BSA Gold Star Engine Developed In Collaboration With Austrian Firm Rotax

The BSA Gold Star is the first motorcycle model unveiled by Classic Legends in the UK, as part of the revived BSA Motorcycles brand. In an exclusive interaction with carandbike, Classic Legends Co-founder Anupam Thareja revealed the story of the acquisition of the BSA brand, the development of the platform, and the story behind the ground-up development of the new BSA Gold Star, the first new model of the re-launched BSA Motorcycles brand. The 652 cc, single-cylinder, four-valve, dual overhead cam, liquid-cooled engine with twin spark plugs, with an output of 45 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 55 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm.

While Classic Legends clearly has been focussed on the Jawa motorcycle brand, and now, the Yezdi brand for the domestic market, work on the BSA brand also began at around the same time. The acquisition of the iconic British motorcycle brand was more than just a sense of accomplishment, Thareja clarifies.

"We would like to call ourselves custodians of an iconic motorcycle brand. The former owners of the brand were more concerned if we could do justice to the legacy of the brand, rather than any other concerns of what we will do with the revived brand. The new Gold Star, the Goldie, is testament to that fact. We tried to stay as true to the design of the original BSA Gold Star as possible, and it's not just a re-branding exercise of plonking on the BSA badge. The performance, the easy rideability, the essence of leisure riding, all were taken into consideration, even the size of the engine, to re-launch the new BSA Gold Star," Anupam Thareja told carandbike.

Also Read: BSA Gold Star Unveiled; Specifications, Details Announced

The new BSA Gold Star is powered by a 652 cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled DOHC, four-valve engine which makes 45 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 55 Nm at 4,000 rpm. The engine is developed by Rotax, which used to make a 652 cc, single-cylinder unit for the BMW F 650 Funduro, sold in India in the late 1990s.

The Rotax Engine

The engine has been built in collaboration with Austrian company BRP-Rotax and the Technical University of Graz, which has helped tweak the engine to meet the latest emission standards. Rotax is best known for the 652 cc single-cylinder engine used in the BMW F 650 motorcycle, which used to be sold as the BMW F 650 Funduro, and launched by Hero Motors in the late 1990s. The new BSA 652 cc engine is based on the same Rotax platform but has been completely re-worked to meet latest emission standards, with faux air-cooled fins on the outside of the block, although the engine is liquid-cooled.

Also Read: BSA Motorcycles Returns To Life, Revived By Classic Legends With New Gold Star

The 2022 BSA Gold Star borrows its design lines from the original Gold Star. For the new Gold Star, the design brief was simple, to keep it as close to the original. Even the engine covers are designed keeping that in mind. 

Global Product, India Launch Likely

The new BSA Gold Star will be first launched in the UK, with the first lot of bikes manufactured in India. While BSA stands for Birmingham Small Arms, Classic Legends is looking for a place in the Birmingham area where eventually the new BSA bikes will be manufactured, for the European market.

With a 18-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear wheel, and a minimalistic rear end, the new Gold Star gets LED lighting, but retains its classic design lines.

As things stand today, the new BSA bikes will be sold first in the UK, then Europe and then the US, where BSA has strong brand equity. So far, there are no immediate plans to launch the BSA brand in India, the immediate priority for Classic Legends being Jawa and the soon-to-be-launched Yezdi range of entry-level adventure touring bikes. Eventually though, Classic Legends doesn't rule out not launching the BSA brand in India, but it will likely take a few years.

The new BSA Gold Star, on the right, is definitely inspired by the original 1950s Gold Star design, parked on the left.

One Platform, More Models

The BSA Gold Star though is just the first model under the new BSA Motorcycle brand. According to Thareja, there will likely be more models, based on the same platform in future. And Classic Legends also doesn't rule out technology and platform sharing among the three brands, BSA, Jawa and Yezdi. So, even if the BSA brand isn't launched immediately, there's a possibility that Classic Legends focusses on Jawa and Yezdi for the Indian domestic market, and there's a faint chance that the BSA 650 cc platform could be used in a future Jawa model.

Electric BSA In The Works

BSA is also currently developing an electric motorcycle platform in the UK. The new electric motorcycle is currently under development, and will be a completely ground-up engineered product, with an original electric motor, controller, battery and battery management system. The electric BSA is already under development at the company's tech centre in Coventry, UK, and will be the next BSA motorcycle, in electric form.