BSA Gold Star 12 There’s hardly a rider in the world who hasn’t thought that mounted on a bigger bike they’d be faster, better, more stylish and nearer the front of the pack. To a point BSA played on this, and it was true the easiest way to win a scramble in the 1950s was to be on a BSA Gold Star. In part this was because the bike had benefitted from development by the biggest motorcycle maker in the world, a maker with the resources and talent to produce whatever it wanted – the Honda of its day if you will. Though the factory films of the day are laughably quaint in these days of ultra-clean engineering works and computer controlled robotics, in its day BSA was advanced. Ignore that the workers appear to have storecoats and overalls waterproofed by grease, ignore the flat caps and that almost everyone appears to have a cigarette in their mouths, instead marvel that the factory could work to impressive tolerances and accuracy with hand and basic machine tools. It was in this environment the legend began, but not with a scrambles bike. The gold star which gave the sports 500 its name in the 1930s was awarded for lapping Brooklands race circuit in Surrey at over 100mph. This may seem easy these days but was quite a notable achievement then. The man responsible was Wal Handley, who had been a noted racer but was largely retired by the late 30s. However, he stepped up to the mark and earned the badge which gave BSA the opportunity to launch the 500cc Gold Star model at the 1937 motorcycle show. While a smart machine, it was initially ignored by the speed men thanks to BSA’s image of producing stolid ride-to-work
machines. But those in the off-road world soon found it was a worthy performer, including on the international stage where it gained prestige for the company and UK during the ISDT. Sadly for all concerned the Goldie’s stable mate, one with which it shared a lot of components the M20WD, was to take centre stage for six years. Post Second World War came the trials rigid models, and with sport beginning to hot up BSA wanted to be involved in all aspects. Irishman Bill Nicholson had impressed the factory with a second place to their star man Fred Rist at the Colmore Cup Trial while riding a home built BSA. A further good show in the Victory Trial saw BSA loan Nicholson a new competition Gold
None of your fancy electrickery here... just a well sorted magneto.
inside There’s a lot of bits Gold Star engine.
a BSA
Star on which he won the Hurst Cup Trial in Northern Ireland. BSA suggested he ride in the Cotswold Scramble soon after convincing him he wouldn’t have to ride any faster than he had in the Hurst Cup Trial. Nicholson had a McCandless swinging arm conversion fitted to his own BSA, took it over to Gloucestershire, endured the ridicule of those who knew a rigid rear end was the only way for success in the dirt, and showed them that this was not strictly true by winning both 350 and 500 classes on the same bike.