c.1954 BSA 500cc Gold Star
Registration no. YSU 973
Frame no. CB32 1366
Engine no. DB34GS 537

The evocatively named Gold Star did not return to BSA's post-WW2 range until 1949. First displayed at the Earls Court Show in 1948, the B32 Goldie boasted the telescopic fork first introduced on BSA's larger models for 1946 and came equipped with a new alloy cylinder barrel and 'head. For 1950 a 500cc version – the B34 – was added to the range and this larger Goldie was the first to switch to the new die-cast top-end, with separate rocker box, in 1951. The 350 followed suit in 1952 and the pair continued as the 'BB' Gold Stars after the swinging-arm frame was introduced in 1953, changing to 'CB' designation for 1954. This change marked the introduction of the classic 'big fin' engine but the designation lasted only until the arrival of the 'DB' series in the autumn of 1955. The 'DB' incorporated a much improved lubrication system and, in the case of the 350 only, a stronger cylinder assembly; as such it represented the 'Junior' Goldie in its final form, there being no 350 equivalent of the final 'DBD' version.

The restored Gold Star offered here consists of a 1954 frame and an engine manufactured in October 1955. Offered with an old-style V5, the machine also comes with an invoice for an engine rebuild, undertaken in 2002 by marque specialist Len Haggis, and a letter from the vendor stating that he 'would like the engine softer to make it easier to start'. Re-commissioning is advised before returning it to the road.