Classic Dirtbike magazine Winter 2024 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**

FULLY DEVELOPED

FABULOUS FRIGERIO KANTILEVER KRAMER

DIRTbike A stunning BSA

#73

Potent Puch HFR

Konnecting Komponents

CLASSIC

ISSUE

Seventy-t hre Winter 20 e 24

SCRAMBLING! 100 YEARS OF DIRTY BIKING!

RED ROCKETSHIP REDROCKETSHIP World championship-winning Honda

PLUS

NINE PAGES OF SPORTING ACTION

IN IAN BALANCE BERRY

A simpler time

J

ust before the North East Centre’s Travers Trophy Trial a couple of months ago I was handed a slice of local motorcycle sport history in the form of Newcastle and District Motor Club’s membership card from 1958. Just why this 72-page booklet was referred to as a ‘card’ was lost on me at first but there it was, clearly printed on the front cover. A tiny publication, four-and-a-half inches by three inches, which almost matches C7, it is packed full of the sort of information we local North East enthusiasts would have needed to enter events and be involved in the scene.

Inside its covers are listed details of clubs, some still around while others are long gone, their contact details and who was involved in running them. In part this is why John Hutchinson of Newcastle and District Motor Club passed this booklet to me, albeit temporarily, with the comment: “The A. Britton in Consett club, your dad?” It was indeed and many other names in the club were familiar to me too.

Equally interesting, to me at least, was how many clubs were actual ‘motor’ ones rather than specifically motorcycle. This general motoring interest goes back to the dawn of motoring history when the Royal Automobile Club represented motorists, be they on two, three or four wheels. It wasn’t until 1903 when the distinction came and the Auto Cycle Club was formed as a branch of the RAC. Eventually the Auto Cycle Club became the Auto Cycle Union and the sole governing body of motorcycle sport in the UK until the AMCA was formed in 1932.

As someone with an honours degree in fence-sitting I’m not going to say which of these two august bodies is the best but will say my early motorcycling was all

SUBSCRIPTIONS To ensure you always get your copy of Classic Dirt Bike in the UK, become part of our subscriber community.

See page 42 for details.

The Centre Handbook was a much-anticipated publication in pre-internet days.

❝…development seemed to leap forward until by the year of this little booklet rigid trials bikes were as obsolete as girder forks…❞ ACU. Anyway, back to this memory-jogging booklet: I’d not realised clubs produced their own version of what was the Centre Handbook. You remember the Centre Handbook, an eagerly awaited publication detailing all motorcycling and, in this 1958 publication, quite a bit of car activity.

Flicking through and reminiscing some of the names listed within its pages it became clear this was actually the Centre Handbook and the slightly thicker card cover was added after so presumably all the clubs listed inside could have their own version, should they have wanted it. Which meant it now made sense as to why a club would have such a detailed membership booklet.

This reminiscing went a stage further as I’d been invited to do a page about the old days in the Travers Trophy Trial programme, the gist of which was about ‘our’ big national trial being part of history when Bill Lomas won it on a lightweight James and proved little two-strokes were actually serious trials bikes rather than beginner novelties.

Suddenly development seemed to leap forward until by the year of this little booklet rigid trials bikes were as obsolete as girder forks and the world had realised that, far from losing grip as the rear end went up and down, it made life a lot easier.

I’m assuming all ACU Centres are like the North East and have a number of trophies for various activities, championships and individual wins which are as important to the local riders as a national win would be. A glance at the awards list at the front of the booklet showed the name Gordon Blakeway, a Middlesbrough lad, as holding the Presidents Trophy which, if memory serves, was for winning the Centre Championship

trial, though I may be wrong. Anyway, in those days Gordon was listed as riding for Weardale Club and would either just be in the Ariel trials team or just about to be. He would also win the Travers Trophy in 1958 and take two further wins in 1961 and 1962 as well when he was Triumph Cub mounted rather than Ariel. Some time ago Gordon recalled being at Newcastle and District Motor Club’s annual dinner in the Sixties and it being a rather formal affair. “There were quite a few famous names there from both car and motorcycle worlds as the club could attract such stars and really their annual dinner was a ‘must do’ event. It was all laid out with a seating plan and guest speakers and so forth. Making my way to the table, I sort of recognised the lad already seated next to where my name tag was. It wasn’t until I sat down and everyone introduced themselves I realised I was seated next to Formula 1 world champion Jim Clark.”

There were many more memories jogged by this little booklet as a lot of the names from 1958 were still involved with the scene by the time my own tentative steps were taken in motorcycling some 15 years later. But I’ll finish here and hopefully be the first to say all the best to everyone for the coming festive season and here’s to a good 2025.

Winter 2024 | 3

Regulars 03 In Balance The appearance of a club handbook from 1958 jogs memories of times gone by and sets the editor to thinking about bikey stuff.

06 News and views Okay, a quarterly publication struggles to be news topical. These days such a role is handled by the glance-and-gone internet but we still fill four pages with juicy news.

42 Subscribe It’s Christmas! Well it soon will be; still time to suggest a year’s worth of dirty motorcycling would be an ideal stocking filler.

11 34

50 Dirt Products A selection of bits and pieces which will help you go faster, stay faster longer and improve your gear changing as well as stopping when you’re fast enough.

60 JD’s view Prompted by reader praise, our man looks at his own ‘olden days’ and comes up with… well… go read it… oh, you have… what did you think?

Send a letter and tell us.

72

Dirt Talk Sometimes these pages are filled to overflowing, other times they aren’t… this one is the former… mainly due to editor’s apologies…

82 Moto Memories Sidecar sport was very popular in the UK until the advent of small cars took away the audience, elsewhere, it remained popular.

4 | Winter 2024

38

54

Features 11

Goldie – the boss For a few fabulous years the go-to, guaranteed-to-win bike for scrambles the world over was BSA’s Gold Star.

20 Bossing the Goldie Jeff Smith gave an insight into two to prep and win on a Goldie. He made it sound easy… not everyone is a ‘Jeff Smith’.

24 From the archive – 100 years of scrambling In many ways scrambling has changed dramatically in 100 years – more widely called motocross for instance, the aim though remains the same: first over the line.

34 The winner is… ... Graham Noyce, in 1979 when he crossed the line at Namur on this very Honda. Graham will be at Telford in 2025, will you?

38 Austrian with Italian sauce Puch’s Frigerio started life in Austria but the line was taken over by the Frigerio brothers in Italy… nice bike.

44 Workshop time Some free space in the workshop means other bikes can get attention, mind you one will have to be washed first…

54 Kramer Kantilever Never the biggest of manufacturers but certainly one which caught the eye… as did this Kramer at Westmorland.

75

Giving it the works You’d expect a bike built by a factory employee and team rider to be pretty special. The editor joins BSA’s works team, 50 years after the factory closed…

62

Events 62 Sporting action Feet-up, flat-out and on time… trials, MX and enduro action from the world of sport.

On the cover

75

In this centenary year for scrambles we had a trawl through the archives and found this pic of Triumph star John Giles in action during a very muddy scramble. Exactly where the event is remains unclear as the information slip glued to the rear of the print is long gone. The Triumph though is the pre-unit duplex frame version used from 1960-62 and it is the later frame with the strengthening tube going from seat pillar to headstock. Not easy to tell but it looks like a 500cc engine instead of a 650.

Winter 2024 | 5

Want to tell us about a forthcoming event, or have any other dirt bike news to share?

Email CDBEditor@mortons.co.uk or track down the editor at a dirt bike show or event.

Classic Dirt Bike Show 2025: motocross maestro stars at Hagon Shocks-sponsored extravaganza The ultimate destination for a restoration… the private entries display, then we get them dirty again.

The never-ending search for bits is part of the fun of old motorcycles.

Hagon Shocks is in its 11th year of sponsoring the Classic Dirt Bike Show and, like the rest of us enthusiasts, the Hagon team is looking forward to being at Telford in 2025.

The past 10 years have seen the best of bikes, clubs and special guest stars from all parts of the off-road scene in the halls at the Telford International Centre and 2025 is likely to continue the trend. The dates to mark on your calendar are February 8-9 and the shows team tells us a massive 20% saving on the ticket price is available for early booking.

Guest of honour will be Graham Noyce, who took his Honda over the line at Namur in August 1979 to become the UK’s first world 500cc MX champion since Jeff Smith in 1965.

Young Mr Noyce also has the distinction of being Honda’s first world 500cc MX champion too. Showgoers and fans will have the chance to hear first-hand accounts of Noyce’s thrilling career as he takes to the stage

Fresh-faced Graham Noyce will be guest of honour at Telford. with interviewer John McCrink. John will be delving into the highs and lows of the star’s dedication to motocross, which promises to be a captivating insight into his unique story.

This early in the show organising schedule, things are still a little up in the air but what will be certain is the halls will be packed full of bikes and bits… bikes in the private entries or club stands will give inspiration for you to finish your project or start a new one while bits in the trade and autojumble areas will provide the parts needed to drive your project forward and be on display in 2026!

Right, the ‘where’ is Telford International Centre on the outskirts of Telford in Shropshire, the ‘when’ is February 8-9, 2025 and the ‘how much’ is £21 on the gate but to save 20% on tickets, visit www. classicbikeshows.com where advance ticket prices are £16.75. Under 16s go free with an Noyce in action at Farleigh in 1982. accompanying adult.

Feet up in the Highlands: entries go hi-tech Latest news in from the Pre65 Scottish Trial is that entries are now open and all entering will be done online this year through the Jotform system. The link to get your entry submitted via the online application form is https://form.jotform. com/242061887323356 This link will remain active until

6 | Winter 2024

Wednesday, November 27, 2024 – which will give you just over a week from CDB coming through your door to get your entry in.

The trial itself will be on Friday and Saturday, May 2/3, 2025, though weigh-in will be on Thursday May 1. A reminder to all entrants: this trial includes roadwork so

you must have a licence and your motorcycle must be road legal and insured. The Pre65 Scottish Trial Committee says it has been working hard over the past few months to improve and update some of the administrative processes to aid the smooth running of the event and hopes entrants embrace the changes.

5.

Ariels are popular in the Pre6well Bradley Stein is handling his in the 2024 event.

Target reached at finale Latest from the organisers of the 2024 Twinshock Sidecar Charity Series is a round-up of the last two rounds and the final results from Leigh Carter, who says: “The final two rounds at Llanthony and Pre65 clubs did not disappoint in terms of excitement as race leaders changed frequently and, with a matter of a couple of points separating the top six crews, it was all left to play for.

Llanthony, round 4, was wet underfoot due to heavy rain in the run-up to the meeting on September 29; however, the sun shone on the day though the wind was brisk. A few boggy patches on the track made riding conditions a bit tricky and Richard and Anthea Chandler deserve special mention. The pair, who were holding 5th overall in the series, showed considerable grit and perseverance, having multiple attempts at one particularly awkward hill throughout their races, but kept smiling regardless.

“A raffle was held at this venue to raise some more funds for the charity pot, with the hope of achieving the £2k mark; an ambitious goal perhaps, as it was double our 2023 total. Wulfsport generously donated several prizes for this, and a total of £282 was raised! This brought us successfully to our £2000 target. Going into this meeting Team Carter held the lead position, however Team Millward managed to pip them by two points, relegating them to 2nd place going into the final round and giving us the 4th new leader of the series.

“The final round at the Pre65 club’s Marks Tey track, on October 13, had a fantastic entry. Notable names within the sidecar community, Graham Eastall and Shaun Mallows, had put considerable effort into resurrecting the gate start and setting up a wide flowing track especially for us, which we were

The winners were: 1st: Dave & Joe Millward #46, £800 for Space4Autism 2nd: Andy Carter & Billy Carter-Millis #417, £600 for Dobermann Rescue 3rd: Simon Chell & Joe, Charlotte & Dave #146, £300 for Help a Squaddie 4th: Gary and Rebecca Marshall #610, £200 for Crohns & Colitis UK 5th: Brian Turner & Kelly, Rosie & Matt #888, £100 for Cancer Research UK Thanks to a few extra donations on the day, the total amounted to £2050 so organisers were able to also award: 6th: Richard & Anthea Chandler #264, £50 for Cats Protection

tremendously grateful for. Given the 20-strong entry it was much needed.

There was plenty to watch at this round, with crashes, impressive jumps and some sportsmanlike rubbing, it was all going off!

“Team Chell put in a sterling performance, elevating from 4th to 3rd overall, and Team Turner, who held 6th before the meeting, elevated to 5th due to the absence of Team Chandler, who were at Weston beach race instead. The club did a fantastic job and got all three races

Charity sidecar series sponsors None of this would have been possible without main sponsors, AJP Stainless, Carters of Vowchurch, S&J Chell Groundwork, Golden Valley Classic MCC and Three Counties MX, along with individual donations received throughout the year. A big thank you to them all, and for all the riders who took part, making this a really special season.

Richard and Anthea Chandler tackle the mud.

Andy Carter and Billy Carter-Millis throw up a bit of dirt as the power comes on.

completed before the lunch break, enabling us to hold a presentation during lunch, and thanks must go to Brian Turner for the donation of trophies.”

Left to right: Dave and Joe Millward, Andy Carter and Billy Carter-Millis, Simon Chell and Joe Chell, Gary and Rebecca Marshall and Brian and Matt Turner.

From us, to you… … a Christmas gift! What could it be? Some bits for the project? A bottle of ability? Maybe a surefire way to put you on the winner’s rostrum...?

What we’re giving is way better… it is a moving record of the CDB year… with a bike or two to look at, some action from the Pre65 Scottish and

the vinduro scene. All you have to do is flash your phone doohickey at the QR code or follow this link https://bit.ly/cdbvid24 and once the link goes live on November 21, 2024 there will be a load of film clips for you to see as you recover from the Christmas pud. Here’s to 2025.

Winter 2024 | 7

The clean revolution has come a long way Brad Anderson makes the Stark Varg fly at Farleigh.

Electric bikes have been around for a while: this is one of the specials for the motorcycle show demo in the Sixties.

In Nick Haskell’s Farleigh vet’s sports piece there was mention of the Stark Future electric bikes, indeed there were a couple being raced. Now, a lot of people will think: “What’s he on about, these electrickery things are modern stuff…” Well maybe some are but the concept is as old, if not older, than petrol engines.

We’ve done bits on electric vehicles in CDB before; the annual motorcycle show at Earls Court featured an electric trials bike course in the Sixties and Seventies, for instance. The bike which caught our interest was the Stark Varg ridden by Doug Henry at the Vets meeting. It does show just exactly how advanced

the modern electric machines are. As there’s only a tiny space available to us in the news section we will point you towards the Stark Future website which is www.starkfuture.com where there is lots more information. To illustrate how far development has come we show a pic of the Sixties trials demo bike as well as the Stark Varg raced at Farleigh. Had battery technology increased at the pace of the petrochemical industry in the early days of motorised transport then the world may well have embraced electric power so much earlier than it has. CDB has not ridden a Stark Varg but has tried many other electric bikes and the impression is favourable.

Wet in Weardale for 2024 Beamish Reliability Trial Heath Dando emerges from the mist in full control of his B40 Wasp outfit.

Andrew Nicholson’s Bultaco is well able to cope with the Beamish sections.

James Black forsakes his pre65 Dot for a bigger bit of kit… a Royal Enfield.

Can-Am rider Richard Nixon is well versed in the model, he rebuilt the editor’s Can-Am engine.

In the olden days, trials were much different contests than they have become. Courses were longer for instance and in the very early days entrants were given a set of map coordinates rather than flags to follow…

There are some events which do follow the old days and ways and one which is popular up here in the North East is the Beamish Reliability Trial. Initially this event was connected to the Beamish Living Museum in Co Durham but is actually a separate entity these days.

8 | Winter 2024

The route takes in some of the more rugged parts of Durham, especially along the Durham dales in Weardale where it uses sections which were part of the Travers Trophy Trial and a South Shields trial in the Thirties and Forties. Sections with names such as Haggs Mine, High

House Lonnen and the Anything but Velvet Path provide a test for motorcycles and sidecars which are little remov ed from the road machines produced by the British industry. CDB caught up with the trial at Haggs Mine and the lunch stop in Nenthead… it was damp.

Guided tour… … of the Sammy Miller Museum is available in the form of a glossy 28-page A4 booklet which shows the latest bikes in the museum. Sammy’s museum is a fascinating collection of motorcycling and well worth visiting and not only for the motorcycles on display. However it is the machines which attract our interest here and as well as the trials bikes one would expect from someone such as Miller there are scrambles bikes, ISDT team machines as well as veteran, vintage and American motorcycles lining up with the phenomenal road racing collection.

It does surprise a few people to find the trials legend was also a GP road race star in the Fifties with factory contracts for some of the Italian factories. His oft-stated comment as to why he concentrated on trials includes the phrase “given the way things were then, I realised I could become an old trials rider but was unlikely to be an old GP racer…” his decision to go feet-up was helped when the Italian factories pulled out of racing.

The guide is available for £4 plus postage if ordered online at www.sammymiller.co.uk or makes a great souvenir if you’ve visited the museum.

Air Ambulance support

Though not strictly off-road, the annual Andy Tiernan calendar supports the East Anglian Air Ambulance and any branch of this worthy charity is an important thing to support. So here is the front cover of the 2025 Andy Tiernan calendar, designed from six of Mike Harbar’s artworks which are to A4 size. There are two months per page with lots of space to write those important

dates and as usual, all proceeds will be donated in full to the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Here are the payment & postage details: UK: Cost for one calendar is £12 which includes UK second class postage.

EU: Cost for one calendar is £17 which includes European postage.

Rest of the world: Cost for one calendar is £20 which includes overseas postage.

Andy asks all those paying by cheque to make it payable to “East Anglian Air Ambulance” OR by PayPal to the calendar email address: ‘AndyTiernanCalendarDonation@outlook. com’ For details of the calendar go to www. andybuysbikes.com The theme for 2025 is Royal Enfield.

Winter 2024 | 9

10 | WINTER 2024

BSA Gold Star

Legendary status In this year of scrambling’s centenary, it is fitting CDB features one of Britain’s legendary machines… BSA’s Gold Star.

Words and pics: Tim Britton Media Ltd

T

o define what a Gold Star actually is takes a bit of doing… to some it is a trials bike, to others a road racer, still others recall in awe its legendary 70mph in first gear folklore. So is it a roadster, racer, dirt bike or what? The answer is yes, it is all of those and more as it helped British teams win gold medals in the ISDT, trounced the opposition at Daytona and won American flat-track races. The simple truth is BSA’s Gold Star is the ultimate sporting motorcycle of its era. The Goldie was a machine which could turn its wheels to any discipline and with some degree of success though the actual results often depended on who was riding it.

BSA played to this multi-use role of its sports machine and provided a comprehensive range of accessories to help owners convert their own bikes to compete in different disciplines. In practice it would have been unlikely for a private owner to have

Above: The Allen Goldie is an excellent example of attention to detail and making things work properly.

every accessory BSA produced for the Goldie but theoretically it was possible: expensive but possible.

Though BSA produced the Gold Star from 1938, the story of scrambles success begins much later with the BB version introduced for 1953. This model is the one which debuted the swinging-arm frame emerging from Irish legend Billy Nicholson’s work.

Nicholson’s rise in motorcycling was stratospheric.

He’d never ridden a motorcycle until the late Thirties; then by the late Forties he was part of BSA’s team and forging ahead with his own ideas on how a motorcycle should be. Fast forwarding considerably, Nicholson knew the idea a scrambler should have a rigid rear end was way off the mark. He’d been winning on his own BSA fitted with McCandless rear suspension prior to taking up a position at the factory. He designed a lightweight rigid frame for his trials bike and made it so a swinging arm rear section could be fitted. This is where the Goldie scrambles 

Winter 2024 | 11

legend begins and it wasn’t long before anyone who wanted to do any winning had to have a Gold Star.

This model’s frame went on to the end of the line… at least once the steering head had a strengthening gusset added. Engine development continued until the BB became the CD, then the DB and finally the DBD big fin type arrived in 1956. The Gold Star would remain in BSA’s range until 1963 but really its time was over long before then.

When the idea of classic racing emerged, it was so owners of bikes like the Gold Star and Matchless G80s could get them out and use them as they should. But one of the problems was getting hold of a scrambler. As far as BSA’s sporting single was concerned its multi-use role and ease of conversion between specifications possibly worked against it.

With enthusiasts wanting to experience the Clubman Gold Star a lot of scramblers had their proper tyres and handlebars replaced by road rubber and clip-on handlebars. Still, this isn’t too great a problem as the B31/B33 single frame is an all-welded one and differs from the Goldie version by having a few more lugs welded to it. These are easily removed and the path to a Goldie scrambler is set.

Just such a path was used by Lincolnshire enthusiast Harold Allen to build this Gold Star, ably handled on the track by his lad, former grass track champion Micky Allen, who was persuaded to the

12 | Winter 2024

Above: Machines in the pre60 class tend to reflect what was actually raced in the era..

Right: While there are a number of excellent rear suspension units available, the preference here is for Ohlins

BSA Gold Star

classic side after retiring from modern MX. Says Harold: “I’ve built the bike from parts; some I had, others I’ve acquired, and it is 99.9% pre60 and 98% BSA.” What Harold started with was a standard roadster single frame which was carefully cleaned up to save a little weight and modded in light of experience with Gold Stars. “I pay particular attention to the chain line so it doesn’t become stressed at any point on the suspension travel,” he tells us, “and having MoT’d any number of B31/B33 roadsters here at the garage the number of twisted swinging arms on these models is eye-opening.” True to form, the swinging arm was twisted on this frame and was straightened before braces were added to it for extra strength. Connecting the rear of the swinging arm to the frame are Ohlins rear units set up to suit Micky’s riding style.

At the other end of the bike sit typical BSA A/B group fork yokes which will take a 35mm diameter stanchion fork from something a bit more modern in the suspension world. These modern forks are slipped into Norton Roadholder sliders, which is pretty much what most people do with this type of motorcycle. BSA would have used cup and cone ball bearings to control the movement of the yokes but, as Harold points out, they’re not really up to the stresses and strains of scrambling and SRM supplies a taper roller steering head kit which does the job. These last couple of sentences have glibly glossed over the amount of effort needed to make such suspension work properly but the attention to detail is needed and pays off too as the front suspension works loads better than the original, yet still looks period.

There are certain parts which have become almost compulsory when tackling a build such as this Goldie.

They could be classed as fashionable but in the case

Above: This exhaust muff just takes the edge off the noise.

Nothing fancy about it; it was made in the lads’ workshop but it works..

Left: Gearbox permutations are many, however this one has a standard cluster in it and is marked so on the case.

of BSA’s qd ‘crinkle’ rear hub they’re popular because they work. The idea behind them is a two-part hub connected by a cog. Removal of the main spindle leaves the chain and brake equipment in place and the wheel comes out. This vastly speeds up the process in the event of a puncture, for example.

There are several variations on the theme and the first one joined the range in the late Forties and it was still an option by the Seventies. Triumph used them on its 1973 ISDT machines, for example, this one on the Allen Goldie is from a B25 and has been lightened considerably. When such a hub is laced to an alloy rim it means the wheel is a lot lighter than a standard Goldie.

Up at the front end is a wheel built around a 7in diameter Grimeca full-width hub. Of light alloy casting, these hubs were standard fitment on a  number of smaller Italian bikes such as Ducati

EARNING THE NAME BSA began adding the ‘star’ tag to its sporting machines as far back as the late 1920s. For an extra £5 customers could have their engines specially tuned at the factory and to identify such engines the despatch department stencilled a star on the timing case. This developed into naming their sporting models Blue Star or Empire Star as a couple of examples. In the pre-Second World War era BSA was not known as a sporting company and actively distanced itself from racing, having experienced a disaster in the 1921 TT. The company’s chosen sporting forte became trials where reliability was important and in this sport it was incredibly successful.

However, the company mellowed a little towards racing and in 1937 prepared a sporting Empire Star for semi-retired racer Wal Handley to enter at the Surrey race circuit of Brooklands. The British Racing Motor Cycle Club, which hosted events at the circuit, would award a gold star badge to any competitor who lapped the circuit at 100mph or more during a race. Wal Handley and the Empire Star won the three-lap race at an average of 102.27mph and did the fastest lap of 107.57mph. This feat earned him his gold star badge and when BSA introduced a replica of his motorcycle what else could it be called but Gold Star.

Winter 2024 | 13

Slightly bigger capacity but still recognisable BSA Gold Star. Inside the timing chest are scrambles cams.

and Morini in the Fifties and the Manchester manufacturer Dot also used them. Initial experiments with these admittedly light hubs proved the bearings were not quite up to the job of being on the front end of a big MXer. After some thought the bearing

14 | Winter 2024

Below: Venhill’s quick action twistgrip has two settings… quick and quicker.

recesses were bored deeper and now the hub has two bearings on either side which to all intents and purposes has solved the problem. As with the rear wheel this hub too wears an alloy rim and both brake plates carry new shoes.

It is 60 years since the Goldie disappeared from BSA’s range yet development by enthusiasts and engineers continued. Eric Cheney, for instance, carried on with the big single and his rider Jerry Scott was very rapid indeed on the Cheney Gold Star. So it is safe to make an assumption there have been a few developments in the engine department during the intervening years. One of the biggest problems in using a Goldie hard is the crank; the original ones were riveted together and these rivets can fail with disastrous results. As part of our Iconic Engines series in issue 31 we looked closely at the Gold Star engine and back then we learnt there are more modern cranks available which take advantage of modern metals and manufacturing techniques. Without giving race secrets away, Harold told us the crank is a Phil Pearson one which uses a GM speedway engine con rod to carry a Wiseco piston. Originally BSA used an 85mm bore with an 88mm stroke to produce a 499cc capacity but in this engine both dimensions have been increased slightly and the engine is now at 604cc. Above the barrel things are more standard as the cylinder head and its valves are BSA… though the valve springs are Porsche. BSA provided a series of cams for all variants of Gold Star to allow the owner to dial in cam timing to suit whatever application the machine was being used for and in the spares list are Touring, Clubman, Racing and Scrambles… the latter being fitted to this bike. “There’s not too much special about the engine but it is very well put together,” he smiles.

As with cams so it is with gearbox ratios and BSA provided a cluster for every application expected for the Goldie and, in order to keep track of what was

BSA Gold Star

NOT ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD There are pitfalls to budding Gold Star ownership as the iconic machine is forever connected with the B31/ B33 bread-and-butter mainstay of BSA’s single-cylinder range. Confusion begins partly because BSA supplied a competition version of the B31/B33 and fitted them with alloy barrels and cylinder heads designating them B32/ B34, in which form they look similar to the Goldie. This competition version was much lighter than the roadster but lacked the final extra testing which the Gold Star received. Adding to the confusion, the basic frame for all the singles, be they sporting or not, was to the same design and of all-welded construction.

A seemingly bewildering amount of letters and numbers are ascribed to Gold Stars and they all mean different specifications of engine and gearbox. A small box-out in a feature can only give the briefest guide to what they all mean so forgive the generalisation and we point you to A Golland’s book Goldie and Bruce Main Smith’s book The Gold Star for more detailed information. BSA reintroduced the Gold Star into its range in 1949 and it will have the legend ‘GS’ in the engine identification number but not the frame one.

Beginning with the ZB the company altered the lettering as significant design changes arose and went to BB, then CB, DB and ended with DBD. By nature this is a very simplistic overview and doesn’t take into account frame numbering which had ZB and BB at first then stuck at CB. Gearboxes too have their own codes stamped on them and RR, SC, STD and TRI suggested gearboxes for racing, scrambles, road and trials use. When the company replaced the layshaft bushes with needle roller bearings ‘T’ was introduced into the number.

Domino’s classic range fit in well with the BSA’s appearance. They’re popular with many riders.

Norton Roadholder forks were used in many a special in the day. They are popular with modern classic builders and most go a step further with modern internals.

what, the legend was stamped on the gearbox casting.

On this gearbox there is ‘STD’ for ‘Standard’ marked on the top of the inner cover casting. On the subject of gearboxes, Harold said: “The biggest problem for building a gearbox is getting hold of a decent layshaft, the other gears and mainshaft are much less of a problem to source.” Once all the gears are checked and approved it is a simple task of carefully building the box. “We do make a slight modification to the selector cam plate so it can be reversed to change the way gears are selected.”

As the engine and gearbox are separate entities in a Gold Star the primary case has both inner and outer components. Harold has used some old and damaged cases for the primary drive on this bike. “I don’t mind using fewer good bits and pieces and am happy to bother on and repair such things so they can be saved rather than just buy new ones.” Though to standard BSA appearance the primary cases contain something a bit more hi-tech than a single row primary chain and BSA multi-plate clutch… Inside is a belt-drive kit from Bob Newby Racing. More closely associated with road racing, Newby’s kits can also be supplied for scramblers. Says Harold: “We use a small pulley on the crankshaft and have only ever had one problem with a belt when some grit got in between it and the pulley and damaged it.” He explains this was when they were using a primary shield rather than proper cases.

Looking at the rest of the bike it does resemble the actual period machines which were racing in  the Fifties, an image helped by the two-gallon

Winter 2024 | 15

Folding footrests are a modern requirement for scrambling though the mounting is typically Gold Star. A rear brake lever doesn’t have to be complicated.

Essential starting assistance is in the form of a valve-lifter… bring the engine up to compression, ease it over tdc with the lifter then apply pressure to the kick-start…

16 | Winter 2024

alloy tank. In the Fifties and Sixties these tanks were made under the Lyta name and, in the same way all vacuum cleaners get called hoovers but not all of them are actually made by Hoover, so not all tanks to this style are actually Lyta. As they are alloy such tanks need mounting carefully or they’ll be dented and leaking very quickly. Also alloy is the oil tank which was created in the Allens’ workshop and made to fit the space where BSA’s standard tank would sit.

With most of it tucked under the seat there’s only the front bit peeking out from the frame tube and this bit has a scallop in it to take the unusual air inlet tract. This is also an ‘Allen’ bit which connects on to the rear of the massive 34mm Amal Concentric then comes round in a loop and has the filter in the space between the engine and oil tank.

When new, the DBD Goldie scrambler our feature machine is based on was fitted with an Amal Monobloc carb which was mostly okay but under heavy use could empty the float bowl faster than the fuel flow could fill it. Available as an option was the GP carburettor which didn’t suffer fuel filling issues but needed care in assembly. A lot less fussy than the originals is Amal’s Concentric; they are available new and have a full range of spares listed. This one feeds super unleaded, with a bit of Avgas mixed in, into the engine where a spark plug fired by a BTH electronic magneto provides the bank and powers the engine.

BSA Gold Star

As we chatted about this Goldie, Harold pointed out a few salient points such as the home-made seat and added the cables are all made by him. “We could have gone more modern with things like plastic mudguards but in the day it would have been aluminium mudguards so we used the same type. But I will allow we’ve gone modern on the

Above: Electronic sparks are the best invention for old motorcycles, period.

This is one of the BTH units which are available for singles and twins.

handlebars, they’re Renthals and we’ve got Italian Domino levers with a Venhill throttle.” I wondered about the type of fasteners used on the build and found Mr Allen senior is not a fan of stainless steel.

“I prefer to go along to an engineering supplier and get some high-tensile fasteners from them. There  are never any problems with such fasteners

Winter 2024 | 17

A tie-wrap and some oil pipe is a simple, effective way to hold a cable in place.

Primary chain adjuster works in a slot. It can be fiddly but doesn’t move once set.

whereas stainless steel might look nice but soon wilts under scrambling pressure.”

The resulting machine looks very nice and goes as well as it looks too with results to prove it, as Micky is 2024 pre60 scrambles champion and was also 2022 champ.

We know you’re going to ask what happened in 2023 and we’ll let Mick answer as he popped out on a tea-break from running the garage… “I didn’t do the 2023 series,” he says.

When the build started the primary case didn’t look like this… inside is a Bob Newby belt drive kit.

18 | Winter 2024

On the brake plate the torque stay doubles as a chain guide. Note also the threaded wheel adjuster rather than snail cams.

Making it work Every competitor wants to do the best they can and keeping a Goldie sweet means a bit of work. Luckily, Jeff Smith told you how in 1959.

Words: Tim Britton Media Ltd Pics: Mortons Archive

B

y the end of the Fifties BSA’s Gold Star scrambler was at the peak of its development and it seemed anyone who was anyone in scrambling needed a Goldie to win. One of the reasons for the Goldie’s success was that BSA was keen to be seen winning and in Jeff Smith they had someone who not only was a brilliant rider but, having served an apprenticeship at BSA, had some idea on how to go about keeping the bike in tip-top order. It didn’t hurt that he and competitions department manager Brian Martin had a good working relationship and were able to make improvements to the bike as needed. Ultimately this working relationship would result in BSA and Jeff Smith winning a world championship or two but long after the Gold Star was history.

So, back to 1959 when MotorCycling featured the up-to-the-minute Gold Star Scrambler as part of the magazine’s Sports Machine series. In this period Smith had been BSA’s star trials rider with a Scottish Six Days Trial win under his belt earlier in the decade and also had the distinction of being employed by BSA as an engineering apprentice yet riding for the

20 | Winter 2024

Above: With a muddy event such as the 1960 MXdNations at Cassel in France, a good cleaning afterwards is essential before carrying out any maintenance.

company’s rival Norton’s works team. As the decade wore on Jeff found he was doing more scrambles and MX work than feet-up stuff; in part this was because the Gold Star had become too bulky for trials riding and the C15 was yet to come. Of course he wasn’t to forsake the feet-up scene as he recognised the benefits to scrambling success that trials riding brought.

For its feature, MotorCycling divided the information into two main parts –personal preparation and machine preparation – and it isn’t difficult to see why Jeff was to be world champion, though ironically in 1959 it was his team-mate Arthur Lampkin who was British champion. No matter, the Smith way was to have rider and machine at the peak of fitness.

To take the rider preparation first, he stated trials riding is invaluable for helping learn how to control a machine in a variety of situations and on different terrain. The Master added that, as trials riders were expected to keep their feet on the rests at all times, then so this habit continued on to scrambling – which meant the rider had a neater style and neat riders are fast riders. Though in those days training would be