After WWII, as part of reparations, BMW gave up its designs of the BMW R75. Bikes like Chang Jiang and Ural used these designs, but England’s take was the Sunbeam S7. You can see the BMW influence when you look at a side profile, but Sunbeam wanted to differentiate themselves by utilizing a inline vertical twin instead of the German boxer twin. Unfortunately, Sunbeam’s engineering changes, particularly to the driveshaft, chewed through drive components. The bike was left with the double whammy of being expensive and not very reliable, meaning it sold very poorly in the three years it was built (’46-’48). Immediately after, the British firm came out with a revised S7 as well as the Sunbeam S8, a cheaper, simpler model that was also lighter and inherently sportier. The latter is featured here in the factory “Mist Green” color.
The S8 got the same 487cc parallel twin engine as the S7, which produced24 horsepower. But the increased ‘sportiness’ came from a 17 pound reduction in weight, down to 413 pounds. The S8 utilized forks and wheels from other BSA models, and though it was more popular at the time than the S7, collectors now look for the first years of the S7, even though they were flawed. For more information, head on over to Classic Glory, a site dedicated to the Sunbeam S7/S8 models.
This specific Sunbeam S8 is unrestored with just 3,524 miles. It runs well and is ready to go – the only notable issue for me is the tires, which are “balloon-style” as originally spec’d for the S7. The S8 should have narrow tires, though one might argue that these wide tires look much cooler.
Find this Sunbeam S8 for sale in Chicago, Illinois with bidding up to $4,250 and the reserve not yet met