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1955 BSA Gold Star

1955 BSA GOLD STAR BACKGROUND
By 1955, the Gold Star was well-sorted and had turned into a fine machine. All Goldies were special to begin with, each engine being hand-assembled and dyno-tested at the factory. A copy of the dyno test was included with each new Gold Star. They were powerful and reliable, and they were fast, very fast. Gold Stars dominated off-road events, were highly competitive in road racing, and were a bona fide hit on the street and in showrooms. It was a major hit for BSA, both in sales and in reputation. They were produced from 1938 through 1963, a 26-year run which concluded when BSA was converting all it’s engines over to unit-construction, and Lucas stopped making magnetos. It was replaced by the unit-construction 441 Victor.

1955 BSA Gold Star SPECIFICATIONS

Engine type

Displacement

Bore & Stroke

Compression Ratio

Lubrication

Fuel system

Ignition system

Charging system

Horsepower output

Primary drive

Clutch

Gearbox

Final drive

Wheelbase

Seat height

Front wheel

Rear wheel

Front suspension

Rear suspension

Front brake

Rear Brake

Fuel capacity

Weight

Top speed

Air-cooled OHV single

499cc / 30.5 cid

85mm X 88mm

8.0:1

Dry sump

1-Amal Monobloc carburetor

Lucas magdyno

Lucas magdyno, 6-volt

38hp @ 7000 rpm

Chain

Multi-plate, wet

4-speed constant mesh, right-foot shift

Chain

1400mm / 56.0″

770mm / 30.5″

WM3 X 19″

WM3 X 19″

Telescopic forks, hydraulic damping

Swing arm w/2 Girling shocks

8.0″ SLS drum

7.0″ SLS drum

18.0 L / 4.8 US gal

171 kg /384 lbs

177 km/h / 110 mph

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