In my editorial last month, I mentioned about the ride-to-work capabilities (or lack thereof ) of the BSA Gold Star. Well, although it suddenly doesn’t become an altogether easy proposition, the fitting of an electric starter, like on this one owned by Colin Jansen, certainly makes the job a bit easier.
Some of you may recognise Colin, as we’ve featured a few of his machines before, including the gleaming pair of BSA twin-cylinder café racers he’d built, which featured in our December 2020 issue. Colin is a man of wide-ranging tastes, with everything from the 1950s through to 2000s and on evident in his garage, with several countries (and indeed continents) enjoying representation too. But BSAs hold a special place in his affectation. And if one is a BSA enthusiast, then the collection is not complete without a Gold Star.
Samuel Johnson once said that when a man is tired of London, he’s tired of life. I was thinking of that as I readied myself to ride this machine, and rejigged the quote slightly: “If you’re tired of BSA Gold Stars, you’re tired of motorcycles.” Thing is, I never really want to like Clubman Goldies; I have never got on with clip-ons, the clutch is hopeless and the gearbox ratios ridiculous, they can often appear to be over-polished poseurs’ tools… And as for starting, and the bloody centrestand come to that, well, what’s all that about?… But then I ride one out on the open road and it’s
