It's interesting (at least to me) how so little on the look has changed, but underneath there are huge differences. I think that the engine is now Euro 5, which is right up to date. It's a 650 single, but will do over a hundred mph. It's got Brembo brakes (and not the cheaper Bibre option) with ABS, so I struggle to find anything to regret about going for it, yesterday. I feel quite confident that if I can't gel with the BSA, I will gel with nothing and so it will be time to stop. I've done everything with bikes that I ever wanted to and now will be happy just pottering about for fun.
The new Gold Star was deliberately designed to look as much like the original Gold Star as possible. Look at the timing cover, the side panel which looks like the oil tank on the original, the frame loop around it, the silencer, mudguard stays and of course the tank and it's badge. The bit with the BSA piled arms logo looks more like the push rod tunnel from the iron engined BSA B33 though. The old bike would have no hope of passing a Euro 0 test let alone Euro 5. It had an open carb with no air filter, and no choke. You enrichened it for starting flooding the carb until fuel trickled out. The exhaust was straight through with very little silencing. No ABS either but the brakes were so poor (by modern standards) that you'd struggle to lock them. The 500cc DBD34 made about 42bhp in Clubmans trim and was good for over 110mph, some claimed 120mph. They only weighed about 170kg though. So in most ways your new bike is much better than the old one. Although heavier it will benefit from brakes the work, with ABS, modern reliable electrics and an electric start, and hopefully won't drip oil all over your garage floor.
I've just sold off some Premium Bonds to help fund the purchase. I put down a deposit of £1000 on a credit card. I think that I need to find another grand - ish! The deal with the Premium Bonds is to leave then in for the next draw and then sell. Obviously, I will win big and won't have to find anything more! I LIVE IN HOPE!
I have just checked out the specification. Everything that I don't want! Small fuel tank, my 200Kg weight limit busted and an 18" front wheel! And did I give a shit when I looked at it and tried getting on and off it? All I want to do is potter down the lanes towards the place that we used to go to for coffee and a chat. I cannot remember where, but Google does! It doesn't have sat-nav and I don't really like having a phone out. Somewhere I have big clunky devices that fasten to the handlebars, but I don't want that either. I will need to investigate and think.
I really like the BSA and prefer it to any of the Royal Enfields. The only negative thing I’ve ever heard about that engine is that some early versions had a problem with second gear failure. That will have been sorted by now though and you have warranty anyway. Lovely bike and a good choice.
I really wouldn’t put too much into the bike weight. I can think of big 1200cc bikes more than 230kg but the weight is literally placed between your ankles and is a breeze to ride.
Yes and I ve learnt the hard way. The KTM Duke 390 that I have, weighs nothing but is mad tall. That makes it unrideable for Mr Shortass, but I am not so short. Five Foot eleven with 31ish inside leg, but I cannot swing my leg over a bike very well. Also, my eyesight suffers from a bright sun. I used to be OK with it by using dark visors or shades. My accident involved what we think was a detachment of the left eye optic nerve. Nothing can be done about this, but the body does fix itself. The only thing is I am still a bit sensitive to riding into the sun. I got away with it because I used to dark visor it to work, travelling East, but change to a clear one to go home, because although going West into the sun, at that time of year (March) the sun was set - or nearly - when I was bashed. Wearing an illegal visor could have seriously fecked up my case and compensation, especially when the nasty insurance company were looking for anything possible to weedle out of paying, although the driver had admitted fault and the police prosecuted her for driving without due care, to which she pleaded guilty, There was a feeling she was on her phone, but with no witnesses, the Police couldn't prove that. A long way of saying that I just want something to potter about on. Doesn't have to be fast, carry luggage for touring, or have long range, but just be easy to get on and off and wheel about to put in the garage. There are petrol stations North and South (ASDA and Tesco) that I can pay at pump so I don't have to walk to the shop to pay. Simple needs and if a BSA - which is a make that I've never owned - fulfills those needs and isn't very expensive, all is good
Very true. It depends how the weight is suspended and where it's carried. The new V2 Hyper weighs 180 kg dry (177kg for the SP). Light, but still heavier than the old 1098 SF and heavier than you'd think for such a compact, pared down bike that has a 12.5L fuel tank and no frame. Yet it feels more like 150 kg, despite having a tall seat height. Not comparing the Beeza to the Hyper in any way, obviously, but you have to try a bike, not just go by the specs on paper.
It's all about how high the centre of gravity is. A bike with a low C of G is easier to wheel about that one with a high C of G.
Its all very well for people to say that "heavier bikes feel like light ones". I tend to think they have short memories, and would learn alot from a day out on a light bike. I have a weight reduced 900ie and a KTM390. One weighs 170 ish, one weighs 142 and for me there really is no comparison. I'm not saying heavy bikes are bad, but there are major differences to riding light bikes, and its not just the speed!
Most bolts/ fixings, 2 into one lightweight exhaust, carbon fibre everything, custom made footpegs (originals are a huge frame!) custom made triple & "clip on's", wheels, custom seat, levers, headlamp... Everything I could think of really, aided by a willing machine shop & credit card. Which of course meant that reworking the gearbox internals and adding hi comp pistons cams etc was absolutely vital. Naturally I then I spent a fortune having the suspension totally reworked. Doing it all was a fun project!
It isn't the weight per se, it's how manageable it is. A 200 kg bike that's tall enough to have you on tiptoes and which has a high centre of gravity with a full tank of fuel can feel much more hard work than a 230 kg bike that you can easily flat foot and which carries it's weight low down. My point was, setting an arbitrary limit on curb weight without trying a bike first can lead you to miss a trick. I agree the difference in riding dynamics between a lightweight bike and a heavyweight are stark, and a light and nimble bike can offer a level of exhilaration out of all proportion to its power figures. I remember the first time I rode a KTM 690 Duke. I'd got off a big and very fast 1190 Adventure which was in for service and they gave me the 690 for the day as a loan bike. I had a whale of a time on it and didn't want to give it back. A bit like the V2 Hyper actually, albeit in slightly different flavour. The only drawback was that in any speed limit zone under 60 mph it would have been a license killer because the temptation to rag it absolutely everywhere was overwhelming.
Completely agree! The essential difference between a light bike and a heavy one is you don't have to manage anything -except not losing your licence. And age too is a factor . I have much less inclination for a workout on a big heavy bike now. A light, buzzing braaaap bike is effortless and easy. Perry can't wait to get rid of an identical bike that I will be keeping for some while. We're all different.
Yes, I missed a trick It is how high the bike is that is more important to me. I reckon that I could handle a Harley easily. They are very heavy but very low. My KTM is extremely light, but very tall. I am just not nimble enough to deal with a tall bike. Not a criticism of the Duke, but I just cannot handle it. And I just have to accept that. I got injured badly, but did get hundred of thousands in compensation. It is what it is and that is just life. The Police Accident Investigator Officer thought me dead after seeing the chaos that I left behind. Whilst it was a major, major, major pain in the ass to go through all the insurance and legal shit that I was put through,I BEAT THE CNUTS! I am still here, buying bikes, going to Spain and will probably spend more time in Spain and Italy next year. And I can do it all without a wheelchair!
Very poor facilities, even more overpriced than LHR nightmare to get to and from caters to private jets so everyone else is an irritant and gets treated as such It is in a wasteland as far as alternate facilities so you have no choice but to use their crappy dining options apart from that fill your boots
It is a very small airport, getting through security is never more than 5 mins, then very limited refreshments but all gates very close by. It’s a very functional airport and you can arrive closer to departure time than other airports. Good transport links , DLR station next door. Very interesting approach if coming from a western approach, often so close to the shard you think you could touch it. Not an airport to do plane spotting in, nor does it have all the shops and eateries and bars in other airports, but it is an easy stressless affair compared to other airports.
