BSA Gold Star

The first bike that I can remember my brother owning was a late fifties, or perhaps very early sixties Gold Star. By the time I first saw it, in '63 or '64, my brother had already been campaigning it in scrambles, hare scrambles, and cross-country races for a couple of years. To be honest, it was pretty ratty and beat up, but I'll never forget the sound the thing made! He continued to race it until '66, when he traded it in for a new bike. He didn't get jack for it as a trade, I imagine.. though the bloody thing would go for a fortune today!

My favorite memory of the bike; I hesitate to call this a favorite, but what the hey. I'm not sure if my brother was running a high compression piston, or what, but this bike was pret' near impossible to kick-start. He could kick the thing to life, but the routine had to be followed precisely, was extremely long and drawn-out, and even then it only worked part of the time. OTOH, you could bump it off pretty easily, if you had some asphalt and a couple of helpers handy! Or, he sometimes just towed the thing behind a truck or tractor. <grin> Anyway, this pal of his is over one day, and he talks my brother into letting him ride the Goldie. My brother was fixin' to bump start it, as usual, and the guy says no, he can kick start it himself, as he's had lots of experience with big thumpers. Well, to cut a long story short, that fellow ended his afternoon in the emergency room with a broken ankle! ];-)