1939 BSA Gold Star

THE 1939 BSA GOLD STAR IS FAST!
The BSA Gold Star was introduced in 1938 in both 350cc and 500cc form. They were hand-built as high-performance machines. The BSA factory offered several performance modifications as options. Every bike was run on a dyno, and came from the factory with a printout of its dynamometer results showing the actual horsepower that the engine produced. The BSA Gold Star was one of the fastest production motorcycles on the planet in 1939. 1939 was also the last year of civilian production prior to World War II. These early pre-war bikes had rigid frames and girder front forks. Production resumed at war’s end, and the mighty Gold Star continued to distinguish itself as one of the best off-road machines on the planet. Postwar bikes got telescopic forks in place of the ancient girder, and a rear swing arm followed in 1953. The “Goldie” was a runaway hit for BSA right up until they killed the bike in 1963 when they replaced it with the unit-construction 441 Victor. Alas, the magic was gone.

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1939 BSA Gold Star SPECIFICATIONS