A Classic 500 rider's first impressions of the BSA Gold Star 650

It is a well behaved bike, responds well to the throttle the sound is a sweet rhythm and high base thump.

BHPian imtiazindia recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello, fellow bikers,

This is my first post on TBHP.

After having booked the bike on the day of the launch, today I went to have a look at the Goldie and to take a test ride. I got onto my trusted Classic 500 Desert Storm and reached the showroom. I met a couple of guys who had just finished their test ride and they were mighty pleased with the power (torque). They even told me that we just can’t shift to the 4th in the city ride, 3rd gear itself gives enough speed to end the road with the traffic signal. I was excited and asked what their present rides were. One was TVS RTR 310 and another was Yamaha 150CC I guess.

It took some time for the folks at the showroom to attend to me. I got onto the test bike and took off for a quick spin. Now, remember I am getting on to this bike from my very well-maintained Classic 500. My bullet is Torquee. I told myself this was a real test for the Goldie as well as my dear CL500. Its a duel between the second largest single verses the largest single.

The impression I got during the ride, the torque did not impress me as much as the folks I met. Yes. It definitely is more powerful and more refined. It is a well-behaved bike, and responds well to the throttle the sound is a sweet rhythm and high base thump. It's not noisy. Well, my bullet is noisy at the tail as well as at the heart. Goldie didn’t have any of that. The seating was uncomfortable though (I am 5.9+) My upper body weight was on the handle bar straining my wrists. I guess I was doing something wrong, since never have I heard or read this problem in any of the reviews so far.

The best part of this bike is the brakes. I am mighty pleased with those. Honestly, brakes are the reason enough for me to buy it. I test-ridden on a wet slippery part of the under-construction road and hit the brakes but did not skid, whereas I am sure if I had done that with my bullet I would have skidded.

This is a community-developed bike and it shows. Being a huge advocate of community development projects, this being a beautiful collaboration between Rotax, Ricardo, Redline and Mahindra. All delivering their core competencies. It is put together well.

I wish the bike had a locking mechanism for the side panels like the bullets. I will forever be worried about the safety of the seat and what lies below it. I will have to address that with some after-market solutions. Center stand is another missing item. We are always tight on space and that includes basement parking space as well. That also needs to be addressed. The grab rail at the end of the seat isn't there! That is an accessory to buy. I hope I can swap that with the saree guard (that is a mandatory part of the bike, so am I told) that has no purpose in my case. My lady love won't get on to the bike in a saree any way and never will I allow that either.

Moving forward, I am anxiously looking forward to after-sales support from Classic Legends dealer. I hope and pray that part of life will be as good as the bike.

I must say, this bike is worth making noise. I wonder why CLPL isn't making enough noise about it. The product is good although a little expensive, but it does deserve public attention. Are you reading me CLPL?

Cheers,

Imtiyaz

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