[AzCal Retred]

Something for the Luddites!!   

https://ventura.craigslist.org/mpo/d/ventura-1967-bsa-b44ea-victor-special/7411037225.html
1967 BSA B44EA Victor Special - $1,200 (Ventura)
Classic British Dirt Machine suit rebuild/racing.
Engine Turns, not running, parked for years. Has a C15 or similar front end on at present. Sold with Bill of Sale.


https://ventura.craigslist.org/mpo/d/simi-valley-yamaha-xt500/7408243432.html
Yamaha xt500 - $800 (Simi Valley)77 Yamaha xt500. registered non-operational. . Headlight and tail light intact no turn signals. Has extra parts like spare tire and rim and miscellaneous parts to go with bike. Priced to sell title on hand

[AzCal Retred]

Engine doesn't seem to have had a vibration issue as the "Funduro", likely the GS will be similar...?

https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-news/bsa-gold-star-engine-india-launch-details-revealed-422907

Engine based on Rotax 650 single
Project development handled by Ricardo
India launch a possibility in the distant future

BSA Gold Star engine 
The large capacity single-cylinder is all but dead in the modern era, especially in markets with strict emission norms. However, with its 652cc capacity, a 4-valve, dual overhead camshaft (DOHC), liquid-cooled design and the drive chain on the right side, the Gold Star’s engine looked very similar to an engine we have experienced in India in the distant past – the one used on the BMW F650 Funduro from well over two decades ago. This engine was built by Austrian engineering firm Rotax, and the new BSA motor is also licensed from them.
Understandably, the BSA motor is a heavily reworked, modernised version with fuel-injection and Euro 5 compliance. The enormous task of meeting modern emissions and refinement standards was handled in conjunction with the highly respected Technical University of Graz, in Austria. TU Graz also handled the visual design of the engine, which is completely different from the base Rotax engine, and made to look as similar to the original Gold Star singles as possible.
This motor makes 45hp and 55Nm, which is a little lower on power, but has more torque when compared to the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. Top speed is 166kph and future variants of this engine could make more power.
Classic Legends plans to have the Gold Star on sale in the UK by the start of the riding season, which is generally around the end of March. The motorcycles will be manufactured in India for now, but Classic Legends says that it is working on opening a new assembly facility in the UK, and that, eventually, manufacturing will be split between India and the UK. This facility will be different to the government grant-issued EV facility that is being used to develop the EV BSA. That project is being managed by the Warrick University and is still some time away from commercial launch.
Classic Legends currently has no dealer network in the UK because the Jawa licence allows for motorcycles to only be sold in India and a few Asian markets. Thareja states that while there will be some flagship stores, a majority of the BSA sales will be through existing multi-brand dealers in the UK.
As for whether these bikes will be sold in India, Thareja doesn’t rule it out, but adds that it won’t be any time soon. The immediate priority is to first sell in the UK, then expand to neighbouring Europe, followed by the US market. India will be considered only after that. He added that there is particular interest in the US and South American market as well.
More significantly, there is also the concern of the BSA trademark being owned by the TI Murugappa Group in India. Thareja states that they have not yet sorted this out because it was not a priority and that he couldn’t comment further on it. This is also why he also couldn’t comment on the India launch. However, he went on to state that he doesn’t think it should be an issue, ‘because there is no animosity there’.
If and when the BSA Gold Star eventually comes to India, do you think Classic Legends will be able to price it competitively against the Royal Enfield 650s? And if so, would you be interested in a large single over a parallel twin? Let us know in the comments section below.
Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ag1nxd2tHk
BMW F650 Review (1997)
Funduro riding review

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/bmw/f650/1993/
BMW F650 (1993 - 2007) Review

https://www.motorcycle.com/features/church-of-mo-first-impression-1997-bmw-f650.html
While engine vibration makes some dual-sport singles a chore to ride at freeway speeds, the F650 is as smooth as many multis. Cruising at 75 mph is comfortable, and vibration isn’t more than a mild buzzing. Only at 80 mph and beyond does the buzz increase to the point of annoyance. However, buffeting at these speeds is tiresome due to the tall windscreen. Here the street-only F650ST’s lower screen would be preferable. Seat comfort is good, allowing several hundred miles to pass without complaint. Fuel mileage was excellent with a combination of fast freeway and city riding yielding 50 miles per gallon. With its generous 4.6 gallon tank, a cruising range of 230 miles is possible.

[Richard230]

I owned a 1997 BMW Funduro for 10 years and I was the 260th person to join the on-line Chain Gang forum the following year. I agree with the comments above. The engine was very durable (pretty much bomb-proof) and smooth below 80 mph. Plus, fuel mileage was typically between 60 and 70 mpg. The engine was built and designed by Rotax in Austria, while the rest of the bike was assembled in Italy for BMW in an Aprilia factory, I believe. On my bike the only weak area were the electrics, which started to give me starting troubles after 10 years, so I traded it in on a new 2009 (built in June 2008) BMW (800cc) F650GS twin and have been very happy with that decision as the twin is even stronger and more refined than was the single. The 650cc engine was also used in BMW's F650CS, belt-drive single, which had the fuel tank at the right rear of the bike, while the area normally used as a gas tank contained a large depression with a fabric cover that could be used to carry small items. I think BMW called it a "funk". 

I might add that around 2005-6 BMW shifted the building of the Funduro engine to a Chinese factory and then changed the bike's name to F650GS (single), which has caused some confusion with the twin when ordering parts, resulting in BMW then calling the F650GS 800cc twin the F700GS - but still having the same 800cc engine. Several other models were called F800S,ST,GS and GT, depending upon the chassis design. The GT was belt driven. All of the 800cc twins, as well as the 650 single have now been discontinued by BMW, which is likely why the 650cc single design is now available to other builders.

Anyway, if the new BSA Gold Star actually uses the old Funduro engine, that is a very good choice and anyone owning that bike should be very happy with its performance and durability - assuming that it is being built to the same standards as it was previously.

[AzCal Retred]

Newer article...

BSA Gold Star 650 Detailed In First Official TVC – On The Road PEARL DANIELS DECEMBER 13, 2021

https://www.rushlane.com/bsa-gold-star-650-tvc-on-the-road-official-12420172.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQSuDymZd2U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH-SdsVManM

2022 BSA Gold Star First Look
Another British brand from the past returns thanks to Indian money.
By Ben Purvis  December 16, 2021
https://www.cycleworld.com/story/motorcycle-news/2022-bsa-gold-star-first-look-preview/
Like Royal Enfield and Norton, BSA also uses British expertise, with R&D facilities in the UK, and plans to set up a manufacturing base near Birmingham in the UK Midlands. It’s a kind of homecoming for the firm, since BSA started life as a gun-maker, Birmingham Small Arms, before branching out into bicycles in the late 19th century and then motorcycles in 1910. Originally, Classic Legends and Mahindra planned to have the UK manufacturing and development facilities up and running by now, but delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic mean the initial bikes are set to be made at the firm’s Indian facilities.

[Carl Fenn]

I think we must not be confused this is a BSA in bought name only although it’s  made to look similar, of course not forgetting it will be euro 5 or even 6 so any tuning will be very limited indeed, but will it be reliable, well judging by the money they have sunk into the new brand they can’t afford it not to be, l doubt it will be like my old rides in the 70s in fact l remain sure it won’t but still a nice looking bike.

[GlennF]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd_hfg9RqDQ

[AzCal Retred]

Here's another plan - I found a running Funduro for sale on Craigslist for $1200 USD, several more at sub-$3K prices. That leaves approximately $5K to add exhaust, tank, fenders & a gaudy BSA badge...make your own "Pinchbeck's Star"? Pinche Star? Pyrite Star? In any event, you can DIY a "Gold Star" and experience the wonderfulness of that old 650 Beemer hammer for quite a bit less than $7K-$9K USD. Unblock your creativity! 

https://finemetalworking.com/metals-that-look-like-gold#3-pinchbeck
Pinchbeck, named after its inventor, Christopher Pinchbeck, is an alloy of 83% copper and 17% zinc, used to imitate gold. It’s far cheaper than gold and is famously used in stage jewelry.

https://tinyrituals.co/blogs/tiny-rituals/pyrite-meaning-healing-properties-everyday-uses#:~:text=Pyrite%20is%20an%20iron%20sulfide,by%20the%20name%20Fools%20Gold.&text=Pyrite's%20meaning%20is%20purity%20and%20unblocks%20creativity.
Pyrite is an iron sulfide mineral with a metallic luster. It has and a brassy coloring that is similar to gold, because of this resemblance it is also known by the name Fools Gold. It comes from the cubic crystal system and has an opaque transparency and a brittle texture. Pyrite's meaning is purity and unblocks creativity.

[Carl Fenn]

Well l think when you discuss the Funduro you discuss a real motorbike one they knew how to build l still have my German built gs 650.

[AzCal Retred]

It's the same engine as the new Gold Star. It should run the same, yes? So far all I've read about the Funduro powerplant is that it's a nice torquey hammer, not a grenade. Bore & stroke are the same as the 650 KLR Kawasaki, another proven hammer. I'm not seeing how the new BSA will be anything other that stone reliable, barring any electronical weirdness.

[AzCal Retred]

Ride the Gold Star: Reborn BSA reveal plans for Goldie test rides: 26 April 2022

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/2022-bsa-gold-star/
BSA caused a stir towards the end of 2021 when a gleaming new Gold Star stole the show at the NEC in Birmingham – and you should soon be able to sling a leg over one.
India’s Mahindra Group, one of the world’s largest automotive and engineering conglomerates, bought the BSA brand in 2016. The firm are still working on plans to build a factory in Birmingham with more than 200 jobs promised and are also developing a robust dealer network. They now say that the Gold Star, a 650cc single, will be hitting those dealers in June with test rides available shortly after.
The looks are inspired by the original Gold Star, but underneath the retro looks is a modern, liquid-cooled, four-valve single. Claimed power output is a steady, but A2 licence and Euro5 compatible, 45bhp which should give a top speed of fractionally over 100mph.
Two models are planned: the base version a higher spec Legacy Edition with chrome mudguards and engine highlights, plus silver paint like the Clubman’s Goldies of the late 1950s.
You can register an interest and be contacted about a demo ride by applying online now.


https://www.webbikeworld.com/bsa-gold-star-everything-we-know/
Motorcycle News·February 11, 2022·12
A CALL TO ARMS: Everything We Know about the New BSA Gold Star
From all reports, the other tech specs will be pretty much on par with the 650 Twin, too. The engine, designed by Rotax, will have a 652cc single with twin overhead cams and four valves. Torque and horsepower specs are almost identical to that of the Enfield’s; 40.6 pound-feet and 4,000 rpm, compared to 38.6 pound-feet at 5,150 rpm for the Royal Enfield engine. Weight will also be similar at around 215 kilos (470 lbs).
The BSA Gold Star is scheduled to go on sale in the first half of 2022, COVID and computer chip shortages notwithstanding. Reports put the retail price in the UK at around £5000.  (nominally $6,500 USD -ACR-)

[GlennF]

Ironically the bike that has the most genuine BSA heritage is the Kawasaki W800 that can trace it's lineage all the way back to the BSA A7 twin of the 1950's.

After the Kawasaki takeover of Meguro motorcycles in the 1960's they ended up in possession of a licensing agreement with BSA to make a version of the A7. They then revamped the design in typical Japanese fashion and the result was the W1 Kawasaki the first of a long series of "W" series bikes all the way down to the current W800.

Here is a W1 ...



.. and here is a 1956 A7

[AzCal Retred]

So which reworked, resurrected liquid cooled parallel twin engine is BSA going to use for their new Golden Flash? The old "Funduro" is holding down the fort quite well here. KTM 950 twin? Triumph Thruxton 1200? Yamaha FZ07? BMW F-series? There's no harm in using a proven design, and HP really isn't the issue.

China is making lots of hardware for Benelli, maybe BSA as well with some custom side covers?
https://www.kiratas.com/900-series-twin-from-china-possible-two-cylinder-for-benelli/

[AzCal Retred]

https://www.visordown.com/news/new-bikes/bsa-give-update-release-gold-star-650

BSA GIVE UPDATE ON THE RELEASE OF THE GOLD STAR 650
The Gold Star 650 was supposed to be in dealers already from this month.
By Alex WhitworthMon, 28 Mar 2022

BSA announced in December 2021 that their new Gold Star 650 will be available in dealers from March 2022.
It is now March 2022, and the bikes remain absent. So what is going on?
Now it has become clear, through official information from BSA, that the Gold Star 650 will be available in dealers from June 2022, with a possibility of them arriving a month earlier, in May 2022
BSA have also said that, “We are currently building our dealer network and hope to share more details on the network as well as the price by May.”
Finally, BSA says that press reviews are expected to begin in April or May, so we could be as little as a few weeks away from our first proper look at the BSA Gold Star 650.

[Richard230]

Which April or May would that be?   

[AzCal Retred]

Sounds like a nice "Mom 'n Pop" 'Bidness Opportunity for some astute 'Frisco dweller...