Mahindra's New Goldstar 650

[Monkeypants]

Might not be as fast as the old one , Top End ?.
My 350 cc Goldie had an A10 Gearbox, So better first gear .
So what I am saying is if you lowered the overall gearing and changed first gear,
The old one could be as good ?,
Compare Like for like ?.

The thing is they are both pretty slow by today's standards, if going fast is the aim.
The new one seems to have decent power for the job without much of a struggle. One tester tried the top and saw 112 mph indicated. Not bad for a gently tuned single.

Glen

 

[Monkeypants]

I would prefer a Phil Pearson 600cc Gold Star with a STD gearbox, Touring Spec of course, Pearson Suzuki clutch (I think) and electric start, but if I just wanted a modern bike to ride around on, then the new BSA is ok, the important thing is, I would not delude myself that I was riding around on a BSA Gold Star.

I would prefer that too, mainly to look at, but the cost of the bike you describe is about 4 times that of this smooth 650.
Not everyone can afford that price tag.

At the moment these 650 Goldstars are selling like hotcakes in the UK. There are a lot of older British gentlemen puttering about on these bikes, smiling all the way. Most likely many of these gents could not afford a DBD Goldstar.



Glen

 

[Michael Vane-Hunt]

So Glen, is the Thruxton being didposed of to make way for your new Old Gentleman's BSA?

 

[Magnetoman]

these 650 Goldstars are selling like hotcakes in the UK.

I've followed developments since the first announcement, but I haven't see any sales figures as yet. Can you point me to the source for this information?

p.s. more on the subject of gearing. Gold Stars in basically Clubman's trim were imported to the U.S. throughout the '50s and until the last in 1963, called Clubman, Gold Star, or Road Racer various years, but sensibly always were configured by the importers with higher handlebars and STD gearboxes. Clip-ons and RRT2 gearboxes were inflicted on the Brits as part of the post-War austerity plan designed to make people feel bad.

 

[ericg]

I have an STD gearbox on my Comet/BSA 600cc special and I really don't like the huge gap between 2nd and 3rd. The 105 cam might not be suitable for an STD though.
Or maybe it's the other way round so I'm collecting the gears to build an RR gearbox which has a much lower 1st gear than the RRT2. The ideal would have been a Daytona gearbox but they are very, very rare.
By the way Magnetoman did you get my MP on this very same subject?

 

[Speedtwin]

We struggled to see the magic ton during an afternoon of thrashing but it was windy.
Very easy to ride felt nice threw the range,just as heavy as the Interceptor and I liked the look.

Add good set of tyres which will transform the handling no doubt.

I would rather travel 100 miles on the new one than an original, then there is the starting element.
As far as value for money goes there is indeed a market for the retros some older guys in our club are buying them, all the fun without the hassle of an old bike.

Al

 

[Magnetoman]

Eric, yes, I responded to your message on March 1, but I just checked and it shows my response has been "unread" by you as yet.

The STD isn't my favorite (but, far better than the RRT2...), but the overall problem is that with only 4 gears, it just isn't possible to have every gap optimum. Luckily, there are enough choices available (although some, like the DAY, hard to find) that the appropriate compromise can usually be found for every riding style.

 

[ericg]

Eric, yes, I responded to your message on March 1, but I just checked and it shows my response has been "unread" by you as yet.

The STD isn't my favorite (but, far better than the RRT2...), but the overall problem is that with only 4 gears, it just isn't possible to have every gap optimum. Luckily, there are enough choices available (although some, like the DAY, hard to find) that the appropriate compromise can usually be found for every riding style.

Thanks Charles, but I can't find your reply anywhere in my MPs. The question was about the last gear I need to build an RR box, that's the C one 67-3361. Any help?

 

[Magnetoman]

Enjoyed it but found it to be very very heavy.

A Gold Star with RRT2, clip-ons, and a GP carburetor is the worst possible configuration for use on the street so, of course, just about any modern bike will be better by comparison. Using a bike configured that way as a standard for comparison is silly and uninformed at best, and deceptive at worst.

Although I have an SCT gearbox on my Special Competition, I have rearset foot pegs so I have an RRT2-type kickstarter quadrant that leans the starter forward, out of the way of my leg. Because of that forward lean, that bike is quite uncomfortable to start. In contrast, my Catalina and BB Gold Stars have "normal" kick starters and are comfortable to start. If I didn't have rearsets on m Special Competition, it too would be the same.

That video showed someone struggling to get his Gold Star past TDC. Either that incident was staged, or the rider is incompetent. It's trivial on any of my Gold Stars to push the engine through until it hits compression, pull in the compression release, and ease it past TDC. It's faster to do it than it was to type the previous sentence, and a lot faster than the time spent by the guy struggling to do it in the video. But, of course, an electric starter eliminates even having to do that.

As for traveling 100 miles, with the clip-ons shown in that video, I completely agree. However, my Gold Stars have normal handlebars so are quite comfortable for even longer distances than that. The longest distance I've ridden a Gold Star in recent years was 300 miles in a day, and I was no more tired at the end of that day than I would have been on one of my modern bikes. Vibration is a total non-issue, and I don't have to struggle trying to balance a 470-lb. motorcycle when pulling into a fueling station. I say this also owning modern bikes, so I'm not viewing this through rose tinted glasses.

Again, an old Gold Star (or old Vincent, for that matter) isn't for everyone, but that video review of the new Mahindra simply lacks objectivity or credibility.

Note to Eric: you've probably forgotten you posted your question on Britbike, not here. As soon as I hit "post reply" on this I'll copy/paste it as a message here.

 

[Monkeypants]

I've followed developments since the first announcement, but I haven't see any sales figures as yet. Can you point me to the source for this information?

p.s. more on the subject of gearing. Gold Stars in basically Clubman's trim were imported to the U.S. throughout the '50s and until the last in 1963, called Clubman, Gold Star, or Road Racer various years, but sensibly always were configured by the importers with higher handlebars and STD gearboxes. Clip-ons and RRT2 gearboxes were inflicted on the Brits as part of the post-War austerity plan designed to make people feel bad.

I don't have figures however I've somehow ended up with two facebook Newsfeeds on the new bikes.
These are both from UK dealers. I assume they are posting photos of all the 650s they are selling as there are scads of "Happy new owner" photos.
I am seeing half a dozen or so new photo postings every day, just from these two dealers.
With sales like that we will soon know if these things are going to be reliable or not!
Most everyone likes the pull of the engine as is. With a bit of tweeking they could be even better.
The first step is to remove the restrictive exhaust baffle. The manufacturer planned ahead for this, remove a few fastenings and it slides out. With the baffle removed the engine sounds quite nice, without being harsh.

Glen