Nothing feels more comfortable than an old, worn sweater. The creases are already familiar and as they say, it fits like a glove. Just like that, nothing beats the simple joys of watching an analogue tachometer chasing the redline as the exhaust note crescendos for that one second before you pull the clutch in, blip the throttle, slot the next gear and chase that emotion all over again. This is exactly the sort of feeling Classic Legends has tried to evoke with its brands and that holds true with the resurrection of BSA with the Gold Star 650. Has the wait been worth it?
When you’re chasing the revival of an iconic brand on the shoulders of a legend (get it?), there is no point trying to modernise the end product. Classic Legends is cognizant of that notion which is why one glance at the new Gold Star 650 will immediately make you nostalgic. Unless you’re one of those GenZ kids with an attention span of a… oh look, a new iPhone? The lines are distinct, the fuel tank is almost identical, the golden star (where the bike gets its name from) sits proudly on the tank and the attention to detail is immaculate. The build quality feels right up there with big brands and the Gold Star loves straining the neck muscles of pedestrians and people in traffic. The chrome on the tank and other places doesn’t look gaudy and everything on the motorcycle just screams class. Two of my favourite design elements on the bike are the struts that hold up the front fender and the emblem with the guns on the engine – a proper nod to the arms company that BSA started off as.
Powering this piece of nostalgia on two wheels is a 652cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, making it the largest single-pot engine to be produced in India. Torque is the name of the game with a 55Nm output at 4000rpm. It doesn’t lack in the power department either with a healthy 45bhp on tap at 6500rpm. The boffins at BSA claim that 60 per cent of the 55Nm is available as low as 1800rpm. I could pull out a spec-sheet and tell you how that compares to a twin-cylinder bike from yet another heritage brand but that’s for another story. Power is delivered via a five-speed gearbox and this fact I wasn’t particularly impressed by. But with inadequate seating, it’s hard to ride a brochure.
Out in the real world, you’re greeted by a distinct big-single exhaust note. The Rotax-designed engine, a heavily reworked version of the mill that did duty on the BMW F650 Funduro has a lot of character and really likes to get moving once past 3000rpm. Below that it’s a sedate relaxing experience. In terms of tractability, it’s only after around 2500rpm that the engine feels comfortable enough to respond to you twisting the throttle. The performance is solid and the Gold Star 650 feels properly fast. A little history lesson – the Empire Star was BSA’s star that managed 102mph (164kmph) at the Brooklyn Banked Circuit where it won a gold star and that’s also where the Gold Star model name came from. True to its legacy, the Gold Star 650 can also do 160kmph, on the speedometer at least. That being said, the bike feels the best cruising comfortable and vibration-free down the highways at 100-110kmph at which point you’re sitting at between 3800-4000rpm. You really don’t miss a sixth cog in the gearbox with the way all five gears have been tuned.
The chassis setup on the bike is also spot on with a double-cradle frame that hangs off of a 41mm telescopic fork setup at the front and twin shocks at the rear. You’re seated on a supremely accessible 782mm seat and you reach out to a fairly wide handlebar while your legs are placed on very neutrally placed, mid-mounted footpegs. All this makes the Gold Star easy for riders of most shapes and sizes to ride peacefully. The seat is a little on the softer side but that could be a problem for my heavy bottom.
The suspension setup is tuned very well to deal with most bad roads comfortably and it’s only the really nasty undulations that actually unsettle the bike. In terms of handling, the 18-inch front and the 17-inch rear wheel shod in Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp tyres, a short 1425mm wheelbase and the ergonomic setup makes for a very engaging bike to ride. It’s nimble and easy to flick through traffic and at the same time, properly fun in the corners as well. The tyres could do with a smidge more grip in the wet but there are plenty of aftermarket options to rectify that. Braking comes courtesy of a twin-piston calliper mounted on a 320mm disc up front and a 255mm disc at the rear with a single-piston calliper. Braking performance as the badge on the unit would suggest is solid and the Continental-tuned ABS system also works well.
BSA and Classic Legends have done a stellar job of making the Goldie a properly retro and analogue feeling motorcycle while getting all the modern features that are absolutely crucial in this day and age. To that end, you get analogue instrumentation with two small digital displays that show trip and fuel information. You get a USB A and C type charging pod (like the Yezdis and Jawas) on the handlebar and a 12V cigarette lighter type charger as well. That’s about it. No ride modes, ride-by-wire or anything else to corrupt a pure, analogue riding experience. And that’s exactly why I adore the Gold Star 650. Pure motoring. For this exact reason, I feel that the Gold Star 650 does a good job of justifying its price that ranges from ₹2.99 lakh - ₹3.35 lakh, ex-showroom, (colours only). The only thing that remains to be seen is the quality of service and availability at dealerships. But apart from that, the Gold Star gets a big star from me.