Beschreibung:

A wartime design by Erling Poppe, the Sunbeam inline twin was introduced by BSA, owners of Sunbeam Cycles Limited, in 1947. A luxury tourer inspired by the pre-war BMW, it was of advanced specification with overhead-camshaft engine, shaft drive and plunger rear suspension. The clutch housing and four-speed gearbox bolted directly to the back of the engine, which was rubber mounted in the duplex loop frame, an innovation that required a flexible joint in the exhaust system ahead of the silencer. The first S7 version was equipped with balloon tyres, a feature not carried over to the deliberately more conventional, and also lighter and cheaper, S8 introduced in 1949. Never as popular as BSA’s more performance orientated models, the gentlemanly S7 and S8 remained in production until 1957. Currently displaying a total of only 296 miles on the odometer, this restored S7 was acquired by the current vendor in August 1997 and last taxed for the road to the end of May 1999. The machine is offered with engine rebuild invoice (December 1993), Stewart Engineering catalogue and Price List (x2), photocopied technical literature, old-style continuation logbook (issued 1976), SORN letter and old/current Swansea V5/V5C documents showing transposed frame/engine numbers. Also included in the sale are copies of The Book of the Sunbeam (Pitman’s), Sunbeam Motor-Cycle Manual, Sunbeam Owners Workshop Manual, The Sunbeam Owners’ Bedside Book, and Catalogue of Spare Parts for Sunbeam S7 1948.