Motorcycle Brands Owned By BSA In The Past

The new BSA Gold Star 650 will make its India debut on August 15, 2024, also introducing the iconic British motorcycle brand in India. Revived and resurrected by Classic Legends, a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group, the BSA brand will make its debut as a 50:50 joint venture with Tube Investments of India Limited, a part of Murugappa Group. While the new BSA Gold Star 650 made its global debut in 2021, and is already on sale in Europe, it’s now that the Goldie will be introduced in India. But the BSA brand has a rich heritage and history, at one time in the 1960s being the world’s largest motorcycle company. Here’s a look at the motorcycle brands owned by BSA in the past.

Also Read: A Brief History Of The Iconic British Brand BSA

The 1960s BSA Gold Star with the new BSA Gold Star 650.

Also Read: Classic Legends Signs 50:50 JV For BSA Brand

BSA or Birmingham Small Arms Company, was founded in 1861 as a producer of firearms.The brand’s motorcycle division was set up in 1902 with the first BSA motorcycle produced in 1910 - a 3.5 horsepower belt-drive machine. After World War I, BSA started focussing on motorcycle production, and became a household name in Britain. By the 1920s, BSA started making many more motorcycle models. Early BSA models were affordable, and were also well-known for their quality construction, reliability and innovative design.

Also Read: Top BSA Motorcycle Models Produced In The Past

The 1960s BSA Gold Star was one of the most popular models under the BSA brand.

The BSA Gold Star was first introduced in 1938, starting off as a 350 cc model and soon growing to a bigger 500 cc model. The air-cooled motor was capable of producing over 30 bhp and the popular Gold Star range was joined by a long line of 500 cc and 650 cc models. By the 1950s BSA purchased Triumph Engineering Co. Ltd. and in 1953, BSA  Motorcycles Ltd. was created by separating from BSA Cycles Ltd. By 1953, Triumph was struggling financially and was bought by Associated Motor Cycles, which also owned AJS and Matchless brands then. In fact, AMC also was the parent company of a group of other British motorcycle brands which included AJS, Norton, James, Francis-Barnett and others.

Also Read: Why Did Classic Legends Acquire The BSA Brand?

The new BSA Gold Star 650 revives the iconic motorcycle brand.

By the 1960s, BSA accounted for 80 per cent of the British motorcycle industry’s exports, which included exporting BSA and Triumph motorcycles. By the late 1960s, competition from Japanese brands put the BSA brand under pressure, eventually leading to its bankruptcy in 1972. In 1973, sixty-three years of non-stop production of BSA motorcycles ended abruptly, ending what was once the shining beacon for the British motorcycle industry. A British government initiative to rescue the motorcycling industry led to the formation of the Norton Villiers Triumph in 1973. NVT inherited four motorcycle factories, Small Heath (which was essentially the BSA factory), Andover and Wolverhampton (Norton) and Meridien (Triumph). NVT also failed to find success and was eventually liquidated in 1978.

The BSA motorcycle brand is now owned by Classis Legends, a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group.

Also Read: BSA Gold Star 650 To Make India Debut On August 15

In October 2016, Classic Legends Privatel Ltd (CLPL), a subsidiary of India’s Mahindra Group, acquired the BSA brand. And in 2021, the resurrected modern classic BSA Gold Star 650 was launched. With the revival of an iconic motorcycle brand, BSA is set to create motorcycling history once again in the 21st century, this time under Indian ownership. Today, three of the most popular British motorcycle brands from the 1960s are all under Indian ownership - BSA, Norton and Royal Enfield. Even Triumph’s entry-level single-cylinder models are now manufactured in India.