Photo: BSA
For a while now there seems to be a trend in the automotive industry to bring back nameplates (read both cars and motorcycles) from our species' glorious past. We're not yet at a point where we're witnessing the revival of nameplates like Pontiac or Plymouth or Excelsior-Henderson, but it kind of feels like we're getting there.
The motorcycle scene has had over the years perhaps a larger number of brands going under than the auto one. And since I personally like bikes a lot, I can't help but feel a bit excited by the return of some of them. Like, say, BSA.
BSA is a British company that's been quite successful at making motorcycles (despite its name actually standing for Birmingham Small Arms Company), at least between 1919 and 1973. Not only did it dominate for a long time the racing scene with the motorcycle models it made, but it also helped (a lot) give birth to a custom style the world has come to know as café racer.
The Gold Star is a bike that first came about in 1938 as a ride powered by a 496cc single-cylinder engine. It was meant to be a nod to the BSA Empire Star that reached 100 mph (161 kph) a year prior, and proved so successful that was kept in production until the early 1960s.
BSA died off in the 1970s, due to financial problems, but the rights to the name were acquired by Classic Legends and Indian Mahindra in 2016. The name came back to the motorcycling scene in 2021 with the revival of the Gold Star.
The bike is technically still a café racer the likes of which it helped give birth to in the 1950s and 1960s, only modernized to suit current needs. In the frame sits a 652cc engine rated at 45 horsepower, helping push along a machine that weighs 213 kg (470 pounds).
Until the end of September, the BSA Gold Star was only available for British buyers, but now, thanks to a deal struck with Peugeot Motorcycles, the brand is expanding its reach into continental Europe.
The expansion starts with two of the continent's related markets, France and Luxembourg, but the push will continue in the near future, with the bike scheduled to reach Germany, Spain, Italy, and Austria as well.
The moment marks the first time the BSA Gold Star becomes available in these markets in more than half a century, and has some confidence it will eventually spread wider still.
For pricing of the BSA Gold Star in each of these new markets, you'll have to talk to Peugeot dealers. For reference, on the British market, the model sells at £6,500, which is about $8,000.
BSA is a British company that's been quite successful at making motorcycles (despite its name actually standing for Birmingham Small Arms Company), at least between 1919 and 1973. Not only did it dominate for a long time the racing scene with the motorcycle models it made, but it also helped (a lot) give birth to a custom style the world has come to know as café racer.
The Gold Star is a bike that first came about in 1938 as a ride powered by a 496cc single-cylinder engine. It was meant to be a nod to the BSA Empire Star that reached 100 mph (161 kph) a year prior, and proved so successful that was kept in production until the early 1960s.
BSA died off in the 1970s, due to financial problems, but the rights to the name were acquired by Classic Legends and Indian Mahindra in 2016. The name came back to the motorcycling scene in 2021 with the revival of the Gold Star.
The bike is technically still a café racer the likes of which it helped give birth to in the 1950s and 1960s, only modernized to suit current needs. In the frame sits a 652cc engine rated at 45 horsepower, helping push along a machine that weighs 213 kg (470 pounds).
Until the end of September, the BSA Gold Star was only available for British buyers, but now, thanks to a deal struck with Peugeot Motorcycles, the brand is expanding its reach into continental Europe.
The expansion starts with two of the continent's related markets, France and Luxembourg, but the push will continue in the near future, with the bike scheduled to reach Germany, Spain, Italy, and Austria as well.
The moment marks the first time the BSA Gold Star becomes available in these markets in more than half a century, and has some confidence it will eventually spread wider still.
For pricing of the BSA Gold Star in each of these new markets, you'll have to talk to Peugeot dealers. For reference, on the British market, the model sells at £6,500, which is about $8,000.
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