In the early 80's while all the other kids had BMX bikes I was the dorky kid with a Gold Sparkle BSA banana seat bike. I guess with the English motorcycle industry crashing BSA may have turned to bicycle manufacturing? To be honest it was surprisingly comfortable to ride around. I got my first paper route and saved up for my first BMX.
After the bike bust it was BMX sales that kept many bike shops in business through the 80's. So in a way it was the Schwinn Stingray that saved a lot of the bike industry.