Burma (Myanmar) bikes and parts

[Hassman]

I have made two visits to Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma keeping my eyes open for bikes and parts for bikes, some of this has already been posted here but here is a summary of both trips.

T.A.K Enterprise on the outskirts of Rangoon specializes in BSA bikes and spare parts, they have spare parts such as barrels, pistons, valves etc. that are unused old stock bought at government auctions.

Bikes that they either have in stock or are able to find:
BSA Royal Star –approximate price 2’500 USD restored.
BSA BM 31 and 33 –approximate price 3’000 USD restored.
BSA M 20 –approximate price 2’500 not restored but complete and 4’000 restored.

Looking at the images the bikes look fine but the chrome and paint work is substandard as they are lacking proper supplies, best is to buy a complete but not yet restored bike.

In the small shop I found my Matchless I also found an old Eastern Germany made Simson 250, a British built Royal Enfield, an array of BSA’s –both small 2-strokes and 4-stroke 350’s and 500’s as well as various spare parts –especially quite a few AMAL carburetors, girder front ends and other must have bits…

An old Ariel being worked on:

A friend of a friend living in Rangoon had some bikes for sale; Velocette Venom 1963 at 4’500 USD, one more Venom in bits in a crate with the clutch missing; 2’500 USD
Both these bikes were imported by the Burmese government to be used as police vehicles, this guy managed to buy 6 of them and he has sent 4 bikes abroad a few years ago.

He had the one bike renovated locally 5 or so years ago and you can see the appalling condition of the chrome work, it seems like they do not nickel coat it before chroming so the steel and the chrome actually reacts against each other.

He also has a BSA A50 (Royal Star??) for 1’000 USD

As well as this Rega (Reika, Reiku, Reiuko)??? Not sure of the spelling, it is a Japanese license built Harley Davidson from around the second World War, apparently HD were close to bankruptcy in the 30’s and they sold a license deal to a Japanese company in order to stay afloat, according to my friend in Japan these bikes are worth a small fortune over there, this one is for sale for 6’000 USD

Also in his warehouse is his friends BSA A50 (again is it a Royal Star??) for 500 USD.

Having been back and forth there now twice I can attest to the difficulty in doing business there as credit cards are not accepted, there are no ATM’s and bank transfers to and from Burma are not possible to do, things are changing though and if all goes as planned early next year there will be international banking as well as ATM’s available in Rangoon.

 

[DrGMIA]

Here are some bike pictures I took upcountry in Burma some time ago. Nearly everything pictured here could have been purchased for US dollars, but few had any kind of paperwork that would make exporting easy. There were a couple that glowed in the dark, as in were "hot," or stolen to the uninformed. Owners described various ways they had acquired the motorcycles.

The "best" suggestion regarding getting a bike out of the country was fill a container with dissembled "parts" from numerous motorcycles and truck the container down to the main port, grease some hands and ship to someplace far away where importing would not be a hassle if bringing in used parts. Somalia? :d

Cops and military escorts had some old BMW airheads in a couple of places, well worn and not "collectable."

The majority of bikes running around on the streets were Chinese manufactured, some Japanese knock-offs, and small displacement.