Mahindra's New Goldstar 650

[Monkeypants]

They appear to have nailed it.
Collectors probably won't like it, however if you ride a lot and like the idea of a new Goldstar styled bike with a bit more poke and a lot more ease of operation, this could be it. Very reasonably priced as well!
It has a reliable long life Rotax engine with next to no vibes due to the use of an engine balancing shaft.

David Mitchell covers it well.

Glen

 

[bmetcalf]

From the video, it looks pretty good. Are there UK restrictions on aftermarket exhausts for a modern bike that would copy the original better? It weighs 470 lbs, so about the same as a Vin with comparable HP. Just needs clipons and rearsets!

 

[Magnetoman]

like the idea of a new Goldstar styled bike with a bit more poke

My 1963 500cc Gold Star left the factory 60 years ago with a certificate showing it had been dyno tested to produce 41.7 h.p. As manufactured, the bike weighs 354.5 lbs. with oil and 1 gal. of fuel.

The 2022 652 cc Mahindra has a claimed 45 h.p. and weighs 437 lbs. dry. Add, say, 10 lbs. to that for equivalent oil and fuel and that's 447 lbs.

A fully-outfitted rider weighing 200 lbs. would result in my 60-year-old Gold Star having a power-to-weight ratio of 41.7hp/545.5lbs = 0.07644 hp/lb. The same rider on the Mahindra would have 45hp/647lbs. = 0.06955, i.e. 10% less.

Mahindra claims 70 mpg (U.S. gallon). On a recent 10-mile ride across town (20 round-trip) followed by a fairly sporty ride the 27 miles to the top of a nearby mountain, so ~75 miles total, my Gold Star got a measured 69 mpg.

Since 60+-year-old Gold Stars outperform Mahindra's modern version, if anyone is in the market for one, I can personally recommend (because I wrote it…) the just-published 6th edition of "The Gold Star Buyer's Companion."

The Gold Star Buyer's Companion: Falco, Charles M: 9798218168704: Amazon.com: Books

The Gold Star Buyer's Companion [Falco, Charles M] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Gold Star Buyer's Companion

amzn.to

 

[Monkeypants]

Sometimes the peak numbers don't mean much for real roads, it's the graph area under the line that matters.
In the video, Dave Mitchell rode up on his DBD34 that he has owned and ridden for years.
He hopped on the new 650 BSA Goldstar and immediately found it to be stronger and much easier to ride than his DBD34. That's likely because the new Goldstar has a larger engine that is tuned to make quite a lot more low and midrange power than the DBD34. It also has a first gear ratio that makes sense for road use.
He explains all of that better than I can.

The 650 Goldstar just doesn't have to work as hard as the DBD34 to shift the rider down the road. That was my take on his experience. You don't have to rev the nuts off of it and slip the clutch for ages just to get rolling to 30 or 40mph.

I would love to own an original Goldstar but this new offering does seem to have some advantages, aside from price and warranty.

 

[Vincent Brake]

ABSAF??

 

[Monkeypants]

I've looked at the ABSAF 600 engines.
The finished price for an original looking Goldstar fitted with one of those engines would be 3 or 4 times as much as this 650. At that it still doesn't have an e start and a host of other handy things like powerful modern brakes.
Also, plan on lots of vibration with a 600 single.
This 650 has a balancer shaft and runs smooth as glass right up & over 100 mph.

Glen

 

[Magnetoman]

Ah, I keep forgetting, you Brits (and Canadians...) think the RRT2 is desirable to have even though you all hate it, and for very good reason. Special Competitions came to the U.S. with the SCT and Catalinas with either SCT or ASCT. Those gearboxes are much better for use on the road than an RRT2, so its understandable that someone whose experience with Gold Stars is prejudiced by that unsuitable gearbox thinks a bike with normal gearing is better. Because, normal gearing is better.

The Mahindra is handicapped by trying to make a bike look like something it isn't. A modern bike that does what neither the Mahindra nor old Gold Star does, with electric starter, EFI, great brakes, and 110 h.p., in a package that weighs 20 lbs. less than the Mahindra, is a Ducati Monster. If you want a modern bike, buy a modern bike. If you want a classic, buy a classic. The Mahindra is neither, and suffers both in styling and performance as a result.

 

[Bill Thomas]

Sometimes the peak numbers don't mean much for real roads, it's the graph area under the line that matters.
In the video, Dave Mitchell rode up on his DBD34 that he has owned and ridden for years.
He hopped on the new 650 BSA Goldstar and immediately found it to be stronger and much easier to ride than his DBD34. That's likely because the new Goldstar has a larger engine that is tuned to make quite a lot more low and midrange power than the DBD34. It also has a first gear ratio that makes sense for road use.
He explains all of that better than I can.

The 650 Goldstar just doesn't have to work as hard as the DBD34 to shift the rider down the road. That was my take on his experience. You don't have to rev the nuts off of it and slip the clutch for ages just to get rolling to 30 or 40mph.

I would love to own an original Goldstar but this new offering does seem to have some advantages, aside from price and warranty.

Might not be as fast as the old one , Top End ?.
My 350 cc Goldie had an A10 Gearbox, So better first gear .
So what I am saying is if you lowered the overall gearing and changed first gear,
The old one could be as good ?,
Compare Like for like ?.

 

[Peter Holmes]

I would prefer a Phil Pearson 600cc Gold Star with a STD gearbox, Touring Spec of course, Pearson Suzuki clutch (I think) and electric start, but if I just wanted a modern bike to ride around on, then the new BSA is ok, the important thing is, I would not delude myself that I was riding around on a BSA Gold Star.

 

[Speedtwin]

Had the pleasure of riding the new Goldstar last month.
Enjoyed it but found it to be very very heavy.
Plodded along nicely had terrible tyres which did it no favours.
Ran out of fuel recovery van came to the rescue, still getting hard time about that.
Mine had the sports exhaust sounded grand.
Al