BSA Bantam 350 * Full Review * Is the Bantam worth it ???

In this video, we take BSA’s Bantam 350 out for a full test ride and breakdown- covering everything from performance, handling , comfort and tech. Weather your a beginner or a seasoned motorcyclist, this review will give you a good idea what the bike is like on its own and against the competition!!! #bsa #motovlog #motorbike #motorbikeriding #bikelife #motorcycle #biker #caferacer #motolife #rider #ride #riders #bike #bikelover #india #uk #british #northwest #bikerlife

[Music] Here we are at the shop earlier than we’d like on a Sunday morning just to get a spin on the Banton 350. There’s a storm meant to roll in just after 1, hence the early start. It’s 10 to six, you know. So, it’s the usual race against the good old British women. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Right, Mike. Well, I’ll show you how to use it before you get off. Key. Obviously, if you try and start it with electric start, it won’t start until you pull the clutch in. Obviously, kill switch in the down position. Like so. Got indicators left, indicators right stop. [Music] So, today Think Bike Gear have lent us this BSA Banton 350. Big shout out to them guys. We’re test riding and doing a little review on it for them. First impressions, it feels so light. Of course, I have the Kawasaki Z1000SX, which is a real heavy bike for a sport sor, and this just feels like a push bike almost. It’s that light at 185 kilos. So far, I really like it. [Music] So the motor behind this machine is a single cylinder liquid cooled four- stroke 350 engine. It produces 28.7 horsepower at 7,700 RPM. Also, 21.8 foot-p pound of torque at 6,000 RPM. Moving towards the front of the bike, we have standard telescopic forks, the right whale by Gabriel. With 135 mm of travel, this is adequate for a bike of this size. At the rear of the bike, we’ve got basic twin shocks, which does have five-step preload adjustment. Now, I’m not sure how the suspension or the entire bike will cope with a pillion. There is a strap on the seat for the pillion to grab. However, it would have been nice to see some grab rails. The front brake is a single 320 mil disc with a twin pot caliper. At the rear, a 240 mil disc with a single pot caliper, which I must admit felt sharp when I used it riding today. Both braking systems are backed up with the ABS, which is a great perk on a small bike like this, especially if you’re a new starter. The braking systems are manufactured by a company called Viber. They’re respectable brand. They’re not going to stop no tanks, but they’re more than sufficient for a bike at this weight. Gear, of course, kill switch. We’ve got hazard lights, electric start. Moving over to the left, I don’t know what them buttons do, indicators, horns, and I imagine that they’re for the uh the LCD display. I’ve not run through that just yet, but I like it. Clean, nice big buttons. Everything’s easy to find, as it should be on a bike like this. No nonsense. Have a look at the display. We’ll turn the key. Even says hi. It’s an LCD display. It’s got a gear indicator on, taco meter, fuel gauge. Pretty basic, but everything’s in there that you need. It’s even got a clock. Actually, little feature that I quite like is when the bike gets hot, the BSA logo glows. We’ll put that to the test after. There are quite a few plastic components on this bike. The side panels and the front mug guard, for example, but they all feel solid and wellmade with a good quality finish to the paint. We must remember the budget here. some detail with this bike. Even got the BSA guns there. That’s pretty cool. Even got a chrome petrol cap for a bit of extra style. Just a quick one, the fuel cap. If you spin the gun logo around like so, that’s where you put your key and the cap twists off easily. That’s that. So the ignition barrel is there and the separate key for the steering lock is here. As you can see, this is a demo bike. So the uh the mug guard on this is shorter than the actual one that you would order. They come with an extended mug guard. This is just a demo bike. So, I’ve been told BSA have clearly taken a good look at the competition and gone one better. The paintwork on the tank is almost glass-like with barely any orange peel to be seen. The same goes for the front mug guard. The side panels show a slightly lower quality finish. All the logos are decals, but let’s not forget this is a budget bike. All in all, good job BSA. The Banton 350 features all around LED lighting, including the headlight as part of the modern hardware and retro styling. This includes a round headlamp with LED lighting, a hallmark feature of the bike’s revival of the classic name with modern touches. The style of this bike is very much a contemporary retro roadster blending classic lines with just the right amount of modern touches. Now, some may say they’ve based it on the Triumph Bonavville. However, if you look into Triumph’s history, they were once a subsidized company of BSA. So, can you really give them any stick? The 350 comes with an 18-in front wheel and a 17-in rear, both in cast alloy. None of that smaller wheel nonsense. The setup gives it a planted convert feel on the road with a stance of a much bigger bike. That’s enough talking for the minute. Let’s get on the bike and have a ride. [Music] [Music] Oh, see the throttle response on it. Let’s just wind it back a little bit. Hey, you know what? That’s actually really, really responsive. forgiving as well. It’s not snatchy. Smooth power delivery. The engine feels well put together and tuned nicely. You don’t find yourself constantly changing gears. Once you hit 4,000 revs, the power bank kicks in and delivers plenty of excitement. While below that, it’s perfectly manageable. Cruising at 60 mph is effortless and 70 feels within an easy reach. Though I didn’t take it on the motorway at those speeds, but the bike felt rock steady. It seems to be veneered onto our mind that we need a big powerful bike for UK roads. However, with the amount of average speed cameras and traffic, we truly don’t. The main idea and usage for this bike is everyday commuting, but also taking it out on relaxing Sunday rides, exploring a bit, and just not worrying about the speed or performance. I’ve not rolled the competitors. However, I do feel the BSA does this quite well. [Music] [Music] The handlebar width is very comfortable and reachable. I’m about 5′ 11, just shy of 6T, and this bike does feel very nimble and small. The handlebars just seem to sit in your arms at the right place. The seat position, when I first got on it, I was quite shocked how comfy it was. Well, the seat relation to the pegs, you’re very upright. It is bumped. handle on this bike is impressive. Light, responsive, and it’s so flickable. Guy trying to pull out on us there. Always got to be got to be worried. Yeah. Again, that suspension is just doing its job nicely. [Music] The sound of the bike, it’s got a nice grunt to it. Yeah, that does sound pretty cool. You know, I’m having a good time on this now. This is fun. Just a shame every road I go down, there are cars. Never mind. Hey, I should have got up really early. They’re an excellent small little business in the heart of Lancshire Cleland. They’re doing these bikes at the standard price of £3,500 plus sporty art. However, with Think Bike Gear, there’s no admin charge, which there is with 99% of other bike shops. So, that’s a huge selling point and favor from them. So, if you’re looking at getting one one of these, ring up Think Bike Gear, get a test ride on this bike I’m riding now, and check them out because they are so supportive of the customers. I’ve been helped out on countless occasions. They’ve done me so many favors and I can’t recommend them enough. Feel that fuel injection whistling away there. Heat. Heat. In summary, the BSA is a solid contender in its field. [Music] [Music] Like we said, it trumps its competitors on power by quite some. It sits at 28.7 horsepower. The competitors are sitting around about 20 and the price. So, it trumps them in power and is cheaper. You’re going to save yourself 4 500 quid choosing the BSA over the competitors. Everything I’ve said today is only my humble opinion. I have no attachments to BSA or anything like that.