Classic Legends Private Limited (CLPL), which acquired the BSA brand in 2016, is developing a new electric motorcycle under the BSA brand name. This news was confirmed by Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director, Auto & Farm Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra. The Mahindra Group owns Classic Legends, which acquired the BSA Company, or Birmingham Small Arms Company in 2016. Classic Legends has already set up a technical centre in Coventry, United Kingdom, which is the R&D centre for BSA motorcycles.
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The new BSA Gold Star, on the right, is definitely inspired by the original 1950s Gold Star design, parked on the left.
BSA has already unveiled a modern classic motorcycle with a 650 cc, single-cylinder engine. The new BSA Gold Star will be manufactured initially in India and then exported to the UK, to be sold there and other European markets. During the launch of the BSA Gold Star last year, the company had announced that BSA operations will be based in the West Midlands area where a new assembly line or factory will be set up. The company has yet to announce any further development on what the current status of the assembly facility in the UK is, but what is clear is that BSA will continue to spearhead the global business of Classic Legends, while Jawa and Yezdi will be primarily focussed on the domestic market, but with some overseas aspirations as well.
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"BSA is a hugely popular brand around the world, and that would be a key focus for building the global business for Classic Legends, and there will be an electric version of BSA as well," Jejurikar said while interacting with mediapersons at a press conference.
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The new BSA Gold Star takes design inspiration from the original Gold Star, and is available in Insignia Red, Dawn Silver, Midnight Black, Highland Green and Silver Sheen (Legacy Edition).
Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd or BSA was founded in 1861, for the production of firearms. The brand's motorcycle division was set up in 1903, and the first motorcycle was introduced in 1910. The brand went on to become the largest supplier of motorcycles to the Allied Forces during the Second World War. By the 1950s, BSA was the world's largest motorcycle maker, with one in every four motorcycles sold worldwide sporting the BSA badge. BSA ceased operations in the 1970s after going into bankruptcy. It was acquired by Classic Legends in 2016.
The new BSA Gold Star is powered by a 652 cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled DOHC, four-valve engine which makes 45 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 55 Nm at 4,000 rpm
Classic Legends intends to eventually produce at least some of the BSA motorcycles in the soon to be established assembly facility, where electric motorcycles under the BSA brand will also be manufactured. Last year, the British government awarded a GBP 4.6 million grant to BSA, as part of a low carbon automotive initiative across the UK. With this grant, the company intends to focus on zero-emission motorcycles under the BSA brand.
