1955 BSA Gold Star Clubman Road Test by Keenan Wynn - 2-Page Motorcycle Article

Description

1955 BSA Gold Star Clubman Road Test by Keenan Wynn - 2-Page Motorcycle Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
Filmdom’s Foremost Rider Tries BSA’s Newest
IF YOU will allow me a short preface
to this article. I would like to in-
form the reader that altho I have been
riding motorcycles for 24 years, I must
still be considered an average rider. In
California “dirt circles,” this naturally
makes me below average!
Through the courtesy of Motorcyclist,
and East Los Angeles BSA Dealer Louie
Thomas (Modern Cycle W orks) I had
the pleasure and good fortune to road
lest (or should I say ‘dirt test’) the new
BSA Gold Star Clubman. 1 picked up
this machine with your Editor, Bill Bag-
nall. al which lime we were informed
that altho we were trying il out in the
dirt, it still had the racing cams and
road sprocket fitted. At the time, I
was not too taken aback by this fact.
However, on the first llatout road run
(see photo at bottom of next page),
I never even bothered to hit fourth
gear!
This speed run was accomplished on
a two-mile hard dirt straightaway. Due
to the cams, I found that the machine
came alive from about 4,000 rpm, and
kept building to what 1 judged to be ap-
proximately 5,800 rpm. I judged the
speedometer to be fairly accurate, give
or take about 3 mph, and in the ac-
companying photograph, I am clocking
93 mph in third cog. Consequently, due
to my age and responsibilities, I never
troubled with fourth gear.
Needless to say, the racing cams and
road sprocket made dirt riding most
interesting. 1 found I had no choice but
to wind up tight in low cog (on the
clock. 43 mph) and let the excellent
spring frame take care of the rest. 1
found that no matter how hard I came
down on the front end after coming off
a jump, the forks would never bottom.
Despite the fact that I had very little
choice, due to the cams as to my speed
approach. 1 found the Clubman an ex-
tremely comfortable one to ride. Altho...
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