When the BSA Gold Star was young – remembering a legend, now reborn
MAIN PIC: Fifty years ago, Dave Baston achieved a 116mph quarter mile on Western Australia’s Lake Perkolilli aboard his Gold Star. That’s Dave in the pic and, yes, that’s the very same Gold Star photographed recently in Busselton. INSET: The new BSA Gold Star is now available in Australia.
By Dan Talbot
Regular readers will know of my attraction to the venerable BSA. As a kid, I used to wander our farm with a BSA air rifle tucked under my arm. The ancient .177 calibre rifle did little more than annoy any rabbits unlucky enough to be hit by wayward lead fired from my BSA. At around that time, BSA launched their B50 range of motorcycles. The one that stirred by adolescent hormones the most was the pure competition machine, the 500cc, B50MX, but the range also included ‘softer’ Victor and Gold Star variants. More on that later. In the meantime, the air rifle is long gone but we do have a rather splendid B50 about to arrive in my shed.
The ’71 B50 hasn’t fired a shot in anger since 2019; the owner is just waiting on some parts from the UK before handing the bike over to me (in return for a wad of money, of course). The 500cc monster has a few CCM enhancements and will have enough power to hurt me physically, emotionally, and financially. A far more sensible choice would have been at least considering a new BSA Gold Star, but sensibility and classic motorcycles are rare bedfellows.
A discussion about the BSA Gold Star should not commence until we understand exactly what a “Gold Star” is. In the history of developing, tuning, and racing motorcycles, breaking the 100-mph barrier was a monumental milestone that was fondly referred to by those of us growing up last century as “doing the ton.” We all remember our first time but, perhaps even more memorable than that other first-time, were the attempts to get there. Pushing beyond ninety and finally edging the speedometer needle past 100 mph conferred bragging rights that, depending on the situation, made one look like a daredevil or a dill.
A dive down the history hole of who first crossed the 100-mph threshold on a motorcycle is murky and may even go back as far back as 1907. To make things easier, the first production machine marketed — and certified — to exceed the mark was the 1924 Brough Superior SS100. Every bike was sold with a certificate personally signed by George Brough, explicitly guaranteeing it had been test-ridden and timed above 100 mph. This was a major feat in the 1920s, with a premium price tag to match.
Elsewhere, smaller companies and privateers were chasing higher and higher speeds. Such was the allure of the ton that the British Motorcycle Racing Club created an elite award for a select group of riders. The “Gold Star” badge was established to celebrate any rider who could lap the famous Brooklands Circuit at an average speed of over 100 mph during a formal race.
In October 1922, Herbert Le Vack became the first rider to earn a Gold Star. Riding a Zenith-JAP 1000, Le Vack recorded an average speed of 100.29 mph. Twelve years later, in April 1934, Florence Blenkiron became the first woman to be awarded the Gold Star. Riding a 500cc Grindlay-Peerless, she secured her place in history with an average lap speed of 102 mph.
In 1937, racing legend Wal Handley was awarded his Gold Star having lapped Brooklands on an alcohol-burning, factory-prepared BSA Empire Star, at an average speed of 107.57 mph. Quick to capitalise on the immense publicity, BSA introduced the production Gold Star motorcycle the very next year.
The BSA Gold Star quickly became legendary, and the name continues to this day in the newly released BSA range but, for a long time, the Gold Star was lost to history. By the mid-seventies, BSA was no longer a thing. The Gold Star burned bright until 1963 before being discontinued. The name briefly saw service on a the B50SS (Street Scrambler) in the early seventies but purists remain faithful to the original linage. By this time BSA collapsed and, in 1973, they were merged with Norton-Villiers to form Norton-Villiers-Triumph. The remaining motorcycles from the B50 range were rebadged as the Triumph TR5MX with around 500 of these motorcycles being released. Also, at this time, Alan Clews managed to secure all the leftover spares and tooling for the singles to enable him to go into full production of his CCM machines. The BSA line was gone.
Until now.
The Mahindra Group, a Mumbai-based multinational conglomerate that builds everything from farm equipment to cars, acquired the rights to the historic BSA brand through its subsidiary Classic Legends. Today, BSA is back in mass production with a three-model lineup. The range features the lightweight Bantam 350 — reviving another iconic BSA name — alongside two distinct 650cc variants: the retro Gold Star 650 roadster and the rugged Scrambler 650.
Now, before any BSA aficionados spit their Earl Grey out, we need to at least look at this modern range, remembering of course the legacy Gold Star was an uncompromising, pure competition machine. It utilised a massive Amal GP carburettor that completely lacked an idle circuit. This meant the bike was notoriously difficult to start and required constant, blipping of the throttle just to keep running. In the hands of an experienced rider, the original BSA Gold Star was a world-class, race-winning weapon. It was definitely not a machine for the faint-hearted, nor the modern motorcyclist who wants electric start, ABS, fuel injection and nice, high handlebars. Horrible, I agree, but that’s where we’re at.
The modern BSA Gold Star has been receiving strong reviews, quickly building a reputation as an accessible motorcycle with a highly usable spread of power from its 650cc single-cylinder engine. Gone are the classic clip-on handlebars and rear-set foot controls. In their place, riders will find an upright riding position and a reassuringly low seat height.
The harsh vibrations historically inherent to a big single have been smoothed out by a gear-driven counter-balancer shaft, which effectively offsets the reciprocating mass of the piston and crankshaft assembly. This 650cc motor produces plenty of low-down torque, making it extremely tractable and versatile. Being a single, it is lighter and arguably more manoeuvrable than many of its heavier, twin-cylinder middleweight competitors (such as the Royal Enfield Interceptor). This modern refinement should come as no surprise to fans of the classic BMW F650 range, as the engine design has been lifted — under licence, one presumes — from Rotax in Austria.
Looking back to the 1960s, every original Gold Star that left the factory was a certified hot-rod. Much like a George Brough creation, each came with a dyno-confirmed guarantee of 41 or more horsepower, with a dry weight of around 160 kg. By comparison, the modern 650 claims 45 horsepower but weighs 198 kg. This leaves the modern incarnation with roughly 10% less power-to-weight than its classic ancestor, though it is a heck of a lot friendlier to live with.
Furthermore, I am reliably informed that if the Brooklands circuit still existed today, this modern BSA would comfortably run fast enough to earn you an actual Gold Star.
