Legendary Sholay motorcycle BSA WM20 parks in Panaji

Panaji, Nov 22: The iconic BSA motorcycle used in the classic Bollywood mega hit ‘Sholay’ is being displayed at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Panaji in Goa.

Directed by Ramesh Sippy and produced by his father, G P Sippy, in 1975, the action-adventure movie ‘Sholay’ starred Bollywood legends Dharmendra as Veeru and Amitabh Bachchan as Jai.

The movie featured an iconic song, ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge’, in which Dharmendra drives the BSA motorcycle with Bachchan in the sidecar.

The song continues to be a timeless ode to friendship.

The motorcycle which the Bollywood legends rode is the property of the Government of Karnataka and is on display at Panaji in Goa during IFFI 2025.

The ‘Sholay’ motorcycle on display outside the INOX Cinema in Panaji has the Registration No: MYB 3047.

Its Year of Make is 1942, Model No is BSA WM20, Chassis No is M20 116283, and Engine No is M20 4299.

The five-minute song sequence ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge’ was shot on this motorcycle, and it took 21 days to shoot this song.

The movie was shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, a town near Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The BSA on the motorcycle stands for Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited, which was founded in 1861 in Birmingham, England, to produce firearms.

The company was originally founded for firearms, but later became a major manufacturer of bicycles and motorcycles.

Today, the BSA brand continues as a bicycle manufacturer and a motorcycle brand, primarily through its Indian subsidiary.

The company expanded its manufacturing to include bicycles, motorcycles, and other products.

BSA Cycle often refers to bicycles made by this company.

BSA is a well-known Indian bicycle brand, particularly popular among families, and is a subsidiary of Tube Investments of India Limited.

The motorcycle brand was revived by Classic Legends Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of India’s Mahindra Group, after the original company’s motorcycle operations were liquidated in 1973.

BSA WM20 was part of BSA’s massive wartime contribution to Britain’s war effort.

The year 1937 was its first year of production that would last until the late 1950s.

The ‘W’ in the model designation signifies that it was specially designed to be a military motorcycle.

The Government of Karnataka, in its promotion of the motorcycle in the 50th year after Sholay’s release in 1975, termed its exhibition as a tribute to the eternal friendship of Jai and Veeru.

“Presenting the original iconic motorcycle from Sholay. The legendary bike, featured in the timeless song ‘Ye Dosti’, remains a symbol of brotherhood, courage, and Indian cinema’s golden era,” Government of Karnataka’s promotional signboard of the motorcycle at the IFFI 2025 reads.