[Mogs]

Had walked into a Jawa outlet next to my workplace along with a couple of friends, out of curiosity and possibly for a test ride. I earlier had a classic 500 with red rooster/powertronics and loved the low end torque. One of my friend was getting back to riding bikes after many years and was a potential buyer.

There was a midnight black on display which looked great. It seemed more compact than my interceptor. The midnight black with contrasting chrome looked better to me than the monotonous shadow black.

We were discussing about Jawa bobber and BSA amongst ourselves for over 10 minutes and returned back after none of the 3-4 people in the showroom even bothered to check on us. We are over 50 and possibly the young chaps didnt think we were serious buyers, but aren't we the right target audience for a retro bike?

Probably they would have responded better if we had arrived in my Z800/Interceptor and my friends Triumph Thunderbird LT.

Mahindra has a long way to correct their customer experience for bikes. Their sign board outside showroom does not even display BSA afer launching a new premium product. How would anyone trust a new brand and plonk over 4 lakhs, with such interest during the sales phase itself?

Sadly, this is my second bad experience with Classic Legends and will not look at them again. I had booked their Bobber at launch but cancelled it after no updates for several months and switched to a 310GS. Atleast the BMW guys spoke to me till I bought their bike!

I have nothing against Mahindra. They have great cars and I own XUV700 and Thar. The car showroom experience is way better, in spite of very successful products.

[TheTourer23]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

After having checked out the Gold Star 650 in a nearby showroom, I think its time to taper my realistic expectations. Here are some thoughts

Thanks for the elaborate post!

I too checked out last weekend and have the same opinion. Looks good from a distance and as you come closer the fit and finish flaws pop out. ex: finish on the chassis, not expected from a bike that costs upwards of 3lakhs ex. showroom!

[navpreet318]

Checked out the 650 yesterday. It is a decent bike.
The build quality is also pretty decent. The engine doesn't vibrate as much as expected being a large single.
The riding stance is comfortable for me.
Have asked the dealership to give me a call once colours are available for display. Will pick it up then.
Overall a great bike to have in one's garage. You don't come across such large singles anymore. That too in such a beautiful and proportionate package.

Just need to find one of those tubeless tape things to make the wheels tubeless compatible.

[FocusAssist]

Checked the bike a few days back. Some thoughts -
I went with an expectation of it will a Classic 650. I really like the 350, but want something more special. Long story short. It isn't a Classic 650.

Seating position: I am 6'2" (80kg) and it was a comfortable place to be in. You sit 'in' the bike vs 'on the bike'. Its not cruiser(y) and hence I liked it. Handlebar position is good. The dials are kept at a weird position and the font is small. I couldn't read a thing, not that I needed to.

Ride: Rode both as a pillion and a rider. As a rider, you will feel the weight at standstill but once its starts moving, the weight is hidden very nicely. It turns in and changes direction quite spiritedly. It was so much fun. It could do both slow speed as well as spirited riding.

As a pillion, the ride is floaty, I liked it. There is nowhere to hold, hence the ride is guaranteed to be romantic, whether you want it or not.

Comparison to Interceptor 650: Its much nicer to ride, but lacks fit and finish. Whoever has ridden an Interceptor knows that you feel that - the Engine is always there - especially while turning, is evident. Here, that feeling was gone and the bike feels in sync with you overall. Huge plus in my opinion. More fun than interceptor indeed.

Overall: I felt the Jawa(ness) more than a RE. Which means there is a raw mechanical feel to it than the smoothness of newer REs. One might say, it retains the old school feel a bit more perhaps.

What could be improved:
- Overall quality can go up quite a bit especially for a ₹4L (On Road BLR).
- The 1st gear slotting in was not easy at all. But manageable.
- Tubless tires? Maybe

Buy or Pass?
Wait for bug fixing and service reports by actual customers.
Can't wait to own a British bike (and budget doesn't allow Bonnies), please book now!

[@shimda]

I’m surprised by the marketing or lack thereof by Mahindra. Reading all these first impressions is nice but at the same time frustrating that they chose to only have one showroom in West Bengal and that too 100 kms from Kolkata and they haven’t received the bike yet. Having booked a Shadow black I am yet to receive a phone call from anyone regarding my booking, the only communication I have received is via whatsapp.
Very worrying indeed.

[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by TheTourer23

Looks good from a distance and as you come closer the fit and finish flaws pop out. ex: finish on the chassis

What they are saying is that the entire chassis is made from forged parts and not bent tube. Forged part cannot get the same smoothness as metal tube and so the look - however forged parts are much more superior to tubes.

[TheTourer23]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

What they are saying is that the entire chassis is made from forged parts and not bent tube. Forged part cannot get the same smoothness as metal tube and so the look - however forged parts are much more superior to tubes.

Agreed. But it would also boil down to costs. I am no expert, however I feel they would have decided not to add another processing step (machining/grinding/sand blasting?).

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by TheTourer23

Agreed. But it would also boil down to costs. I am no expert, however I feel they would have decided not to add another processing step (machining/grinding/sand blasting?).

You can see this very rough surface finish treatment on some modern retros like the BMW R18. How much of it is lazyness and how much of its intended, is open to discussion.

[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by TheTourer23

Agreed. But it would also boil down to costs. I am no expert, however I feel they would have decided not to add another processing step (machining/grinding/sand blasting?).

Off course everything is, at the end of the day, made to a price. They could have improved the finishing and so the price but would that translate into additional sales? IMO even at the current price, it looks like a tough sell.

[kkSolo]

I took a test drive of the same with a pillion at the Jayanagar Jawa showroom.

What impressed me is -

- It looks very classy
- Its torquey and you can potter around town nicely.
- The colors are lovely

What concerns me -

- The coolant tank is below the frame right before the rear tire. I feels thats right in place for a solid impact in case of a large speedbreaker or a pothole. I couldn't try the scenario out unfortunately. There is a plastic guard but didnt seem solid enough.
- No center stand, and also no provisions to mount one either.
- Reliability is still to be seen

[TheTourer23]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

Off course everything is, at the end of the day, made to a price. ….

Checked out the blacked out version today. There were a couple of them for delivery. Looks absolutely classy and the surface finish on the chassis at the area I was talking about earlier is great! It’s different to the red one I checked out earlier and in general overall finish seems really good. To me, this is the one to go for!

[vzvish91]

Looks a promising bike & I hope this bike does well, but Classic Legends aka Mahindra will ruin it with their poor after-sales (to me it feels like they never have given their all-in in this regards).

As of now this bike is getting compared with current RE 650 offerings especially Interceptor, but I think this true rival will be much anticipated Classic / Bullet 650.

[Boringrider]

Finally managed to get a test ride of the BSA today along with the RE Shotgun 650 and I can give a small comparo. Looking at these two options as potential upgrades from my current Yezdi Adventure.

BSA Goldstar 650

• They have really hit it out of the park with this engine. Straight off the bat, the refinement levels are on par with the 650 twins. Clutch is extremely light and the bike has so much torque that it lunges forward just on releasing the clutch lightly even without accelerator input.
• Seating position is upright and comfortable. I am 6'3 and didn't find it uncomfortable. Not sure about pillion comfort though, you can read other people's opinions here on the same.
• No heating issues observed. Was amazed at how a big 650 manages heat better than my 330cc Yezdi.
• You can cruise around without much gear changes. Gears are long and shifts are seamless. It will also deliver the fun when you start poking it.
• Rear suspension is on the softer side but not too soft. They are preload adjustable, so you can find your ideal setting.
• Headlights are halogen which look good for aesthetics but I expect it to see it becoming a downside in day to day use. Also, they get Pirelli tyres but with tubes and no centre stand. Colours available at present are Insignia Red and Midnight black. Availability of other colours are still up for question. Pricing starts at Rs. 3.8 lakhs on road, Chennai.
• Fit and finish levels are good on the BSA but nothing exceptional. Same with the Shotgun, people online keep raving about the improved quality levels on the newer 650s but it felt decent, nothing to write home about.
• I feel like this is a very good consideration if you're looking for retro bikes and should be on your list strongly. It is a successor to the Classic 500 in the way it likes to cruise around in an elegant manner but will also keep up with the 650 twins, if needed.
  
  RE Shotgun 650
• Immediately upon sitting the bike, it feels taller than the BSA and even the Yezdi. I got the feeling on sitting on top of the bike. Handlebar is short and heavy to maneuver.
• The elephant on the road, rather than the room is constantly felt, whether you move around in the parking or even on the move. 240kgs can't be escaped from. BSA felt nimble and easy to hustle around compared to the giant RE.
• Audio experience - especially the startup sound and the induction sounds are better on the twin cyl engine compared to the BSA. BSA exhaust note does have a deep thrum and that peculiar sound while decelerating but either it's too subtle or couldn't make it out much in traffic. Twin cylinder sound is just heavenly and RE will also have decent exhaust options in the aftermarket which is non existent in the BSA.
• Refinement levels of both the engines are neck and neck with no clear winner. RE's clutch and gear box felt heavy and clunky. Also, it doesn't start moving forward without throttle input, like the BSA. Maybe it was the test bike's condition but BSA's refinement felt marginally better than the RE which made me rethink everything I knew about engines since I regretted not buying the Inty 650.
• Heating was also quite immediately apparent on the RE within just a few minutes. However, they do give tubeless tyres and a centre stand which seems to be a godsend. Lighting - can't comment on the adequacy since I took the TD in afternoon time.
• Performance was quick on the RE as well, however it was being let down by the weight.
• Price is at Rs. 4.4 lakhs on-road Chennai. A solid 60k more expensive than the BSA but then you get a twin although the power and torque figures are the same so what are you paying more for? That, you will have to answer.

Overall, had good experience with both the bikes. I'm in no rush to upgrade as my current bike is riding fine but will keep these in mind for later. However, after both the TDs were done and I was riding back home on the Yezdi Adventure, I realised how clattery and crude the first-gen engine is. It seems the newer Jawas and Yezdis have refined it a lot more but just how rough the first-gens are was so apparent today. I felt silly for defending my bike so strongly online. It has its shortcomings in a lot of ways and they are not tiny by any means. I wish I would have test ridden more options than making a blind bet. Anyway, this is just the first bike and definitely not the last so there's still hope for my journey.

Lastly, for anyone on the fence about BSA, you will definitely be positively surprised. One good test ride is all you need.

[Nayra]

Originally Posted by Boringrider

• They have really hit it out of the park with this engine. Straight off the bat, the refinement levels are on par with the 650 twins. Clutch is extremely light and the bike has so much torque that it lunges forward just on releasing the clutch lightly even without accelerator input.

Seconded.

I finally had the chance to take a long, thorough test ride today, giving me the opportunity to open the throttle and also experience the bike in traffic. Overall, it’s quite impressive. The exhaust sound is a bit underwhelming, and the rear suspension seemed to lack enough travel for our rough roads while also feeling somewhat soft, making the bike a bit bouncy at higher speeds. However, aside from these points, it’s a solid offering from CL—finally!


The engine delivers dollops of torque and the bike’s handling makes it unusually easy to maneuver in traffic. The lower seat height ensures that, even when the bike's weight is noticeable while moving it around, it doesn’t become a struggle. This is a standout feature for me, especially since the RE twins felt sluggish at parking speeds.
What surprised me most was the absence of a 6th gear, which I initially thought would be a major drawback. However, at around 100 km/h, the bike runs at just under 4000 RPM with a slight tingle but without any noticeable engine stress, indicating it should be a capable tourer. The gear ratios are well spaced and don’t feel unnecessarily tall. Would I still like a 6th gear? yes. Will I notice its absence in this bike? I doubt it.

Final thoughts? Despite their similarities on paper, this bike feels quite different from the Interceptor/Continental GT. While they might appear to be variations of the same type, their characters are distinct and not merely different flavors of the same model, a bit similar to the initial comparisons drawn between the Jawa and the Bullet/Classic. It’s a great bike, and we would have booked one if we needed another 40+ HP bike. However, if they were to fit this engine into an ADV frame without increasing the weight, it would be a match made in heaven. Our own desi KLR650 in the making perhaps?

[whitesquall]

Originally Posted by whitesquall

Had a test ride. Bike has good power and torque, very easy to ride, comfortable seating position, lot less vibrations than anticipated. Overall a good package at an attractive price. Good upgrade choice from any 350 cc bikes in my opinion.

Eagle has landed!