BSA Rocket 3

The BSA Rocket 3 was the BSA badged version of the three cylinder superbike that Birmingham Small Arms group built from 1968 to 1975, sold in parallel with the Triumph Trident. Designed by Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele, it had a 740 cc air cooled overhead valve unit construction straight three engine making about 58 bhp. The BSA version used a double loop cradle frame with the cylinders sloping forward, while the Triumph kept a single downtube and upright cylinders. Ogle Design restyled both with a square tank, which delayed production by 18 months, and the Honda CB750 stole its thunder weeks after launch. A five speed A75RV followed in 1971, but only about 205 were built before BSA production ended.