Cooper Bantam

[Jim 59]

Hi lads, I came across this post during my own research. I actually owned one of the Cooper Bantams in 1974. I had the green log book and can remember the frame number ( WEC 18) but not the reg number. From memory it was a double down tube cradle frame, Metal Profil one forks, chrome rims with a conical front hub. The frame was painted green with  alloy mudguards and tank but the rear guard snapped and the were replaced with Preston Petty units in red. The engine was a bit of a mystery as it was stamped at the factory as a D175, it had a close ratio gearbox so it may have been a back door job but it also had a Mikuni carb and Japanese electrics. I bought it for £140.00p from Graham Towell who worked for Bob Minnion Motorcycles in Derby. He then went to SEP at Kegworth (the company that sleeved down the Suzuki RL325 to  250 for Beamish). Speaking to Rob Smith a while back he said that John Orme did design the frame but it was changed subtly over time. Mine had the up and over exhaust which was fabbed out of a VW beetle steering column. I did speak to Bill at a Pathfinder trial at Clifton Derbyshire about 11 years ago. He did say he kept the wolf from the door by making the odd frame but I couldn't hazzard a guess as to how many he made. I'm sure he didn't make many. A good friend of mine also trialed a Bantam and the motor on that was definitely an ex works as the fins on the head and barrel had been drilled and it looked nothing like the D14/4 it was supposed to be. I remember who I sold it to in 1975 but I wished I never parted with it as it was a one off then so you couldn't put a price on it now.