BSA Gold Star 500 SS (B50SS) - Initial Assessment of Condition
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- Опубліковано 27 гру 2024
- OK we've done the reveal on this bike recently so now let's get into assessing the condition in a little more detail and at the same time being preparing it for the forthcoming NEC Classic motor show. There's some positive points but also some a bit negative but we might have a plan already so there's a stop press clip at the end of the video after my initial wrap up so stay tuned!
Autumn 2023 show sites that we're attending:
www.classicbikefest.co.uk - done on 23rd Sept 2023 - see separate video.
www.necclassicmotorshow.com - November 10th-12th 2023
www.motorcyclelive.co.uk - NOT now exhibiting
Channel email: bsapowerset@gmail.com
T's and other parts: www.ebay.co.uk...
#BSA
#Goldstar
#B50
My mate, had one of these when I was twenty and I loved the sound of that beautiful engine thudding along the road
Yes I’m looking forward to getting this thumper going.
Great project Angus! I've been following your bike rebuilds with interest, in particular the Fury and A70. Look forward to see what direction you take with the B50. They are wonderful bikes, - got one myself😄 Best regards, Claus
Thank you Claus for the comment and interest in the channel over the years. I’ve received plenty of feed back from subscribers suggesting a direction and still considering these.
Interesting seeing the 1981 New York State inspection sticker. Being from New York I’ve got a lot of old bikes with the same old inspection sticker. I guess the fella didn’t ride it too much. I have a B 50 and find it to be very reliable and very fast, but it vibrates so much that it actually hurts my teeth after about 10 miles. I’m thinking maybe the seat is just too thin and I haven’t gotten around to changing that yet. Nice find!
Many thanks for the interest and comment. Yes that’s the second bike I have with an original sticker - the Lightning has one from 1980 too - but not New York. Looking forward to getting it running and let’s see if it gives the vibes too!
Cleaning chrome with a Brillo pad. Top quality work there.
Thanks for the comment and interest. Absolutely - only quality here! Brillo pad, wire wool, plastic wool, bacofoil - all great for cleaning up pitted chrome without scratching it.
Nice good looking bike BSA got it right with the styling of the B25/B50, a sensible alternative to the 2 stroke enduro bikes of the early 70s
Hi Jason and thanks for the comment and interest. I couldn't agree more.
@@BSAPowerSet The B50 had a good race record in both road and off road racing. I think these bikes would have been successful throughout the 70s and 80s if the production problems of 71 had a not have happened. Still good looking bikes today. I think the new BSA are going to build a scrambler based on the new Goldie, I would like to see a 250cc version as well
Yes I agree the B50 was a good rating machine as Mead and Tomlinson proved but the two strokes were coming so not sure how long that would have lasted if the factory had kept afloat. I've seen a new BSA scrambler in the flesh at the distributors when at the show last month finished in Brunswick Green - looked fantastic. There is a shot of it in the sequence of photos I posted in a video of the show.
@@BSAPowerSet I agree about the racing aspect I was thinking more about sales of these bikes, I wonder if BSA thought about a mild road racing version of the B50 for the road?
@@jasonhill4094 Oh I see Jason - apologies I misunderstood - yes I agree they could have had several production years with this bike I think, as evidenced by them effectively soldiering on until 1974, albeit latterly as the Triumph TR5MX.
A liberal application of elbow grease has worked wonders, it’s especially a shame that you let the front mudguard go when you have a new rear one !
Changing the subject I went to the National Motorcycle Museum Live event yesterday and you probably know what’s there but they do have an A70 in Bronze just like yours although with a black frame. Unfortunately it’s in a corner and back a bit so the full effect of the colour scheme is somewhat hidden. Not many visitors on older bikes, perhaps it’s the time of year, but I did see somebody arrive on a L reg Lightning which was nice to see.
More elbow grease to come Stew before the show. Yea don't mention that front mudguard! I do know that the NMM have an A70 - it's amazing how much different the bike looks when comparing the black and dove grey frames equivalents. Obviously I cheated a bit as well and put what would have been the '72 side panel badges on which, again, in my humble opinion, are much better and clearer.
Try taking some aluminium baking foil, rolled into a ball, and rub it on the chrome of the wheel rims. Any rust spots it doesn't remove get filled in with a layer of silver. When I was told this method I didn't believe it but I've done my Bantam rims this way and it really works! Makes a nice job of corroded spokes too.
Many thanks Andrew I’ll try this technique on the next video. Kitchen items always seem to make the best tools!
The only bike my brother ever bought was a B205SS, it had an engine problem, so my dad made us fix it and sell it on which was a shame
Hi John and thanks for the interest and comment. Many have engine problems but they are simple and easy to fix. My brother had a B25SS when we were in our youth and we enjoyed that bike and took it to the IOM TT races.
Just FIRE IT UP !
Another fine video. The condition of those wheel rims is pretty impressive after all these years. Avons or Dunlops?
Whoever was trying to respray parts of the tank was obviously having a bad day at the office. Why not just start from scratch? Is the original factory paint really THAT valuable? All colours can be matched and, with careful masking, pinstriping replicated.
Finally, how do you dissolve PetSeal? I used it in the tank of my T120. I wasn't able to 'swirl' it around fully before it went off. It did, temporarily, cure a small leak but not for long. The tank really needed some welding work done. That was 20 years ago.
Thanks for the kind comment and interest Dave. I will fire it up before any decision is made whether to restore. I haven’t looked at any wheel rim brand stamp but I presume Dunlop. They have done well. Agreed regarding tank - it’s a right botch really and I don’t know yet the best method to remove petseal so I think it’s a gonner!
@@BSAPowerSet Yeah. There's probably some solvent out there to deal with Petseal. I wish I hadn't bothered in the first place.
Keep us posted.
@@DaveFiggley From the brief research I've done Dave, you can use standard paint remover products like Nitromors or you can buy a specific petseal removal product from www.tankcareproducts.co.uk. At the moment, because I have a better spare tank, I'm thinking of scrapping the one on the bike as it's not its original, is dented, has a cracked petseal lined interior and has been badly welded to change the position of the petrol taps. So it might go.