of the great marques of motorcycling history , BSA . The Birmingham Small Arms factory that was the backbone of every bike group from the 50s through to 1973 . In the 60s , BSA was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world , having started production of vehicles in 1903 and delivering their first motorcycle in 1910 . A failure to heed the incoming trajectory of Japanese manufacturers probably saw the demise of BSA earlier than most , but many of the bikes from that era are still around today , in fact , some graced the stands as we came in to the showroom .
THE GOLD STAR Arguably , the most famous of all of these Beezers was the famed Gold Star , and in the
new iteration there it is - the star , in full , glowing glory on every chromed tank . Gloriously , too , the new MY24 bike is completely recognisable as a descendant of these veterans , even down to the upside-downswinging clocks . It is instantly recognisable as a “ BSA of the marque ” and the grins , cheers , and the smiling , semi-circular turned-down mouths , accompanied by much sage nodding , say a great deal about the timeliness and acceptance of this return . After a few brief words , the full black version is fired up , the big single with a throbbing roar is ridden in to the showroom floor . Through the tables with a brief embarrassing stall , and much laughter . And then every angle of the various configurations is pored over , the new small indicators front and rear noted , the stainless pipe , a discrete USB charger tucked away like a clutch slave , the seat shape , the colour ways from red and silver to black and highland green , the BSA logo prevalent , and the finish on the cast bores and head casing reminiscent of sand castings of old . On the black version they ’ ve milled the fins to a shiny silver , but each version has its admirers
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