JustbeforetheNorthEast Centre’s Travers TrophyTrial acoupleofmonths ago Iwashanded asliceoflocal motorcyclespor thistor yinthe form ofNewcastleandDistric tM otorClub’s membershipcardfrom1958.Justwhy this72-pagebooklet wasreferredtoas a‘card’ waslost onme at frstbutthere it was, clearlyprintedonthe frontcover.A tinypublication, four-and-a-half inches by threeinches,whichalmostmatchesC7,it ispackedfullofthesor tofinformation we localNorthEastenthusiasts would have needed to entereventsand beinvolvedin thescene.
Insideits coversarelisteddetailsofclubs, somestillaroundwhileothersare long gone,their contac tdetailsand whowas involvedinrunningthem. In par tthisiswhy JohnHutchinsonofNewcastleandDistrict MotorClubpassedthisbooklettome, albeit temporarily,withthe comment:“ TheA. Brittonin Consettclub,yourdad?” It was indeedandmanyothernamesinthe club were familiar to me too.
Equallyinteresting,tome at least,was how manyclubs were actual ‘motor ’ones ratherthanspecifcallymotorcycle.This generalmotoringinterestgoesbacktothe dawnofmotoring history whenthe Royal AutomobileClub representedmotorists,be theyont wo,threeor fourwheels. It wasn’t until1903whenthedistinctioncameand the Auto CycleClub wasformedas abranch oftheRAC.Eventuallythe Auto CycleClub becamethe Auto CycleUnionandthesole governingbodyofmotorcyclespor tinthe UKuntilthe AMCA wasformedin1932.
As someone withanhonoursdegreein fence-sitting I’mnotgoing to saywhich ofthese twoaugustbodies isthebest butwill saymyearlymotorcyclingwasall
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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Asimpler time
TheCentreHandbookwas amuch-anticipated publicat ioninpre-inter netdays.
❝…development seemed to leap forward untilbythe year of this little bookletr igid tr ials bikeswereasobsoleteasgirder forks…❞
ACU. Anyway,back to thismemor y-jogging booklet: I’dnot realisedclubsproduced their ownversionofwhatwastheCentre Handbook. Yourememberthe Centre Handbook ,aneagerly awaitedpublication detailingallmotorcyclingand,inthis 1958publication,quiteabitofcaractivit y. Flickingthroughand reminiscingsomeof thenameslistedwithinitspagesitbecame clearthis wasactuallythe Centre Handbook andtheslightlythickercardcover was addedaftersopresumablyalltheclubs listedinside couldhave their ownversion, shouldtheyhave wantedit.Whichmeant itnowmadesenseas to whyaclub would have such adetailedmembershipbooklet. This reminiscing went astagefurtheras I’dbeeninvited to do apageabouttheold days inthe Travers TrophyTrialprogramme, the gistofwhich wasabout ‘our ’bignational trialbeingpar tofhistor ywhen Bill Lomas wonitonalightweight Jamesandproved little two-strokes were actuallyserious trialsbikes ratherthanbeginnernovelties. Suddenlydevelopmentseemed to leap forwarduntil by the yearofthislittlebooklet rigidtrialsbikes were asobsoleteasgirder forksandthe worldhad realisedthat, far fromlosing gripasthe rearend went upand down,itmadelifealoteasier.
trial,though Imay bewrong.Any way, in thosedays Gordon waslistedas riding for WeardaleCluband wouldeitherjustbein the Arieltrials teamorjustabout to be.He wouldalsowinthe Travers Trophyin1958 andtake twofurtherwinsin1961and1962 as wellwhenhe wasTriumph Cubmounted ratherthan Ariel.S ometimeago Gordon recalledbeing at NewcastleandDistrict MotorClub’s annualdinnerintheSixtiesand itbeing arather formal afair.“ Therewere quiteafewfamousnamestherefromboth carandmotorcycle worldsastheclub could attrac tsuchstarsand reallytheirannual dinner wasa ‘mustdo’event.Itwasalllaid outwith aseatingplanandguestspeakers andso forth. Making my waytothetable,I sor tofrecognisedtheladalreadyseated next to wheremynametag was. It wasn’t until Isat downandever yoneintroduced themselves Irealised Iwasseatednex tto Formula 1worldchampionJimClark.”
Thereweremanymorememoriesjogged by thislittlebookletas alotofthenames from1958 were stillinvolvedwiththe scene by thetime my owntentativesteps were takeninmotorcyclingsome15 years later. But I’ll fnish hereandhopefullybe the frst to sayallthebest to ever yone for the coming festiveseasonandhere’stoa good2025.
Regulars
03 In Balance
Theappearanceof aclubhandbook from1958jogsmemories oftimes gone by andsetstheeditorto thinking aboutbikeystuff.
06 News andv iews
Okay, aquarterlypublication strugglestobenewstopical.These dayssucha roleishandled by the glance-and-goneinternetbut we still fllfourpageswithjuicynews.
In this centenaryyearforscrambles we had atrawlthroughthearchives andfoundthispic of Triumphstar JohnGilesinactionduring avery muddyscramble.Exactly wherethe event is remainsunclearasthe informationslipgluedto the rearoftheprintislonggone.The Triumph thoughisthepre-unitduplexframe versionused from 1960-62andit is the laterframewiththe strengthening tubegoingfromseatpillarto headstock.Noteasy totell butitlooks like a500ccengineinsteadof a650.
Want to tell us aboutafor thcoming event, or have anyother dirt bike news to share?
EmailCDBEditor@mor tons.co.uk or trackdownthe editor at adir tbikeshoworevent.
ClassicDirtBike Show2025: motocrossmaestro stars at HagonShocks-sponsored extravaganza
HagonShocksisinits11th yearofsponsoring the ClassicDirtBike Showand,likethe rest ofusenthusiasts,theHagonteamislooking forwardtobeingat Telfordin2025.
Thepast10 yearshave seenthebestof bikes,clubsandspecial gueststarsfromall partsoftheoff-roadsceneinthehallsatthe TelfordInternationalCentreand2025islikely tocontinuethetrend.Thedatestomarkon yourcalendarareFebruary8-9and theshows teamtellsus amassive 20%savingonthe ticketpriceis availableforearlybooking. GuestofhonourwillbeGrahamNoyce, whotookhisHonda overthelineatNamur in August1979tobecometheUK’s frst world 500ccMX championsince JeffSmith in1965. YoungMrNoycealsohasthedistinctionof being Honda’sfrst world500ccMX champion too. Showgoersandfanswillhave the chance tohear frst-handaccountsof Noyce’s thrillingcareerashetakestothestage
withinterviewerJohn McCrink.Johnwill be delvingintothehighs andlowsofthestar’s dedicationtomotocross,whichpromisesto be acaptivatinginsightintohisuniquestory.
Thisearlyintheshoworganisingschedule, thingsarestill alittleupinthe air butwhat willbecertainisthehallswill be packedfull of bikesand bits… bikes intheprivateentries orclubstandswill give inspirationforyou to fnish yourproject or start anew onewhile bitsinthetrade andautojumbleareaswill providethepartsneededtodriveyourproject forward andbeondisplayin2026!
Right,the‘where’is TelfordInternational Centreontheoutskirtsof Telfordin Shropshire, the‘when’is February 8-9, 2025andthe‘howmuch’is£21 on the gatebuttosave 20%ontickets,visitwww. classicbikeshows.comwhereadvance ticket pricesare£16.75. Under16sgofreewithan accompanying adult.
FeetupintheHighlands:entriesgohi-tech
Latestnewsin fromthe Pre65Scottish Trialisthat entriesarenow openand allenteringwillbedone onlinethis yearthroughthe Jotformsystem.Thelinkto getyourentrysubmitted viatheonlineapplication formishttps://form.jotform. com/242061887323356 This linkwill remainactive until
Wednesday,November27, 2024 –whichwill give you just over aweekfromCDB comingthroughyourdoor to getyourentryin.
Thetrialitselfwillbeon Friday andSaturday, May 2/3,2025,though weigh-in willbeonThursdayMay 1.A remindertoallentrants:this trialincludesroadworkso
youmusthave alicence and yourmotorcycle mustbe road legalandinsured.The Pre65 Scottish TrialCommitteesays ithasbeen workinghard overthepastfewmonthsto improveandupdatesome of theadministrative processes toaidthesmooth running of the event andhopesentrants embracethe changes.
Fresh-face dGrahamNoyce will be gues tofhonouratTelford.
NoyceinactionatFarleighin1982.
d G m N
Thenever-ending search forbit sis part of thef un of oldmotorcycles.
Theultimatedes tination fora restoration… theprivate entries display, then we getthemdir ty again.
Ariels arepopular in the Pre65. BradleyStein is handlinghiswell in the2024 event.
“TeamChellputin asterling performance,elevatingfrom4thto 3rdoverall,and Team Turner,who held6thbeforethemeeting,elevated to5thduetothe absenceof Team Chandler,who were at Weston beachraceinstead. The clubdida fantasticjobandgotallthreeraces
Charitysidecarseries sponsors
Noneofthis wouldhavebeenpossiblewithout mainsponsors,AJPStainless, Carters of Vowchurch,S&JChellGroundwork, Golden Valley ClassicMCCandThreeCountiesMX,alongwith individualdonations receivedthroughout the year.A bigthank youtothemall, andforall theriderswhotookpart, making this areally special season.
completedbeforethelunch break,enablingustohold apresentationduringlunch,andthanks mustgoto Brian Turnerforthedonationoftrophies.”
thevinduroscene.All youhavetodoisfash yourphonedoohickey at the QR code or follow thislinkhttps://bit.ly/cdbvid24andoncethelink goeslive onNovember21,2024therewillbea load of flmclipsforyou toseeas yourecover from theChristmaspud.Here’sto2025.
Left to right: Dave andJoe Millward,AndyCar terand Billy Carter-Millis, SimonChell andJoe Chell, Gary andReb ecca Marshalland Brianand Matt Turner.
Andy Carter andBilly Carter-Millisthrow upa bitofdir tasthe power comeson.
Richard andAnthea Chandler tack le themud.
Theclean revolutionhascomea long way
InNickHaskell’sFarleighvet’ssportspiecetherewasmention oftheStarkFuture electricbikes,indeedtherewereacouple being raced.Now, alotofpeoplewillthink:“What’sheonabout, theseelectrickerythings aremodernstuff…” Well maybesome arebuttheconceptisasold,ifnotolder,thanpetrolengines. We’vedonebitsonelectric vehiclesin CDB before;theannual motorcycleshowatEarlsCourtfeatured an electrictrials bike courseintheSixtiesandSeventies,forinstance.The bikewhich caughtour interest wastheStark Varg ridden by Doug Henry atthe Vetsmeeting.Itdoesshowjust exactlyhow advanced
themodernelectricmachines are. Asthere’sonlya tinyspace availabletousinthenewssectionwewillpoint youtowardsthe StarkFuturewebsitewhichiswww.starkfuture.comwherethere islotsmoreinformation. To illustratehowfardevelopmenthas come we showapicoftheSixtiestrialsdemobikeas wellasthe Stark Varg raced at Farleigh.Hadbatterytechnologyincreased atthepaceofthepetrochemicalindustryintheearlydaysof motorisedtransportthenthe worldmaywellhave embraced electricpowersomuchearlierthanithas.CDBhasnotridden aStark Varg buthastriedmany otherelectric bikesandthe impressionisfavourable.
We ti nWea rd al ef or 2024 BeamishRel ia bi lit yTri al
Intheoldendays,trials were much differentconteststhantheyhave become.Courses were longerfor instanceandin the very earlydays entrants were givenasetofmapcoordinates ratherthan fagstofollow… Thereare some eventswhichdofollow theold daysandwaysandonewhich is popularuphereintheNorthEastisthe BeamishReliability Trial.Initiallythis event wasconnectedtotheBeamish LivingMuseuminCoDurhambut is actuallyaseparateentitythesedays.
Andrew Nicholson’s Bultacoiswellableto cope with theBeamish se ctions.
The routetakesinsomeofthemore ruggedpartsofDurham,especiallyalong theDurhamdalesin Weardalewhere ituses sectionswhichwerepartofthe Travers TrophyTrialand aSouthShields trialintheThirtiesand Forties.Sections withnames such asHaggsMine,High
HouseLonnenandtheAnythingbut Velvet Pathprovide atestformotorcycles andsidecarswhichare little removed fromtheroadmachinesproduced by the Britishindustry. CDB caughtupwiththe trialatHaggsMineandthe lunchstopin Nenthead…it wasdamp.
Elec tric bikeshaveb eenaroundfor awhile:thisisone of the sp ecials forthe motorc ycle show demo in theSix ties.
Brad Anderson makesthe StarkVargfyatFarleigh.
Can-Am riderRichard Nixoniswell versed in themodel,herebuilt the editor ’s Can-Am engine.
HeathDando emerges from themis tinfullcontrol of hisB 40 Wasp outft.
JamesBlack fors akes his pre65D ot forabiggerbit of kit… aRoyal Enfeld.
Guidedtour…
…oftheSammyMiller Museumis availableinthe formof aglossy 28-page A4bookletwhichshows thelatestbikesinthe museum.Sammy’smuseum is afascinatingcollection ofmotorcyclingand well worthvisitingandnotonly forthemotorcycleson display. Howeveritisthe machineswhichattractour interesthereandas wellas thetrialsbikesone would expectfromsomeonesuch asMillerthereare scrambles bikes,ISDTteammachinesas wellas veteran,vintage and Americanmotorcycleslining upwiththephenomenal road racingcollection.
Theguideis availablefor£4pluspostage if ordered online at www.sammymiller.co.uk ormakes agreatsouvenirif you’ve visited the museum.
AirAmbulancesupport
Thoughnotstrictlyoff-road,theannual AndyTiernan calendarsupportstheEast AnglianAirAmbulanceandanybranchof this worthycharityisanimportant thing tosupport.Sohereisthefrontcoverof the 2025AndyTiernancalendar,designedfrom sixofMikeHarbar’sartworkswhich are to A4 size.Thereare twomonthsperpage withlotsofspacetowritethoseimportant
datesandasusual, all proceedswillbedonated infulltotheEastAnglian AirAmbulance.
Rest of the world:Cost for onecalendaris£20 whichincludes overseas postage.
Andyasksallthose paying by chequetomake itpayableto“EastAnglianAirAmbulance” OR by PayPaltothecalendaremailaddress: ‘AndyTiernanCalendarDonation@outlook. com’ Fordetails of thecalendargotowww. andybuysbikes.comThethemefor2025is RoyalEnfeld.
Legendar ystatus
In this year of scrambling’s centenar y, it is fit ting CDB features oneofBritain’s legendar ymachines… BSA’sGoldStar.
Wordsandpics: TimBrittonMediaLtd
Todefnewhat aGoldStaractuallyistakes abitofdoing…tosomeitis atrialsbike,to others aroad racer, stillothers recallinawe itslegendary70mph in frst gearfolklore. So isit aroadster,racer, dirtbikeorwhat? Theanswer is yes,itisallofthoseandmoreasithelpedBritish teamswingoldmedalsintheISDT,trouncedthe oppositionatDaytonaand wonAmerican fat-track races.ThesimpletruthisBSA’s Gold Staristhe ultimatesportingmotorcycleof itsera.The Goldie wasamachinewhichcouldturnitswheelstoany disciplineandwithsomedegree ofsuccessthough theactual resultsoftendependedonwho wasriding it.
Above: TheAllen Goldie is an excellent exampleofattention to detail andmaking things workproperly.
everyaccessory BSAproducedfortheGoldiebut theoreticallyitwas possible: expensive butpossible. ThoughBSAproducedtheGoldStarfrom1938, thestory ofscramblessuccessbegins much later withtheBB versionintroducedfor1953.Thismodel istheonewhichdebutedthe swinging-armframe emergingfromIrishlegendBillyNicholson’swork. Nicholson’srise inmotorcycling wasstratospheric. He’dneverridden amotorcycleuntilthe lateThirties; then by thelate Fortieshe waspart of BSA’s team andforgingaheadwithhis ownideasonhowa motorcycleshould be.Fastforwardingconsiderably, Nicholsonknewtheidea ascrambler shouldhave arigid rearend wasway offthemark.He’dbeen winningonhis ownBSAfttedwith McCandless rearsuspensionpriortotakingup apositionatthe factory.Hedesigned alightweightrigidframeforhis trialsbike andmadeitso aswingingarmrearsection couldbe ftted.ThisiswheretheGoldiescrambles
legendbeginsandit wasn’tlongbeforeanyonewho wantedtodoanywinninghadtohave aGoldStar. Thismodel’sframe wentontotheendoftheline… atleastoncethesteeringheadhad astrengthening gussetadded.Enginedevelopmentcontinueduntil theBBbecametheCD,thentheDBandfnally the DBDbigfntypearrivedin1956.TheGoldStar would remaininBSA’s rangeuntil1963but really itstime wasoverlongbeforethen.
Whentheideaofclassic racingemerged,itwas so ownersofbikesliketheGoldStarandMatchless G80scould getthemoutandusethemasthey should.Butoneoftheproblems wasgettinghold of ascrambler.AsfarasBSA’s sportingsingle was concernedits multi-use roleand easeofconversion betweenspecifcationspossibly worked againstit. Withenthusiasts wantingto experiencethe Clubman GoldStar alotofscramblershadtheirpropertyres andhandlebars replaced by roadrubberandclip-on handlebars.Still,thisisn’ttoogreat aproblemasthe B31/B33singleframeis anall-weldedoneanddiffers fromtheGoldie version by having afew morelugs weldedtoit.Theseareeasilyremovedandthepath to aGoldie scramblerisset.
Justsuchapath wasused by Lincolnshire enthusiastHaroldAllentobuildthisGoldStar,ably handledonthetrackbyhislad,formergrasstrack championMicky Allen,who waspersuadedtothe
Above: Machines in thepre60 classtend to refect what was ac tually racedinthe era..
Right: Whilethere are anumberofexcellent rear suspension unitsavailable,the preferencehereisfor Ohlins
classicsideafter retiringfrommodernMX.Says Harold:“I’ve builtthebikefromparts;some Ihad, othersI’ve acquired,anditis99.9%pre60 and 98% BSA.”WhatHaroldstartedwith wasastandard roadstersingleframewhichwascarefully cleaned uptosave alittle weightandmodded inlightof experiencewithGoldStars.“Ipay particularattention tothe chainlinesoitdoesn’tbecomestressedat anypointonthesuspensiontravel,” hetellsus,“and havingMoT’dany numberofB31/B33 roadstershere atthe garage the numberoftwisted swingingarms onthesemodelsis eye-opening.”True toform,the swingingarm wastwistedonthisframeand was straightenedbeforebraceswereadded to it for extra strength.Connectingtherearofthe swingingarmto theframeareOhlins rearunitssetuptosuitMicky’s ridingstyle.
Thereare certainpartswhichhavebecomealmost compulsorywhentackling abuildsuchasthisGoldie. Theycouldbeclassedasfashionablebut in thecase
Above: This exhaust mufjusttakes the edge of thenoise. Nothingfancy aboutit; it wasmadeinthe lads’ work shopbutitwork s..
Left: Gearbox permutations aremany, howeverthisone has astandard clusterin it andismarkedsoon thecase.
of BSA’s qd‘crinkle’ rear hubthey’repopularbecause theywork.Theidea behindthemis atwo-parthub connected by acog.Removalofthemainspindle leavesthe chain andbrake equipmentinplace andthewheelcomes out.This vastlyspeeds up theprocessinthe eventof apuncture, forexample. Thereare severalvariations on thethemeandthe frst onejoinedthe rangeinthelate Fortiesandit wasstillanoption by theSeventies. Triumph used them on its1973ISDTmachines,forexample,this oneontheAllenGoldieisfrom aB25andhasbeen lightenedconsiderably.Whensuchahub islacedto analloyrimitmeansthewheelis alot lighterthana standardGoldie.
Upatthefrontendis awheelbuiltaround a7in diameterGrimecafull-widthhub.Oflightalloy casting,thesehubswerestandardftmentona number of smallerItalianbikessuchasDucati
EA RN IN GT HE NA ME
BSAbeganaddingthe ‘star ’tag to itssportingmachines as farback asthelate 1920s.Foran extra£5 customers couldhave theirengines speciallytuned at thefactor yand to identifysuchenginesthedespatch departmentstencilled astaronthe timing case.Thisdevelopedinto namingtheirsportingmodelsBlue StarorEmpireStarasa coupleof examples.Inthepre-Second WorldWar eraBSA wasnot knownasa sporting companyandactivelydistanceditself from racing,having experienceda disasterinthe1921 TT.The company ’s chosensporting fortebecametrials wherereliabilitywas importantand in thisspor titwas incrediblysuccessful.
However, the companymellowed alittle towardsracing and in1937 prepared asportingEmpireStar forsemi-retired racerWal Handley to enterattheSurreyracecircuit of Brooklands.TheBritish Racing Motor CycleClub,whichhostedevents at thecircuit, would awardagoldstar badge to anycompetitorwholapped the circuit at 100mph or moreduring arace. WalHandley and theEmpire Star wonthethree-lapraceatan averageof102.27mphanddidthe fastestlapof107.57mph. This feat earnedhimhis goldstarbadgeand whenBSAintroduced areplica of his motorcyclewhatelse coulditbecalled but Gold Star.
Venhill’squick ac tion twistgriphas twoset tings… quick andquicker.
recesses were boreddeeper andnow thehubhas twobearingsoneithersidewhichtoallintentsand purposeshassolvedtheproblem. As withthe rear wheelthishubtoo wearsanalloyrimandbothbrake platescarrynew shoes.
Itis60 yearssincetheGoldiedisappearedfrom BSA’s rangeyetdevelopment by enthusiastsand engineerscontinued. EricCheney, forinstance, carried on withthebigsingle andhisrider JerryScott wasveryrapidindeed on theCheneyGoldStar.So itissafetomakeanassumptiontherehavebeena fewdevelopments intheenginedepartmentduring theintervening years.One of thebiggestproblems inusing aGoldiehard isthecrank;theoriginalones were rivetedtogether andtheserivets can failwith disastrous results. As partofourIconicEnginesseries inissue31 we lookedcloselyattheGoldStarengine and backthen we learntthereare moremodern cranks availablewhichtake advantage ofmodern metals andmanufacturingtechniques. Without giving racesecrets away,Haroldtoldusthe crank isa Phil Pearsononewhichuses aGMspeedwayengine con rodtocarry aWisecopiston.OriginallyBSA used an85mmbore with an 88mmstroketoproducea 499cccapacity butinthisengine bothdimensions have beenincreasedslightlyandtheengineisnow at604cc. Abovethe barrel things aremorestandard asthe cylinderheadandits valvesareBSA…though the valvesprings arePorsche. BSAprovided aseriesof camsforall variants of GoldStartoallowthe owner todialincamtimingtosuitwhateverapplicationthe machine wasbeingusedfor andinthespareslistare Touring,Clubman,Racing andScrambles…thelatter beingfttedtothisbike. “There’snot toomuchspecial abouttheengine butitisverywellputtogether,” he smiles.
Aswithcamssoitiswith gearboxratiosandBSA provided aclusterforevery application expectedfor theGoldieand,inordertokeeptrack ofwhat was
Thereare pitfalls to budding Gold Star ownershipas theiconicmachine is foreverconnectedwiththeB31/ B33bread-and-buttermainstay ofBSA’s single -c ylinder range.ConfusionbeginspartlybecauseBSAsupplieda competition versionof the B31/B33and fttedthemwith alloybarrelsand cylinderheadsdesignatingthemB32/ B34,inwhich form theylooksimilar to the Goldie.This competition version wasmuchlighterthanthe roadster butlackedthe fnal extratestingwhichthe Gold Star received.Adding to the confusion,thebasicframe for allthesingles,betheysportingornot,was to thesame designandofall-welded construction.
Aseeminglybewilderingamountoflettersand numbersareascribed to Gold Starsandtheyallmean diferentspecifcationsofengineandgearbox. Asmall box- outin afeaturecanonly give the briefestguide to whattheyallmeanso forgivethegeneralisationand we pointyou to AGolland’s book GoldieandBruce MainSmith’s book TheGold Star formoredetailed information.BSA reintroducedthe Gold Starinto its rangein1949anditwillhave thelegend ‘GS’ inthe engineidentifcationnumberbutnottheframeone. BeginningwiththeZBthe companyalteredthelettering assignifcantdesignchangesaroseand went to BB,then CB,DBandendedwithDBD.Bynaturethisisa very simplistic overviewanddoesn’t takeinto accountframe numberingwhich hadZBandBB at frst then stuck at CB. Gearboxestoohave their owncodesstamped onthem andRR,SC,STDandTRIsuggestedgearboxesfor racing, scrambles,roadand trialsuse.Whenthe company replacedthelayshaftbusheswithneedle rollerbearings ‘T ’wasintroducedinto thenumber.
Astheengineand gearboxare separateentities in aGoldStartheprimarycasehasboth inner andouter components.Haroldhasusedsomeoldanddamaged cases fortheprimarydrive onthisbike. “Idon’tmind usingfewergoodbitsandpiecesandamhappy to botheronand repairsuch thingssotheycanbesaved ratherthanjustbuynewones.”Thoughto standard BSAappearancethe primarycases containsomething abitmore hi-techthan asingle rowprimarychain andBSA multi-plateclutch…Insideisabelt-drive kit fromBobNewbyRacing.Moreclosely associatedwith road racing,Newby’skitscanalsobesuppliedfor scramblers.SaysHarold:“We use asmallpulleyon thecrankshaftandhave onlyeverhadone problem witha beltwhensome gritgotinbetween it andthe pulleyanddamagedit.”Heexplainsthiswaswhen theywereusing aprimaryshield ratherthanproper cases.
Lookingatthe restofthebikeitdoes resemble theactualperiodmachineswhichwereracing in theFifties,animagehelped by thetwo-gallon
Norton Roadholder fork swereused in many aspecial in theday.They arepopular with modern classic buildersand most go astepfur ther with moderninternals.
Domino’s classicrange ft in well with theBSA’s appearance.They’re popular with many riders.
alloytank.Inthe Fifties andSixtiesthesetanks were madeunderthe Lytaname and,inthesame wayall vacuumcleanersget calledhooversbutnotall of themareactuallymadebyHoover, sonotalltanks tothisstyle areactuallyLyta. Astheyare alloysuch tanksneedmountingcarefullyorthey’llbedented andleaking very quickly. Also alloyistheoiltank whichwas createdintheAllens’ workshopandmade to ft thespacewhereBSA’s standardtank wouldsit. Withmostofittuckedundertheseatthere’sonlythe front bitpeekingoutfromtheframetubeandthis bithas ascallopinittotaketheunusualairinlet tract.Thisisalso an ‘Allen’bitwhichconnectsonto the rear of themassive 34mmAmalConcentricthen comes roundin aloop andhas theflterinthespace betweentheengine andoiltank.
When new, theDBDGoldiescramblerour feature machine isbasedon wasfttedwithanAmal Monobloccarbwhich wasmostlyokaybutunder heavyusecouldemptythefoat bowlfasterthanthe fuelfowcouldfll it.Availableasanoptionwasthe GPcarburettorwhichdidn’tsufferfuel fllingissues but neededcareinassembly.A lotlessfussythan theoriginalsisAmal’sConcentric; theyare available newand have afullrang eofspareslisted. This one feeds superunleaded,with abit of Avgasmixedin, intotheenginewhereasparkplugfredbyaBTH electronicmagnetoprovidesthebankandpowers theeng ine.
Foldingfootrests area modern requirementfor scramblingthoughthe mounting is typically Gold Star.Arearbrake leverdoesn’t have to be complicated.
As wechatted aboutthisGoldie,Haroldpointed out afew salientpointssuchasthehome-made seatandaddedthecablesareallmadebyhim.“We couldhave gonemoremodernwiththingslike plastic mudguardsbutintheday it wouldhave beenaluminium mudguardsso we usedthesame type.But Iwillallowwe’ve gonemodernonthe
Above: Electronic sparks arethe best inventionfor old motorcycles, period. This is oneofthe BTH unitswhich areavailable forsingles andtwins.
handlebars,they’reRenthalsand we’vegot Italian Domino leverswith aVenhillthrottle.”I wondered aboutthetypeoffastenersusedonthe buildand foundMrAllen senior is not afanofstainlesssteel. “Iprefertogoalongtoaneng ineeringsupplierand getsomehigh-tensile fastenersfromthem. There areneveranyproblems with such fasteners
The resultingmachinelooksveryniceandgoesas wellas itlookstoowith resultstoproveit,as Micky is2024pre60 scrambles champion and wasalso2022 champ.
We knowyou’regoingto askwhathappenedin2023and we’ll letMickanswerashepopped outonatea-breakfromrunning the garage…“Ididn’tdothe2023series,”hesays.
Atie -wrapand some oilpipeisa simple,efectiveway to hold acable in place.
Primar ychain adjuster worksinaslot. It canbefddly butdoesn’t move once set.
On thebrake platethe torque stay doublesasachain guide. Note also the threaded wheeladjusterratherthansnail cams.
When thebuild star tedthe primar ycasedidn’tlooklikethis… inside is aBob Newbybeltdrive kit.
Making it work
Ever ycompetitorwants to do thebesttheycanandkeeping aGoldiesweet meansabit of work .Luckily,Jeff Smithtoldyou howin1959.
Words: TimBrittonMediaLtd Pics: MortonsArchive
Bytheendofthe FiftiesBSA’s GoldStar scrambler wasatthepeakofitsdevelopment anditseemedanyonewho wasanyone in scramblingneeded aGoldietowin.Oneof the reasonsfortheGoldie’ssuccess wasthatBSA waskeentobeseenwinningand in Jeff Smith they hadsomeonewhonotonlywas abrilliant riderbut,havingserved anapprenticeshipatBSA, hadsomeideaonhowtogo aboutkeepingthe bikeintip-toporder.Itdidn’thurtthatheand competitionsdepartmentmanagerBrianMartinhad agood working relationshipand wereabletomake improvementstothebikeasneeded. Ultimatelythis working relationship would resultinBSAand Jeff Smithwinning aworld championshipor twobut long aftertheGoldStar washistory.
Above: With amuddy eventsuchasthe 1960 MXdNationsat Cassel in France,a good cleaning af terwards is essentialbefore carr ying outany maintenance.
company’srivalNorton’sworksteam. As thedecade wore on Jefffoundhe wasdoingmorescrambles andMX workthanfeet-upstuff;inpartthis was becausetheGoldStarhad becometoobulkyfortrials ridingandtheC15 wasyetto come.Ofcourse he wasn’ttoforsakethefeet-upsceneashe recognised thebeneftstoscramblingsuccessthattrialsriding brought.
Foritsfeature, MotorCycling divided theinformation intotwomainparts–personalpreparationand machinepreparation –anditisn’tdiffcult toseewhy Jeff wastobeworld champion,thoughironicallyin 1959it washisteam-mateArthurLampkinwho was British champion.Nomatter,theSmith waywas to have riderandmachine at thepeak of ftness.
To takethe riderpreparationfrst, hestatedtrials ridingisinvaluableforhelpinglearnhow to control amachinein avarietyofsituationsandondifferent terrain.The Masteraddedthat, as trialsriders were expectedtokeeptheirfeet on the restsatalltimes, thensothishabitcontinuedontoscrambling –which meantthe riderhadaneaterstyleandneatridersare fastriders.Thoughinthosedays training wouldbe
