[Rudraksh]

The pricing is great.
This motorcycle is for people who want to upgrade from 350s or lower-capacity bikes/ people who want a lightweight yet higher-capacity bike.

The 2 things that are missing are LED lighting and the 6th gear.

But, overall, it seems a great package.

[@shimda]

I have been following the BSA Goldstar since it was launched in the UK back in 2021.

Surprising that M&M chose the UK as the debut market but it makes sense considering the history it has there. I love Royal Enfield and have owned many bikes from that company but all of them have been the CI Bullet 350. I had always wanted a 500 but was never able to find one in Kolkata that had papers. The UCI engine never appealed to me, but I got pretty excited when Enfield announced the Interceptor 650.

I was one of the first to book that bike but after taking it for a test ride I realised a twin was not for me.

So I have been patiently waiting for the India Launch of the Goldstar 650 and during that time have probably watched most of the review videos from the UK, especially the owner reviews. One such reviewer who I respect and many here know well is Stuart Fillingham.
He is an avid Royal Enfield fan but his take on the BSA was what convinced me to book one when it became available in India, so I did.

I know M&M haven’t been doing well but they are trying and it only needs one model to take off, we saw that with Bajaj and the Pulsar, even Royal Enfield was going bankrupt in late nineties but after some modernization and putting the brake pedal on the right and introducing the Classic UCI they are now flourishing.

Let’s all wait for the owner reviews here before passing judgment.

[Pkumarblore]

Hi,
The bike looks super cool and retro. I don't see a reason why this cannot co-exist with RE's, unless the mechanicals are super bad or the company closes down. I have my doubts if Mahindra will play with their reputation this way. Their 2-wheeler division is seemingly learning it the hard way.
I really haven't read a bad(I mean really bad) review about this motorbike after the launch in Europe. Its OK for old riders to compare it with the erstwhile BSA Goldstar and how this machine has changed but the DNA's still there. So, its fine as long as Mahindra/Classic Legends shows the commitment to the market.
I just called a dealer in Bangalore to check for test rides. He said that these bikes will arrive next week. I'll be happy to own one if the riding ergonomics are good and the sitting posture is relaxed like the RE CL/Bullet. I need to replace my 2014 RE CL 500 and this looks to be a perfect fit for now, since the rumored RE CL/Bullet Twin 650 is still a long time away from launch(I heard sometime in 2026).
I'll update after the test ride.
Happy motoring.

[DDV437]

Originally Posted by EasyRider Suraj

Its not a genuine retro thumper like UCE 500. This engine was already sold in India officially by Hero via BMW Funduro bike in 1990s.

Can you provide a reference for this please? Also, what qualifies as a genuine retro thumper? Wasn't the UCE itself a modern (by RE standards) design? That makes this Funduro engine more retro, doesn't it?

[windiesel]

Originally Posted by Pkumarblore

Hi,
I need to replace my 2014 RE CL 500 and this looks to be a perfect fit for now, since the rumored RE CL/Bullet Twin 650 is still a long time away from launch(I heard sometime in 2026).
I'll update after the test ride.
Happy motoring.

I've ridden a C500DS in the past and this bike seems to be the perfect replacement. Never could digest the upswept Cossack moustache style twin silencers of the Interceptor and the Bonnies are too expensive (and low). The Goldie ticks all the boxes. Wish they had an Alloy option.

[Carguy9902]

The bike looks good, sounds good, hope it performs well. It's always good to have competition for a well established brand like RE. Granted Classic Legends isn't the most qualified to launch a new brand in India when Jawa and Yezdi are already in the doldrums. But their recent updates give hope and it's good that they do not give up on the market. It is highly probable that BSA might not succeed. But simply writing them off without even experiencing the bike first hand is just immature.

[Nayra]

Originally Posted by EasyRider Suraj

Facts dont care about your feelings. You call it agenda, I call it reality check. You are starting sound like Classic Legends infamous bot brigade.

A very unnecessary and aggressive comment for absolutely no reason without adding anything meaningful into the forum.
I do not believe there is even a single individual on Team-BHP who does not know about Classic Legends and their shoddy track record yet everyone is always cautiously optimistic.
Most people do not buy their automobiles based on facts, rather what the bike makes you feel. Facts do not care about feelings neither do feelings care about facts, but it still gets under a few folks' skin.

A lower seat height, "bullet proof" () thumper of an engine with tons of low-end torque? sounds great on paper for lazy cruising and puttering around town for folks like my dad.


For every automobile company, there is always a chance that their next product could shake the industry up or the company and bring it back to life. Bajaj did it. Royal Enfield did it more than once and considering the second gen Jawa series bikes seem to have developed into competent machines, no reason Classic Legends could not pull off the same.

[vj_torqueaddict]

Wow! Some guy decided to join Team BHP with barely 15 posts and half of them dissing Classic legends and then proceeds to call others as bots. Damn!

Anyways, the bike looks fantastic. That red shade is absolutely gorgeous. Saw a review from a Brit praising it for it's no non sense nature. I will definitely take a test ride.

[navpreet318]

Fantastic bike but anyone got a link to a Indian Website of the bike? Or a Dealer who'll be selling these? Will they be sold alongside with Jawa and Yezdi?

They launched the bike but couldn't make an India Specific website?

This is a terrific bike which looks to bridge the gap for anyone looking for a big capacity retro bike with upright stance but I'm a bit apprehensive about the dealer network as well as support from the company in case things go south.

While the Royal Enfield reliability is nothing to write home about, this too is relatively new and there is no clarity of dealer network or company backing.

Heck I couldn't even find a website of Classic Legends to start with!!

[Legal_Eagle]

For the uninitiated, it's a rotax engine developed by Austrian engineering firm, BRP-Rotax. But it's not a modern engine per se. An earlier version of this engine was used in BMW Funduro 650's in early 2000. The engine was known to be fairly reliable and low on maintenance.
From the YouTube videos, it's fair to say that the positives outweigh the negatives. In fact I have interacted with quite a few Mojo owners, they rate their bike and the ownership experience highly whereas I have heard negative feedback from early Jawa owners. Even the RE was close to going bankrupt before the advent of UCE engine and look where they are now. And Mahindra is not known to throw in their towel so easily, it's still early days, but they definitely have more than enough wherewithal to survive and thrive.
So let us not diss the brand or the bike even without swinging a leg over it.

[Phantom 510]

What a motorcycle! Lovely period design and that big lump of an engine with all the vintage styling cues is truly a beautiful sight. Styling wise it is lovelier than the INT650 (one of my favs). Another highlight is it's single cylinder configuration atleast for me. It might lack the linearity of a parallel twin but the it will be more fun to ride due to that 55 Nm being delivered strongly in the midrange. Single cylinders are so much more soulful than others. I just can't wait to take a test ride.

[nasirkaka]

Wow. This bike takes me back to the famous (or infamous?) "Goldie" silencer days in the early 2000. Most of Bullet riders use to have the Goldie aftermarket silencers on their bikes, including yours truly.

IIRC, Shakeel of Pune (same person who makes AEW brand silencers for Interceptors) had started making and selling Goldie silencers which were based on the silencer design of the original BSA goldstar 650. A conical shaped silencer with a perforated cylinder inside. The space between the two was laced with glasswool. These pipes use to make loud bassy thump to almost annoying decibel levels.

Who would have then thought that one day the classic BSA Goldstar 650 would actually be available for purchase, even if in its modern avatar.

Having owned and ridden an Interceptor 650 for 35K kms, i can say that its a gem of an engine and gear box. And thats about it. The ergonomics are far from comfortable. The suspension leaves a lot to be desired. Fit and finish is not all that great with many rusting and paint chip issues. Electricals have germlins and i can go on and on about issues.

Lets hope this BSA Goldstar has covered some of the basics right to begin with. And good to see many of these legendry brands from the past being revived.

[Pkumarblore]

Hi,
Just came back from a Jawa showroom(Synergy near Netkalappa Circle) where they had these bikes on display.

My first impression - it looks gorgeous.. simply classic, especially the Red one. Test rides were still not allowed since they are awaiting temporary RTO clearances.

My initial observations are as follows:-
- riding posture is upright, so that's the biggest plus point for me.
- was allowed to crank the engine and found that the thump is muted, it was more like the CB 350.
- vibrations at idle were mildly felt. My spectacles were sliding slowly when I kept it on the fuel tank.
- the seating height is perfect for me(I am 5' 9"). I could rest both my feet on the ground when seated.
- the soft seat seems to be just long enough for 2 medium sized adults.
- the bike is not big.
- though the red color is the cheapest, but it really stands out from the most expensive silver one. The red color bike has very less chrome, it has buffed out forks and silver finished engine covers. It is straight from the 60's.
- the exhaust pipe looks very elegant and does not protrude too wide like the Interceptor.
- instrument cluster is simplistic with speedo and rpm meter and another console on the headlamp showing basic stuff such as ABS, lights etc.
- miss the heel gear shifter.
- i'll go for the test ride when made available.
- attaching a few pictures that I took today at the dealership.

[Kishh_Krishn]

This bike definitely needs some respect within the Indian biking community. That Rotax big single has proven itself in different guises over the years, and comes at a time when we have been waiting for a 500cc replacement from RE after they pulled plug on the Classic 500. The equipment on offer might not be high on tech, but has the right ingredients to make it count.

I own the first lot of Classic 500, and most of the first lot adopters know how painful it was to deal with RE back then with quality, reliability & lacklustre attitude of the service centres to address concerns. I had to replace the crank & bore-piston kit at my expense (roughly Rs.25,000 for a bike which costed Rs.1,30,000 ex-showroom) within 9 months of purchase at odometer reading of 10,500km. RE asked me to pay up for all the repairs since I had crossed the warranty period (1 year/10,000km back then), and failed to own their design & reliability mistake. We all have to take risks & give time to the manufacturer to rectify their mistakes to give us better products in the long run. RE has improved quality & it is what it is today after a lot of trial & error over the years (testing their half baked products with a few guinea pigs like us). Not to forget the chassis breaking of the first lot of Himalayans.

Let us test ride the bike and see how it behaves in Indian conditions (wait for user-owner & other test reviews if we don't want to risk being early adopters), and then come to conclusions before bashing & writing off the product without even seeing the bike in flesh.

[vj_torqueaddict]

Originally Posted by Pkumarblore

My initial observations are as follows:-

Thanks for sharing, red looks absolutely gorgeous. Haven't seen such a tasteful design in years. can't wait for test rides.