B44 had a double roller big end and a single lipped roller bearing supporting the drive side of the crank, with a ball bearing on the timing side. The timing side ball bearing was prone to failure, so one popular update was to replace it with an NUP305 removable flange roller bearing, thus strengthening the timing side and controlling the crankshaft end float. On the B50 single lip roller bearings were fitted on both sides of the crankshaft, with an outrigger ball bearing on the drive side to provide increased rigidity and end float control.

==History==
In 1965 an off-road motocross BSA B44 named the ‘’Victor’’ was launched at the Earls Court Show. Developed from scramblers used by Jeff Smith to win the 1964 and 1965 500cc World Championships, followed by the ''Victor Grand Prix'' and ''Victor Enduro'' models, as well as a road-going version, the 1967 ''Victor Roadster''. The Victor Grand Prix Scrambler had a displacement of 441cc, and the Enduro model was known as the 441 Victor in the United States. BSA began offering a road version, the B44VR Victor Roadster, in 1967. When that model was exported to U.S. dealers in 1968, the name was changed to the B44SS Shooting Star.<ref name="shooting star">{{cite web|title=The BSA 441 Shooting Star|url=http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-british-motorcycles/bsa-441-shooting-star.aspx?page=2|work=Motorcycle Classics September/October 2009|accessdate=10 December 2012}}</ref>  The B44VS ''Victor Special'' was also successfully exported to the US between 1968 and 1970.<ref>{{cite web |title=1968 BSA 441cc Victor Special - Auction Lot |url=http://www.motorbase.com/auctionlot/profile/2008/05/03/188-1968-bsa-441cc-victor-special/ |website=Motorbase |accessdate=6 July 2018}}</ref>

In 1968 the B44 became BSA's top export model.{{cn|date=July 2018}} The good availability of spare parts and the relative simplicity of the single-cylinder engine meant that the surviving examples are easily restored to as-new condition.<ref>{{Citation | last1 = Riches | first1 = Tony | title = Restoration or preservation? | newspaper = Classic Bike Guide |date = July 2004 }}</ref>

On the original 1969 footage of the Woodstock Concert, producer Michael Lang is seen riding the off-road version, the BSA Victor Special, motorcycle across the pastures.<ref>{{cite web |title=BSA 441 Victor Special in "Woodstock" |url=https://www.imcdb.org/v208190.html |website=IMCDb.org |accessdate=6 July 2018}}</ref>

==Features==
The Victor Roadster (or Shooting Star, a name borrowed from a 1950s-era BSA twin), had a top speed of around {{convert|90|mph|abbr=on}} (only a few mph faster than the 250 BSA Barracuda). The Victor Roadster of 1967 had a [[Chemistry:Fiberglass|fibreglass]] tank and side covers, a 7-inch, half-width front brake, and the square-barrel Victor engine. In 1968, an 8-inch front brake was introduced, and from 1968, US versions came with higher handlebars and reflectors both beneath the tank and on either side of the tail light. In 1969 the Shooting Star was updated with a steel fuel tank and a twin-leading-shoe brake.<ref name="bacon gold star">{{cite book|last=Bacon|first=Roy|title=B.S.A. Gold Star and Other Singles|year=1982|publisher=Osprey Publishing Ltd.|isbn=0-85045-447-6|pages=116–118}}</ref> 

Victors had impressive [[Engineering:Power-to-weight ratio|power-to-weight ratio]]s that made them ideal for hill climbs. The 9.4:1 compression ratio required a [[Engineering:Compression release|compression release]] lever for [[Engineering:Kick start|kick start]]ing.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.b50.org/b44.htm BSA B44 Gallery]
* [http://mdcmoto.smugmug.com/gallery/1549179_WTuTZ#74718890_AFMqY BSA Victor Special Gallery]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bsa B44 Shooting Star}}
[[Category:Single-cylinder motorcycles]]

{{Sourceattribution|BSA B44 Shooting Star}}