1963 BSA 646cc Rocket Gold Star

Registration no. 718 XUP Frame no. GA10 1720 Engine no. DA10R 10334

Widely recognised as one of the most desirable of all factory-built 'café racers', the Rocket Gold Star arrived in 1962 along with the first of BSA's new unitary construction range. A combination of - mainly - Gold Star cycle parts and the A10 Super Rocket twin-cylinder engine, the newcomer represented the last of the old pre-unit line rather than a new departure, and thus was destined for a relatively short life. The model was offered in a number of different forms and with a host of options relating to controls and equipment. Motor Cycle tested a Rocket Gold Star in November 1962, summing up the new BSA as a "scintillating high-performance road burner: good brakes, excellent rider comfort and docile traffic manners". A top speed of 105mph was achieved. Around 1,800 Rocket Gold Stars were made over a two-year period and today genuine examples are highly sought after. This RGS comes with a Gold Star & Rocket Gold Star Owners Club letter confirming that its Despatch Book entry shows that it was despatched to Hap Alzina – BSA's USA West Coast Distributor in California – on 15th July 1963. Purchased from a local auction house, the machine has not been used for several years and will require re-commissioning before returning to the road. It should be noted that there is another machine, which fraudulently and briefly claimed the identity of this example. This machine has been fully verified by the BSA Gold Star & Rocket Gold Star Owners Club, as being a correct factory stamped matching-numbers example, offered with V5C Registration Certificate and HPI check.