New colours for BSA Gold Star 650 draw inspiration from the brand’s rich legacy, dating back around 165 years
BSA has introduced two new colour options with the Gold Star 650 – Birmingham Blue and Brooklands Black. The single-tone Birmingham Blue is priced at Rs 3.56 lakh, whereas the dual-tone Brooklands Black is now the new range-topping variant, priced at Rs 3.65 lakh. The earlier colour options have been carried over – Insignia Red (Rs 3.42 lakh), Shadow Black (3.46 lakh) and the Silver Sheen Legacy Edition (Rs 3.60 lakh).
BSA Gold Star 650 – New colours
The new Birmingham Blue colour option is essentially a tribute to the city of Birmingham, where BSA commenced operations in 1861 as the Birmingham Small Arms Company. While originally a firearms manufacturer, the company later ventured into manufacturing of bicycles and then motorcycles. Even the development of the current version of Gold Star 650 is linked to Birmingham.
Birmingham Blue colourway utilizes a combination of a rich deep blue shade and blacked-out parts. This creates an intense, powerful presence for the motorcycle. The blue shade has been applied on the front fender, fuel tank, side panels and rear fender. Further differentiation for this colour scheme comes via the contrasting white pinstriping on the fuel tank and side panels.
Distinctive badging elements have also been used on the fuel tank and side panels. Most other parts have a blacked-out finish, including the front telescopic forks, engine casing, wheel rims and the exhaust. Another new colour option for Gold Star 650 is Brooklands Black, which is essentially a combination of black and glossy metallic accents.
This treatment is mainly highlighted on the fuel tank. Other parts such as the front and rear fenders and the exhaust have the glossy chrome finish in a darkish tone. This colour variant has golden pinstriping and a distinctive gold-finished badge on the fuel tank. Brooklands Black colour has a much deeper connection, linked to the famous Brooklands circuit.
This is where racer Wal Handley rode a specially prepared BSA Empire Star in June 1937 and won, creating new records in the process. That performance earned him the coveted Brooklands Gold Star badge for achieving speeds of over 100 mph (161 km/h). The badge name was later used by BSA for its high-performance single-cylinder models, which include the original Gold Stars of the late 1930s–1960s.
Performance, specs
Apart from the new colour options, there are no other changes to Gold Star 650. Powering the bike is a 652 cc, single cylinder, liquid cooled, DOHC engine that generates 45 hp and 55 Nm of peak torque. It is paired with a 5-speed transmission. Gold Star 650 uses 41 mm telescopic forks and twin rear shock absorbers with 5-step adjustable preload.
The bike has 18-inch and 17-inch wire-spoke wheels at the front and rear, respectively. These are wrapped in 100/90 and 150/70 Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp tyres. Braking setup comprises 320 mm and 255 mm discs, with dual-channel ABS as standard. The bike has a comfortable seat height of 782 mm and can carry 12 litres of fuel. BSA Gold Star 650 primarily rivals the twin-cylinder Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.
