EXCLUSIVE: BSA Gold Star Spotted Testing In India

While it looks every bit retro, it has some modern bits as well

The BSA Gold Star has been spotted testing in India. BSA unveiled the bike last year at the 2021 NEC Birmingham Motorcycle show in the UK. 

To carry its retro charm, the BSA Gold Star comes equipped with circular elements such as its headlamp, mirrors and twin-pod instrument cluster. The UK-spec Gold Star gets reverse sweeping analogue needles along with a multifunction LCD inset in the instrument cluster and we expect this test mule that was spotted to be no different. The tear-drop fuel tank, flat bench seat and a pea-shooter exhaust further enhance its old-school appeal. 

The test mule can be seen with a telescopic fork along with twin shock absorbers. Like the UK-spec Gold Star, we suspect this one too, could get 5-step preload adjustability at the rear. It also comes with disc brakes at both ends - a 320mm rotor at the front along with a 255mm one at the rear in the UK. While the front disc is the same, the Gold Star gets a larger rear disc, compared to the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650’s 240mm one. 

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The BSA Gold Star is powered by a 652cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that makes 45.6PS and 55Nm, 2.05PS less but 3Nm more than the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. In the UK, the Gold Star runs on an 18-inch front  & 17-inch rear spoke wheel setup that is wrapped in Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp tubed tyres. While the front is the same as the Interceptor 650, the Gold Star gets a much wider, 150-section tyre at the rear compared to the RE’s 130-section one. With a dry weight of 198kg, it weighs roughly the same as the Interceptor 650. 

This 650cc retro-roadster is engineered in the UK and manufactured in India, so we expect BSA to price it competitively. So while the UK price of the Gold Star was recently leaked at GBP 6,500 (around Rs 6.15 lakh) for the base colour option, we expect it to be priced around the Rs 2,88,000 (ex-showroom) mark, which is in its direct rival, the Interceptor 650’s, ballpark. That said, as a large capacity single-cylinder motorcycle, the Gold Star will bring a new flavour to the 650cc segment.