Page 18 - LHR Sept 25.
P. 18
He learned to think in metal: how a new unit 500 and 650cc twins. His
misplaced radius could create a stress r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s w e r e n ' t
riser that cracked after a few thousand glamorous—oilway drillings, camplate
miles, or how a cable route could wear detents, tab washers—but they were
through its own sheath if drawn essential.
carelessly.
What made him stand out was his eye for
Weekly stints in the experimental shop “join lines,” the way panels, covers, and
reinforced the lesson that mistakes on seams met and caught the light. Small
paper turned into problems in the Heath's senior designers increasingly
workshop. Veteran fitters were blunt: trusted him with finishing touches: the
“Draw it so it works in the world, not just placement of a badge, the curve of a tank
on paper.” scallop, or the sweep of a side cover.
These subtle decisions shaped a
From these years, Ed developed habits
that stayed with him—careful section motorcycle's character far more than
drawings, uncluttered views, and a belief most riders realized.
that empathy with mechanics and riders
mattered as much as mathematical The American Market Effect
accuracy.
By the mid-1960s, BSA's survival
depended heavily on exports to the
The Rise of the Unit Twins United States. American riders wanted
long-range tanks, wide handlebars, deep
The late 1950s and early 1960s brought
the challenge of unit construction, where chrome, and exhaust notes with
engine and gearbox were housed in a presence. Ed's work often revolved
single casing. Triumph had moved in that around adapting British sensibilities to
direction, and BSA followed. Ed American demands.
contributed to sub-assemblies of these He worked on tank variants, muffler
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LHR Motorcycle Magazine September 2025
