CLASSIC B.S.A. RESTORED

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33987, 30 October 1975, Page 21

CLASSIC B.S.A. RESTORED

For riders with sporting inclinations, one of the most sought after machines in the 1950 s was the B.S.A. Gold Star. The well-known Christchurch enthusiast lan “Jungle” McGregor, recently restored one of these machines to clubman's trim and it is not hard to appreciate why it had such great appeal.

Even by today’s standards. its appearance is by no means old fash-

ioned. If such a machine was suddenly reintroduced. it would undoubtedly find a ready market. McGregor’s gleaming machine, perfectly resiored, is a 1956 350 c.c. model. Looking at this splendid machine, it is very hard to understand how it was possible for the British motor-cycle industry to decline to its present deplorable state. McGregor. a wellknown moto-cross and

road racer a few years ago, is a skilled engineer and it is impossible to tell the B.S.A. apart from new. He puts a value of about $3OOO on it. But it was not so long ago that it was practically worthless. HISTORY It was originally brought to New Zealand by Owen Frew', of Dunedin, and was later raced with considerable success by the former New Zealand grand prix champion, Tommy McCleary, inr, of Christchurch. McGregor bought tihe machine, by then little more than an engine and a frame, from another Christchurch enthusiast, Howard Anderson. Remarkably, it took him slightly more than three months of solid work to put the B.S.A. back into its original condition. “Nothing has been left," McGregor, who will be remembered, among other things, for the Suzuki 250 road racer he built and raced in the 19605. “If you’re going to do a job like this, you have to do it properly.” The greatest difficulty he encountered was obtaining the genuine plastic ornaments for the sides of the fuel tank. The specifications of the B.S.A. arc impressive. The 348 c.c. single-cylin-der four-stroke engine produces 32 brake horse-

power at 7500 r.p.m. and has a top speed of 120 m.p.h. in clubman’s trim. “It is geared down for the road at present,” McGregor said. “But it is an ideal touring bike. It would sit on 70 m.p.h. all day. At that speed, the engine would be turning over at less than 4000 r.p.m.” Transmission Is through a four-speed close ratio gerbox. Since restoring the bike, McGregor has done less than 300 miles on the road. Now he is working on restoring a 1951 Gold Star 350 c.c. roadster. At some stage in the future, he would like to restore a Gold Star 500. FORMER RACER McGregor has always been a competition enthusiast. About the only form of motor-cycle sport he has not tried yet is trials. He started scrambling on an old Ariel 250 back in 1955 and was a member of the South Island team between 1957 and 1963. It was not long before he tried his hand at road racing. He met with considerable success. In his first attempt at the New' Zealand junior grand prix at Cust, he finished sixth on a 350 B.S.A. He has also raced as a sidecar passenger.

In the speedway season about to begin, he will prepare the machines to be raced by the New Zealand test rider, Graeme Stapleton.

The picture above shows the fully restored B.S.A. Gold Star in its clubman’s trim.