500cc Pre-68 Scrambles Bike from Chopping Paint & Body…
In 1966, BSA released the B44 series, which featured a new 441cc four-stroke engine developed by the company’s Competition Department. They’d taken the 343cc B40, which won the 1963 Scottish Six Days 350cc Cup, and done their magic. Brian Martin and team increased displacement via a longer stroke, beefed up the bottom end, and swapped the cast iron barrel for an alloy one.
The new long-stroke engine was fitted into a lightweight oil-in-frame chassis. Works rider Jeffrey Vincent Smith won the 1964-65 500cc Motocross World Championships on the 441cc Beezer, and production models soon followed suit.
The non-GP B44 models only produced ~30 hp in stock trim, but their tractor-like torque put their two-stroke rivals to shame. By 1968, the Victor 411 was the company’s best-selling bike.
“The Victor was a fairly newish concept, and one that soon took the country by storm: the dual-purpose bike, capable both on and off the street. It embodied everything I wanted in a bike then, never mind the girl.” –Curbside Classic
This ’68 Faber-framed B44 Victor comes from our new friend Steven Chopping of Chopping Body and Paint — a specialist classic vehicle paint and body shop in West Wales. Steve — who’s originally from Essex — grew up watching his old man race enduro around East Anglia. He himself took to bikes in his mid-20s, progressing through 1980s-90s sport bikes to vintage Harleys before moving off road.
“I started vintage scrambling about five years ago with a BSA B40 in East Anglia. After moving to Wales two years ago and winning the Welsh 350 Pre-68 Championship, I decided to sell the B40 to fund a 500 BSA, which is where the Faber comes in.”
This bike has quite the pedigree. Adrian Mays originally built it as a spares bike for the Pre-68 British Scrambles Championship campaign of multi-time champion Aaron Graves. Steve picked it up in the winter of 2023-24.
“This bike is a pure competition bike — there’s nothing on it that doesn’t make it go faster.”
The frame and swingarm are copies of the those of the original BSA works race bikes. They come from Howard Fawkes and Miles Webb of Cornwall’s Faber Frames, who met in 1964 and have been producing hand-built BSA frames since 2000. To the Works Victor frame were added Marzocchi forks and yokes, Reiger rear shocks, CZ MX wheels and brakes, a HoltWorks alloy fuel tank, and a B44 engine with an NEB Engineering 500 big-bore barrel and piston, NEB clutch, and three-speed racing gearbox. Beast!
When a damaged oil line led to a blown engine, Steve decided to overhaul the bike while Adrian rebuilt the engine.
“When rebuilding the bike I wanted to lean into a more 60s racer feel with the hand-painted numbers and the period-correct colour, albeit a Triumph colour (polychromatic blue). Plus being a painter I felt I couldn’t just have a bare aluminium bike with stickers.”
Steve had been obsessed with this polychromatic blue ever since he did a set of wheels in the color last year. Meanwhile, Bryce “Von Lead Foot” Lien added the hand-painted numbers and lettering.
Now the bike looks as good as it goes…and go it does, as you can see in the following video.
“This bike has the straight line speed that’ll embarrass a lot of modern MX bikes, but the limited suspension travel and added weight makes it a bit of a white-knuckle ride when the track gets rough.”
Of course, racing an old British thumper demands a much deeper relationship with the bike itself…and the terrain. Says Steve:
“I prefer it to riding modern machinery. You have to have a higher mechanical understanding of what’s under you and you feel the terrain more — when it’s rough or slippery you certainly know about it. Plus the extra glory you get of beating guys on much newer machinery.”
That’s what it’s all about Steve! We absolutely love this blazing Beezer, and we’re wishing you good luck and godspeed in next year’s Scrambles Championship!
500cc BSA Victor Scrambler: Racer Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Steven Chopping. I’m from Essex, England, currently living in West Wales. I run a specialist and classic vehicle paint and body shop based in Ceredigion.
Some of my earliest memories are being carted around East Anglia to watch my dad race enduro, so that’s when it started. But then Dad got into car racing after an injury so bikes didn’t come back into my life until my mid 20s when I passed my road bike license.
I started riding 80s/ 90s sport bikes — FZR400, 600 Bandit, 750 Slingshot Streetfighter, 1100 Slabside– then got into vintage Harleys (’72 Ironhead / ’59 Panhead ) after working in a custom paint shop and working with a chopper guy who I became good friends with.
I started vintage scrambling about five years ago with a BSA B40 in East Anglia. After moving to wales two years ago and winning the Welsh 350 Pre-68 Championship, I decided to sell the B40 to fund a 500 BSA, which is where the Faber comes in.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
BSA B44 Victor, 1968.
• Why was this bike built?
The bike was originally built by Adrian Mays as a spares bike for Aaron Graves Pre-68 British Scramble Championship campaign.
I purchased the bike in winter 2023/2024, and then after blowing the engine up due to a damaged oil line, I decided to give the bike an overhaul while Adrian rebuilt the engine for me.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
This bike is a pure competition bike — there’s nothing on it that doesn’t make it go faster. When rebuilding the bike I wanted to lean into a more 60s racer feel with the hand-painted numbers and the period-correct colour, albeit a Triumph colour (polychromatic blue). Plus being a painter I felt I couldn’t just have a bare aluminium bike with stickers.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
- Faber frame and swing arm (copy of original BSA Victor works race bike)
- Marzocchi forks and yokes
- Reiger rear shocks
- Cz mx wheels and brakes
- B44 engine with NEB 500 big-bore barrel and piston, NEB clutch, and 3-speed racebox
- Holtworks alloy fuel tank
- Painted triumph polychromatic blue/ kandy blue number boards with hand lettering, numbers, and pinstriping
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
This bike has the straight line speed that’ll embarrass a lot of modern mx bikes, but the limited suspension travel and added weight makes it a bit of a white-knuckle ride when the track gets rough.
I prefer it to riding modern machinery. You have to have a higher mechanical understanding of what’s under you and you feel the terrain more — when it’s rough or slippery you certainly know about it. Plus the extra glory you get of beating guys on much newer machinery.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I’m proud of generally how the bike’s turned out and the collaboration of skilled engineers and craftsman who have come together to make this bike.
The only part I played is making it look pretty and a bit of set up for my riding style.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
- Adrian Mays for building the bike and making it the out-and-out competition machine it is, and for the help and advice on getting it dialed in.
- Bryce “Von Lead Foot” Lien for the hand-painted numbers and lettering.
- My dad for passing down this two-wheeled affliction and my Missus for putting up with it.
Follow the Builder
Web: www.choppingbodyandpaint.co.uk
Instagram: @chopping_bodyandpaint
Facebook: Chopping Body and Paint
Hand-Painting: @vonleadfoot_paintworks
Facebook Group: Classic MX Wales
Now you guys get this: this s what a scrambler is. OK, have you got that.
It’s nor a 4 cylinder BMW brick with lights and indicators or a Harley with high level pipes.
A scrambler is a stripped down, purpose built competition motorcycle.
So stop labelling these other heaps of shit you throw up at us as scramblers. They are not.
This is all comes down to gaging a basic idea and understanding of what certain types of motorcycle are, and you seem to be missing that.
Which is a pity.
Words and culture evolve. What a scrambler was is not necessarily what a scrambler is. You’re arguing with us about it, but you should write a letter to Triumph about their Scrambler or Ducati or Honda, about their SCL500. But even BSA’s own Firebird Scrambler, produced at the very same time as this B44, was very different from what you’re describing — a long, long way from a “purpose-built competition motorcycle.” It was a 400+ lb street bike with high pipes and bars.