DRESSED to thrill
‘A Rocket goes into orbit… New clubman’s six-fifty twin from BSA’ was the headline which greeted readers of The Motor Cycle on February 8, 1962, announcing the launch of the A10-powered Rocket Gold Star.
Usually mounted in a slightly modified – minus the kink to avoid the 500cc single’s oil pump – twin downtube Gold Star frame, the 650cc RGS was – in my opinion – the most beautiful bike ever to leave the Small Heath production lines. But its star didn’t shine for long… By 1962, the pre-unit twin cylinder engines had been superseded by BSA’s new unit construction 650cc A65 and 500cc A50 twins, and production of the RGS would only last for around 18 months.
In that time, around 2000 machines would roll out of the factory gates, with an on-the-road price in 1963 of £329-9s. From the age of six – following my first ride on the petrol tank of my big brother Rod’s James – I had made my mind up that on reaching 16, I too would become a motorcyclist, a
