B.S.A. Gold Star, 1/12 Gunze Sangyo

[Fastcat]

Thanks Dave,

                         Glad that it brought back memories for you, even if some were a bit painful! It reminded me of hours misspent in my youth. Being a product of Birmingham, I well remember Alex's yard (couldn't really be called a coffee bar as there wasn't a bar). Goldie owners along with Vincent riders were looked on with a certain reverence.

I also remember the full bore runs along Holloway Circus guaranteed to annoy the well-off residents of the Albany Hotel opposite. Also the distinctive "twitter" of a Goldie's standard silencer when the throttle was closed. I very nearly said " happy days" but I just resisted in time!

 

Dave

[Noel Smith]

Lovely model, nicely built and tastefully displayed.

Those scale wire wheels set it off a treat.

A very interesting subject to many of us of a certain age.   (Think Mods and Rockers!)

It certainly had its challenges to overcome judging by the different materials used in the kit.

[Fastcat]

Thanks Noel,

                      In truth most of the bikers who went to Alex's were just enthusiasts who loved their bikes. Where else would you see a Gold Star or a Bonneville rubbing shoulders with a Vincent or even a Harley Electraglide. For the most part, it was very good natured. The dislike of the Albany occurred because it was said that  the hotel did its best to close Alex's. After all, a well off clientele couldn't be expected to share its space with dirty bikers, could it? Alex's was just across the road. And it did attract more than its fair share of attention from the police. This ranged from banter from decent motorcycle cops to downright harassment from those more zealous in their work. Nothing unusual there then!

 

Dave

[Noel Smith]

I think that most 'Rockers' back in the 60's were just bike enthusiasts who had their favourite haunts.

In my old hometown Reading their haunt was the 'Cafe Ole!' in London Road.

Typical Spanish themed cafe from the time with candles in Mateus Rose wine bottles on the tables and bullfight posters on the walls.

[desert falcon]

A lovely model Dave and an interesting read going through all the previous replies too  I was born in the mid-sixties so a bid too young to have experienced these bikes as my interest for motorcycles only came later in life, but I can still appreciate their look and sound! 

[Fastcat]

Thank you desert falcon, 

                                           By the mid to late sixties, as you probably know, almost all of the British bikes were gone or on their way out. The Gold Star illustrates the story well being a big single and years out of date however handsome a piece of engineering it was. It was a great pity but you can never close your eyes to progress. Now folks ride motorbikes for pleasure but they used to be used because they were cheap to run. When I was an engineering apprentice, out of an intake of 22 new apprentices, only one owned a car or rather a very used A35 van. When I worked in a school, about 13 years back, loads of 6th Form students ran cars. How times change................

 

Nice to know you found the thread of interest.

 

Dave

[Noel Smith]

Dave, I was an apprentice in the 60's at a large pump manufacturer. The lads I did my time with her a real mixture of bikes. BSA, Ariel, Triumph, Norton, Greeves and a smattering of Lambretta Motor Scooters too.

The first Japanese imports were the writing on the wall for most. The comparison was they were built like a Swiss watch compared to the British bikes built like an old wind up mantle piece clock.

[Fastcat]

Hi Noel,

                       You've missed out Velocette and Royal Enfield from that list. 🙂

Yes, whatever was said, Japanese bikes were good. As one of the dinosaurs, I never missed a chance to make fun of a friend's bike - he had  one of the early Honda 250 Dreams. It was ugly, too heavy, more like a two wheeled car and who needed an electric starter when real bikes let you exercise your right leg with a kickstart. Vibration was to be enjoyed - all real bikes featured it.  And did I mention that it was ugly?

One day, he let me try it on one of the deserted works car parks. After getting used to the gear-change and rear brake, which were on opposite sides to British bikes, it was a revelation. It was smooth, revved easily, had electrics which worked and big brakes to bring it all to a stop. What's more, it did it all with an ease which was embarrassing. It ran like a little sewing machine. 

It didn't make me change - second hand ones were rare and too dear for me - but it earned a grudging respect and certainly made me think.

Today, Honda still make bikes, all the British bikes are long gone.

 

Dave

 

 

[perdu]

A great bike Dave, I bet we used Alex's at the same time back in the day...*

Did I see this model at one of our Expos, or am I just wishing?

 

As for the pesky Japanese bikes they were amazing to open the box and put 'em together, oil 'em and drizzle in petrol and there was this lovely piece of machinery purring away in the shop.

 

I honestly could never get the same simple result with one of the Arrows or Leaders we were trying to push out of the doors at Vale-Onslow.

 

But they were happy days anyway.

 

*I didnt have a bike, me and my mate were walk ins.

[Fastcat]

Hi Bill

         Nice to hear from you. Yes, you're quite right and thanks. I think it was at one of the Expos.

Vale-Onslows was a legend. One of Birmingham's institutions. A bit like Alex's really. Glad you remember it as well. My brother used to go there on his Norton Domi 88 outfit, complete with sport chair. On a good night it was hard to squeeze the outfit in as there were so many bikes in the yard but we managed. We may have crossed paths and never known.

 

The Arrows and Leaders were a kind of halfway house - nearly there but a bit too late to spoil the party. I could never believe how well engineered the Japanese bikes were. But then, they weren't released until they were right - not like some of ours.

 

Dave

 

[spitfire]

That looks grand, I have always had a soft spot for Goldies, I still regret not buying a DBD 32 (350cc) that I had the chance to buy for £100 to replace my A65, like most people I started biking on an assortment of BSA, AJS and Matchless bikes until I discovered Japanese bikes. I still have my A65 (in bits) and hope one day to restore it.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Fastcat]

Thanks Dennis,

                             Always amazes me how much everyday bikes go for these days (although the Goldie hardly fits the everday category). I used to ride a very decrepit Triumph Tiger Cub (with springer rear suspension, would you believe? It was that old). Soon departed for a 250 Ajay and then a Norton Domi SS. My first car after passing my test was an MG TC, Bought for £110 and sold for £125. Worth thousands now. But they are of course, museum pieces nowadays - a bit like me really!

 

Dave

[Ryedale Wolf]

Great build! My great grandfather was an engineer at BSA and my granddad did his apprenticeship there, I got a C15 in bits in the shed.

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ryedale Wolf

[Fastcat]

Thanks Wolfie,

                                  The BSA factory, once one of the biggest bike plants in Europe and a major employer. Poorly managed in later life and subservient to Lord and Lady Docker who never rode a bike in their lives. Sad to see it go like so many others.

I can well remember the C15. I always thought it was, or looked, quite small next to my Ajay 250 but it was nippier and noisier. I had a friend who had one and it seemed surprisingly lively for a 250 single.

 

Dave 

[OWL1975]

I'm not quite old enough to remember them when they were new but I'm a fan of all things motorcycle,  I have to admit I do like the classic bikes, they remind you of days gone, and I love to see these classic machines out and about on the roads,  if you own one and there's a enthusiastic 40 something bloke with a BSA t shirt on around the North Yorkshire coast admiring it, it's probably me.

 

Beautiful build, lovely detail and excellent scratch building. 

 

Jerry.

[Fastcat]

Thanks Jerry,

                      Have to agree, the classic bikes all have a character about them. Most modern bikes tend to look a bit "samey". You could always tell a Velo from an Ariel or a Triumph from a BSA. Pity the kit makers didn't think so.

I've always thought that there was room for an up to date injection moulded kit of a Manx or Velo or Ajay/Matchless race bike in a popular scale. On a schedule not too demanding, say one every five years, but I'm still waiting..........................

Nice to know you value the old stuff.

 

Dave

[albergman]

Hi Dave

What a marvelous job you've done here and well done on the scratch build replacement parts ... very authentic.    You sure have stirred the nostalgia pot with this one and you can add me to the mix.   Never had a Goldie but always admired them at races (here in Canada).   First bike was my one and only Beezer ... a Bantam followed by a string of AJ's and Matchies.   Like you I didn't "discover" Japanese bikes till my youngest turned 16 and got a Honda Custom 250 that blew me away with its fit and finish, smooth twin engine and just an all round lovely reliable little machine.   I just had to get back into bikes after that.

 

Frank

 

[Fastcat]

Hi Frank

                  Nothing like a Goldie to bring on a heap of nostalgia. My very first ride on a bike was on a very ancient Bantam - at the bottom of my brother's, friend's garden. We rode up and down in turns until someone told us to clear off (or words to that effect). After that, my brother bought an old BSA C10, I think and I got the terrible Tiger Cub. His bike was good and mine wasn't! Hence the Ajay and later, the Norton, both of which I managed to fall off at some time.

After a British single, the Japanese bikes were a revelation. I didn't like the design but they were beautifully engineered.

 

Dave

[Ryedale Wolf]

On 09/08/2022 at 07:03, OWL1975 said:

I'm not quite old enough to remember them when they were new but I'm a fan of all things motorcycle,  I have to admit I do like the classic bikes, they remind you of days gone, and I love to see these classic machines out and about on the roads,  if you own one and there's a enthusiastic 40 something bloke with a BSA t shirt on around the North Yorkshire coast admiring it, it's probably me.

 

Beautiful build, lovely detail and excellent scratch building. 

 

Jerry.

Well if you're admiring a red C15 on the Yorkshire coast it could be mine! (Not yet though, its not finished). Whereabouts are ya?

[Ryedale Wolf]

On 11/08/2022 at 19:49, Fastcat said:

Hi Frank

                  Nothing like a Goldie to bring on a heap of nostalgia. My very first ride on a bike was on a very ancient Bantam - at the bottom of my brother's, friend's garden. We rode up and down in turns until someone told us to clear off (or words to that effect). After that, my brother bought an old BSA C10, I think and I got the terrible Tiger Cub. His bike was good and mine wasn't! Hence the Ajay and later, the Norton, both of which I managed to fall off at some time.

After a British single, the Japanese bikes were a revelation. I didn't like the design but they were beautifully engineered.

 

Dave

 

Didn't Airfix do a BSA C15?

 

Mate of mines got a C10 (might be an 11 or 12 mind but its earlier than mine)

Edited September 4, 2022 by Ryedale Wolf

[JamesP]

I'm currently building the Matchbox Vincent Black Shadow and only yesterday I was looking at what other kits are available of British 50/60's motorbike and came across this kit - a bit of collector's dream judging by the prices on ebay. (and that seems to be about it in 1/12 scale at least). You've done a wonderful job and it's great it's not languishing in someone's attic - though it makes it harder for me to fine one now.

[Fastcat]

Hi Wolfie,

                         Yes, Airfix did do a C15. And an Ariel Arrow. They were smaller than 1/12 (something like 1/16) from memory. The very old kits weren't anything near modern standards though but with a lot of work could look pretty good.

 

 

Hi James,

                  Glad to hear your tackling the Vincent. Classic British bikes just aren't catered for, especially in 1/12. Never understood why but most of the kit makers are Japanese so they won't be in any hurry to make British subjects from the '60s or earlier, given the home market. A number of larger kits of the mixed media type were made  but they're obsolete now and fearfully priced on the used market. "Diecast" kits can be worked up - they contain a lot of plastic today but they need a deep pocket too. I seem to remember a Brough Superior, a Triumph Twin, a Norton Manx and the Triumph of Steve McQueen supposedly from The Great Escape but I think it was a 3HW.

The Gold Star, despite its problems, is a nice kit - too good for the attic or loft. Good hunting! 

PS - SMTS did a smaller one, I think it was either 1/16 or 1/18. All metal but nice.

 

Dave   

[veg]

Lovely build, just back from the Manx GP, and there were a few goldies being ridden not raced.

low and behold my eBay purchase of this kit has arrived little disappointed the frame front down tubes are completely bent back upon themselves. Not v happy as it wasn’t mentioned and it wasn’t cheap.

[spitfire]

Just for you Dave here is a mean and moody looking me on my 250 AJS just a few years ago, well a long time ago really

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Fastcat]

Hi veg,

             Yes. I'm afraid the Goldie's competitive years are over but it was once so successful that it won both the Senior and Junior Production races at the Isle of Mann TT on the same day, the only bike to do so. The rider was Bernard Codd.

Sorry to hear of your problems with the kit. Not unlike mine but worse. You can try to straighten them but I don't think it will work well. If you plan to persist with the kit, I'd consider completely replacing them with brass tube or wire as I've done. To be fair, many came from the factory in that state. They seem to have been packed while still malleable. 

Good luck with your kit.

 

Dave