BSA Goldstar 650 as a tourer

[createscript]

I completed a 2750 mile tour yesterday on my Goldstar, which is pretty much in standard setup apart from Hagon shocks, a rear carrier and a Dart fly-screen so I just thought I'd update other owners, current or potential, with my observations. Going to be a long post, but bear with me, I hope it's useful to folk.

My riding companion, my wife, was on her RE Hunter 350, with which the Goldstar proved surprisingly compatible, given the disparity in power, although the Goldstar was clearly under-stressed in comparison. Most of the journey was carried out on A roads or the French equivalent, with Motorways/Autoroutes reserved as an emergency option (e.g. getting past the Manchester/Liverpool conurbation). The lazy power delivery (but extra on tap if you need to easily get past something) are ideal for this type of riding. With the much lower power of the Enfield, some of her overtakes could be a bit heart-in-mouth to watch!  . In that respect the new Bantam would certainly have the edge, if much busier in general power delivery and maybe not such an easy tourer, but she loves the Hunter and is not ready to change (whole different discussion there).

• Tyres: The OEM Pirelli tyres barely lasted 3500 miles each and were switched for Bridgestone BT46s before the trip: they have plenty left on them still. They give a lovely ride and greater sense of security including in the wet (some, but not much of that TBH!)I did find a slight tendency for a handlebar wobble when slowing down when the tyre was new, but this seems to have diminished significantly since the front has worn in. Tyre pressures: 28psi front and 32psi rear when carrying the 40kg luggage above.
• Oil Consumption: hardly used any oil over that distance, probably about 200ml, although there have been few long hi-speed runs which may have upped it. However, it did get very hot in urban riding in mid-30s Celsius and I got some grubby oil-misting over the primary side which has not re-appeared since cleaning off about 500 miles ago.
• Fuel Consumption: they advertise ca. 60 mpg and at first, with a tight engine I wasn't getting anywhere near that, more like 50 mpg. Now it's loosened up that's about right (without any fuelling etc. mods).
• Exhaust: I have found that the silencer gets very hot and inevitably gets rubbed by my boot, ending up with an ugly mark just behind the rider footpeg.
• Chain: I lubed most days with dry lube, and only it needed adjusting once. I have heard stories of rapid wear on Goldstar chains but not in my experience. Sticking points for me were:
• No centre stand: to address this I bought a Bike-it trail stand (about £30 https://www.demon-tweeks.com/bike-it-swingarm-stick-lift-bikpdslift11/). I had to modify it by closing the broad cradle at the top into a narrow U in a vice to avoid the rear sprocket nuts: it does works to lift the front wheel too in the garage but I've yet to try that in the field. However, that short sidestand as standard would have probably made lifting the wheel off the ground much more perilous had I not fitted a sidestand extender (as per my other thread), which has stayed put throughout the trip.
• access to the adjuster locknut on the exhaust side - there's effectively none using a standard 13mm spanner when the nut is in certain positions, possibly because the Hagon shocks are a tad longer - I've got an angled spanner which does the job and have added it to the toolkit on my return.
• Seating: very comfortable but I have fitted an Oxford Air Seat (https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/775682), primarily because my hip suffers with the angle caused by comparatively high pegs. However, I was certainly not standing on the pegs nearly as much as the missus, so I guess it adds to bum-comfort too. Tip: just don't pump it up too hard!
• Rear carrier: I've fitted the classicbikeracks.co.uk stainless rear carrier, great bit of kit and looks the part. The bike happily lugged 40kg of luggage, spare inner tubes, tools, camping gear etc..
• Tools: sadly the on-board toolkit barely has any relevance to the bike it was supplied with: take a good set of metric Allen Keys, long nose pliers, and a 13mm open ended spanner (see above) and long 22mm spanner are essential for chain adjustment on a long trip.

Other niggles:

• Standard sidestand length - ridiculously short, I've added an extender (+12mm).
• KPH scale - almost invisible, especially in bright sunlight with sunglasses on (I had to rely on 30kph = 20mph, 50kph = 30mph etc.)
• LED display (Odo, fuel etc) - ditto, a brightener button/knob, or just much brighter as standard would really help.
• Gearbox - generally fine but I've had a few 'false second' gearchanges and it's jumped back to neutral just when I need to get away cleanly. Maybe my foot is not as deft as it used to be.
• Trip meter reset - I always reset the Trip A at every refill (as I suspect do many others) because the fuel gauge is not the most trustworthy, IMO. You have to hold the button down seemingly forever to reset - a bit of a pain when your companion is already disappearing down the road after filling up.

What changes I'd make:

• Gearbox sprocket - I have a +1 tooth sprocket but haven't found the need to fit it yet for this type of mainly A-roads trip. It'll stay as standard for now, but if there are more long Motorway segments in a future trip I would almost certainly fit one as it all gets a bit frantic much above 60, tho' not too vibey even then.
• Twist grip: I found the twist grip with thin summer gloves quite wearing - I have quite a callus at the base of my thumb as a result and will fit a foam grip to see if it relieves things.
• Fuelling: I'm still toying with the idea of adding a FuelX box to just richen up the mix and make it run cooler. I'm not after performance increase but it might help stop it 'sweating' oil (as mentioned above) in heavy summer traffic.
• The headlamp - seemed to be set too low from new and, in spite of adjusting several times, sometimes too high, I haven't seemed to be able to get the sweet spot yet - it's a work in progress.

In conclusion, niggles aside, the Goldstar makes an excellent back-road tourer, if a little on the heavy side especially on rough stuff, and for me, it's a keeper for that particular purpose. It's frugal although it gets a bit hot and bothered at times, but I'm not ready to de-cat it to save weight, which for me would be the only reason for doing so as it has all the power I need. I'd question whether it really merits the 'Goldstar' moniker, even though it hustles pretty well on the back roads and it's far too soft and user-friendly compared to its namesake, but that's marketing for you. It's an undeniably pretty bike and was generally getting far more attention than the Enfield when parked up, possibly because I never saw another Goldstar in France while we were there, and have seen several in the UK since the ferry, just in the past few days.

It'd be interesting to hear how many of my observations chime with other owners, and how many disagree, too.

Andy

[Rog1]

Very interesting and detailed. I think that the trail stand would also be useful for any bike that's so nose heavy on the centre stand that it rolls off it, when the front wheel is removed.

[Novocastrian]

Andy, I've done a few thousand miles, some overseas. I have a Triumph Trophy 1200 so somewhat spoilt when doing long distances (Morocco, Croatia, Slovenie) but I'm now 72 and JUST starting to be aware of the fact i can't keep riding that bike forever.  the Goldstar is a very good touring bike and very much lighter.

I don't need a centre stand
I extended the propstand properly (no crappy bolt on feet).
I changed the tyres for Michelin (the original Pirellis were awful).
I fitted a Tec exhaust which I had ceramic coated (so lost 7kg!).
I fitted a Fuel X lite (because I also wasn't happy with the very lean burn).
Added a Givi A31 screen.
Heated grips.
I use a Garmin XT2 so don't need the tiny on bike displays.
I have a Quadlock phone holder and I sometimes use Google Maps for navigation.
I use a Saddlecraft Air rider.
I fitted a special stainless rack that accepts my Givi E360 panniers.
I need Hagons because I occasionally bottom out the suspension.
I don't use LED aftermarket headlights because I don't like blinding oncoming road users.
I fitted a 1970s style rear light/ no.plate holder which really looks the biz.
Still on original chain and still not adjusted.
Mudflap on front wheel to help keep crud off the engine.

Overall, it's a great bike.  My son just bought a RE Interceptor with the black engine and if that was a BSA model, I'd have one in a flash (no pun intended). It is just very good as well.  It's great that these Indian made bikes offer a modern "classic" look...and of course gives the old farts something to twist on about.

Ken Hastie

[createscript]

Thanks Ken,

• Crappy bolt on foot - has been an experiment, not permanent. Took a few iterations but now I've got it right at 12mm will get it welded up now I'm back.
• Tec exhaust - was the the lost 7kg because of the de-cat? It's the weight saving that attracts me.
• Fuel X lite - I guess it works then, may well do that myself
• Garmin XT2 - TBH, a bit rich for me at £400
• Quadlock phone holder - I've got that too: I prefer Apple Maps for navigation myself after Google messed me up proper several times when I was doing delivery work. Problem is seeing the display on either app in bright sunlight when wearing sunnies (I did try Google as well just in case there was better visibility). I have been looking at other M/C navigation apps and will happily pay a subscription for the right one, just haven't decided.
• Don't use LED aftermarket headlights because I don't like blinding oncoming road users - agree totally!
• 1970s style rear light/ no.plate holder - yes, good idea, the standard low back end is a bit full-dress Harley-esque for my taste. Never liked it much but fortunately don't have to look at it when riding.
• Still on original chain and still not adjusted - encouraging
• Mudflap on front wheel to help keep crud off the engine - I've seen it listed and have been thinking of that, will take that as a recommendation.

Andy

[DAVE BRADY]

Hi,

It is great to see some reports on the latest BSAs being used and they are encouraging.  I am still coping with an old one having just done a 1600+ mile round trip to Switzerland but you never know what is around the corner.  Lets hope we get some good reports on the new Bantam especially longer rides/trips.
It also shows any younger riders that it is possible to tour etc. on these bikes.

Dave.

[Coddy]

A friend of mine recently went to France on his Bantam 350 with no issues.
He had a top box added to the rack but finding pannier bars that are purpose made for the bike is an issue for some.
Unfortunately BSA have been slow in getting accessories out for the new Bantam which I believe was similar to the Gold Star, 3rd party accessories have starting to come through which will only enhance the model.  

[Novocastrian]

Yes, 12mm for the side stand sounds right.  Mine was 10mm and I've found that to be perfect.

Yes, the 7kg gain was mostly the catalytic converter.  It's in the attic somewhere.

I bought the Garmin XT2 because of the overseas riding I do. It swaps between any of my bikes.  In countries such as Morocco I was able to download a free map on open source which worked fine...although the place names were in Arabic.

I hope you get it all sorted.  I feel my bike is now at the level I seek for my riding style, apart from the fact I still need Hagons.

Ken

Thanks Ken,

• Crappy bolt on foot - has been an experiment, not permanent. Took a few iterations but now I've got it right at 12mm will get it welded up now I'm back.
• Tec exhaust - was the the lost 7kg because of the de-cat? It's the weight saving that attracts me.
• Fuel X lite - I guess it works then, may well do that myself
• Garmin XT2 - TBH, a bit rich for me at £400
• Quadlock phone holder - I've got that too: I prefer Apple Maps for navigation myself after Google messed me up proper several times when I was doing delivery work. Problem is seeing the display on either app in bright sunlight when wearing sunnies (I did try Google as well just in case there was better visibility). I have been looking at other M/C navigation apps and will happily pay a subscription for the right one, just haven't decided.
• Don't use LED aftermarket headlights because I don't like blinding oncoming road users - agree totally!
• 1970s style rear light/ no.plate holder - yes, good idea, the standard low back end is a bit full-dress Harley-esque for my taste. Never liked it much but fortunately don't have to look at it when riding.
• Still on original chain and still not adjusted - encouraging
• Mudflap on front wheel to help keep crud off the engine - I've seen it listed and have been thinking of that, will take that as a recommendation.

Andy