Good As Gold

GOOD AS GOLD

CW READERS' COLLECTION

Best of the Best BSA

FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY they came, transporting bikes to one of nine Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows. Hundreds of entries—everything from customized 916 Dukes to splinter-dodging Harley board-trackers—vied for trophies in the CW Readers’ Collection Series. From those many we’ve arrived at these few, the nine Best-of-Show winners, facing off in a Best-of-theBest contest.

Without further ado, then, we present to you the top Readers’ Collection bike of 1999, a BSA M24 Gold Star, vintage 1938, lovingly restored by owner Walter Worsch. Nice job, Walt-oh, and have fun with your Grand Prize, a brand-new Legend TT provided by Triumph America. Howszat for a trophy!? (Our eight runners-up receive gift certificates from Avon Tires, Performance Machine and Fox Shox, varsity jackets from Triumph and some choice Cycle World swag.)

So, what makes for a winning concours bike? Significance is one thing. The M24 was first in a long line of Gold Stars, built to commemorate a modified BSA lapping Brooklands Raceway in 1937 at more than 100 mph-whereupon it was awarded the track’s coveted “Gold Star.” The classic Single would go on to dominate the Clubmans class at the Isle of Man, notch world motocross championships and become a potent AMA half-miler after American tuners had worked their magic on the 500cc one-lunger.

Craftsmanship of restoration is the next ingredient. Worsch, 62, and wife Theresa own and operate a

Mercedes-Benz repair shop just outside San Diego during the week. Their spare time is occupied with the renovation of a small but steadily growing fleet of antique Mercs and motorcycles, all award-winners. The BSA is Worsch’s eighth ground-up bike resto.

Worsch bought the ’38 Beezer in boxes when a fellow collector decided to unload several unfinished projects. It was an all-ornothing deal, though.

“I went into hock to buy the lot,” he recalls, “but I knew the BSA was special, that’s what attracted me.”

How special? First-year production was less than 400 units. A few more were made in ’39 before WWII shut down assembly lines. It would be another 10 years before Gold Stars were put back in production. One classic-bike expert knows of just four complete and running M24s in England.

Worsch says the restoration was fairly straightforward, “though there was a lot of fitting and re-fitting, spacing and shimming to get everything in alignment.” Luckily, two first-year-only items, the fuel tank with its top-mounted toolbox and the mag-alloy gearbox, were among the supplied parts. “Those would have been next to impossible to find,” he notes. Fenders were troublesome, especially the rear, from a later-year Goldie, which had to be “heavily persuaded” to assume the correct radius.

Worth the effort, though. With its polished engine cases, chrome-paneled tank and Gold Star insignia, the M24 celebrated speed, 1938-style. Today, thanks to Worsch, this one’s still celebrating. -David Edwards