that image popped up about a week after the original announcement So is more likely to be photo shop musing rather than an actual design conciept.
It is a pretty looking bike but it would have to do a lot more than look pretty to reach market success.
And remember the BSA name was stuck on those small off roaders
Brignad & beaver from memory and they were an absolute failure in the market place and that was in the early 90's when prople wer e still riding BSA's as daily transport
Then there was the mopeds whatever their name was, again a total flop
And of course the Gold SR
So that is 3 failures to achieve any market penetration by resorting to using the BSA name
And some where in the back of my mind was an off road monkey bike branded BSA

The rotax powered MAtchless seemed to have a very short market life.
And speaking of Rotax wasn't there a rotax powered Gold Star not all that long ago ?

Norton may be the proof that you can have multiple failures and still come back to find a place in the market...The key thing is to have a properly funded, well designed product...The Norton rotary had some great features and were quite remarkable bikes to ride compared to anything else, with absolutely no vibration and good performance..I've ridden all the variants more than once...However, it suffered from a chronic lack of development before launch into the market...I consider that the 'American Commando' and the V4 produced by Stuart Garner had exactly the same problems...As for the BSA 'tiddlers' mentioned, cheap and cheerful would be a generous description, they were bound to fail...

I bought a new Harris Matchless (ironically the last one he sold to the public)...It too had some great features and that included the bullet proof and very tuneable Rotax 504 engine...Sadly though, I believe Harris aimed for the non existent market of the 'modern classic'...People who were fans of Matchless wouldn't buy it as it wasn't a 'real' Matchless and modern riders found the concept, styling and performance too conservative...In the UK I know Triumph enthusiasts who wouldn't touch the Hinkley product and even thought the Harris T140 wasn't the real thing...

It's better to forget these people and build something modern that just looks 'retro'...Younger riders don't carry the baggage of history around with them...If they see something that gets great reviews and they like the look of it they'll buy it...

The proof of that is the new Royal Enfield twin...With that bike they appear to have struck that happy balance...It's the top selling bike in its class in the UK and I think half the people that own them (at least) have nothing more than a sketchy knowledge of, or enthusiasm for, the original Redditch Enfields...

Mahindra have the money to do the job with a new 'BSA' and currently there's plenty of enthusiasm for retro bikes...They just need to come up with the right product and that's the hard part...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

How big is the market for this type of bike overall? I'm aware of the new Matchless, but outside the UK Royal Enfield have pretty much had the Brand New Old Pommy Bike market to themselves. Would the market sustain multiple entries?

I think it's more about the size of the 'retro style' market overall, which is flourishing currently...Most manufacturers have models in this class and many riders are favouring them over the full 'bells and whistles' models which are becoming too costly and too complicated for many...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Well I doubt you would find any one here who would not agree that the modern motorcycle has just become too big too fast too cumbersome & too complicated.
Then again my day used to say that a foot gear change ruined motorcycling .
However the young riders I haave had contact just want what goes the fastest that they are allowed to ride.
I have guided a couple of the L & P rides through the local area that I have bumped into on one of the old bikes and none of them are interested in a bike that can not do the road legal 110kph with ease .
They even have difficulty understanding how I can stay out of trouble without having enough Hp to get me out of trouble.
The idea tha Hp is what gets you into trouble in the first place is totally foreign to them ( shows little has changed there since I was 14 ).
None of them could do any job more complicated than tightening the rear chains and few seem interested in learning any more mechanical skills so I could not see any of them going for a BSA and none of them would have any idea what a BSA was.
None of them recognised the M20 , B40 or B2 and if you mention BSA once made 1/4 of all motorcycles 125cc & over they go strait to their phones and ask why are they only making car wheels now .
Things might be different in the UK.
Perhaps things over there have gotten so bad there is a yearing for the "good old days ) post WWII in what ever form the 20's think they took.

I once had a fellow motorcyclist approach me & say "BSA, that's an old German bike isn't it?" I thought that being an ex military machine the bike may've been insulted, but she started & off we chuffed.
Mind you, the bike is on record as getting quite persnickety on a couple of December 7s.

As I noted, younger riders don't share the baggage regarding manufacturers that we all carry round...I have little detailed knowledge of the bike scene in Australia but in the UK we have 'hipsters'...That group is largely populated by younger riders who definitely don't seem to have a 'power' obsession at all and customise and ride everything from small Hondas through to Harleys but with few Japanese sports bikes in the mix...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

The new Gold Star! Ron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f52zuJSesiM

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Wow!...They have really picked up on the BSA look in many ways...It's not possible to determine fit, finish and overall specification as it stands and there's still the question of price and whether that's exactly what gets into production...

However, as they've gone with a large single and I favour big singles (I'm currently building a 640cc B33 to go with the 600cc Goldie and the 720cc M20), I'd certainly take a close look at that as a modern runabout to compliment my other Beezas...Based on first impressions I'm looking forward to how it all works out...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Does look very appealing to my eye
And yes they have picked up on a lot of the old design features
Interesting they say it is a low reving engine so it will be really interesting to see the all important torque curve .
As is not Aust compliant with those blinkers being too close together and probably too low at the back
But very easy on the eye in chrome or black, not fussed with the other colours.
Definately not what I was expecting so they are marketing directly to our generation, dangerous thing to do .
Doubt we will see any down here for several years
And I really would like to hear the exhaust note
We have limits at around 85 Dba now days for new motorcycles.
But the killer is the drive by test which orf course catches all of the engine noise as well which makes it really hard for air cooled engines.

what's the chance of getting one registered in Germany, post Brexit? :white_frowning_face:
Took a month and a customs declaration for a pack of earl grey to reach me from Blighty recently!

I expect some of the engine design will be Jawa based as they also bought some rights to them. Interestingly it seems they didn't buy all the rights to BSA, it's only a 100 year lease.

email (option): pes.sales@btconnect.com

Launch at the NEC. Ron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg3jBQuwes8

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I think it basically looks good...It's a shame they didn't come up with a nicer looking/less obtrusive radiator...The Triumph has it between the frame down tubes and it looks a lot neater and more discreet...A little on the heavy side as well at 469lbs.'wet'..(213 kilos)....It seems motorcycle manufacturers have universally forgotten the benefits of light weight...My 1970 T120R Bonneville was just under 400lbs...

Nevertheless, I still like it at first look...What price?.. That is the important question that remains unanswered...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

So far I've heard a vague rumor of between £5000-£6000. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

On further investigation, the prices guessed at will be more than a 650 RE twin and more like that of a Kawasaki W800 and the Triumph Street Twin. So I'd say more like £8000. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

With the latest version of the now well established RE Interceptor at £6850 (base models about £6400) and the 900cc Triumph Street Twin at £8600, I think they'll struggle if it's £8000....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Agreed about that bloody radiator. I'd like to see this bike compete in the same area as RE & prices would need to be similar. I hope it doesn't end up an overly expensive boutique machine. The idea of a 650cc ohc single certainly has its attractions.
Is there any talk of eventually expanding the range with other bikes? This might give an indication of where the company wants to head.

great looking bike. i hope it does come to Australia..no matter what the price is, probably wont be as much as ive spent on my m20..lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfMS-S4_G6c&ab_channel=TheMissendenFlyer

email (option): wandins@bigpond.net.au

' probably wont be as much as I've spent on my m20..'

:laughing: :laughing: ...Quite, all of my BSAs have cost as much or more than the new one is likely to be...Building the Goldie was measurably the wrong side of £10,000 and the B33 'special' I'm building now will cost nearly as much due to the substantially upgraded specification...On the other hand, they'll probably return more of their cost than any new bike when the time to sell comes around, which helps to convince me I know what I'm doing:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I was once told that the definition of an enthusiast is a person who spends more on their bike than it's actually worth. So I must be an enthusiast.

There was a point where I started to look at my bikes and what I would or wouldn't build based on current or future values...I guess I read too many classic bike magazines...

Then I remembered that I didn't used to think like that.. The reason I had old bikes was because I liked building and riding them, not because of what they're worth now or later...

Once I got my head straight again I carried on building whatever took my fancy, however illogical and irrespective of the balance sheet...I'm now poorer but feel I have a more healthy attitude again and I can blow all my money on things like this:laughing: .....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com