Spec Comparo: BSA Gold Star vs Royal Enfield Interceptor

The BSA Gold Star is a throwback to the glory days of British motorcycles, so how does it fare against the other throwback, the Royal Enfield Interceptor?

The BSA Gold Star harkens back to the days of the thumpers—large single-cylinder engines—that propelled the bikers of their days, specifically the 1950s and the ‘60s. The other most popular kind of engine offered at the time was a parallel-twin. And now, because the BSA Gold Star is making its debut in India, riders can choose from either a thumper or a parallel-twin, courtesy of the other 650-cc retro bike on the market—the Royal Enfield Interceptor.

The engines are separated by just four ccs, but they are as different as chalk and cheese, with the BSA Gold Star opting for a Rotax-developed 652-cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder tuned for low-end grunt, while the Royal Enfield Interceptor uses a 648-cc, air/oil-cooled, parallel-twin with a 270° crank angle, tuned for mid-range punch. The Gold Star has five speeds in the transmission as opposed to the six-speed gearbox on the Interceptor, but both of them come equipped with a slip-and-assist clutch.

The BSA Gold Star is positively lighter and has a more accessible seat height, It also has a longer wheelbase, which should give it more stability. On the other hand, the Interceptor with its higher ground clearance is more capable of dealing with bad roads, and thanks to a larger fuel tank, should warrant fewer fuel stops on longer rides.

The front suspension is identical on the two bikes, at least on paper, with both the BSA Gold Star and the Royal Enfield Interceptor coming with 41-mm telescopic forks. The only difference on the rear suspension is the extra adjustment step on the Royal Enfield, though it is unlikely to make much difference in the real world. The BSA Gold Star does get proper Brembo brakes, while the Royal Enfield Interceptor gets by with ByBre brakes. The front disc sizes are identical; however, the rear brakes are not, with the Gold Star getting a 15-mm larger disc. In the tyres department too, the similarity of the front end continues with the same-sized tyre found on both bikes, but the BSA gets a fatter 150-section whereas the Interceptor gets a slimmer 130-section tyre. Also, the BSA gets a 17-inch rear wheel as opposed to the 18-inchers at both ends of the Enfield. The Interceptor does come with alloy wheels and tubeless tyres as an option though, thus catering to a broader customer demographic.

* 5 with wire spoke wheels and 2 with alloy wheels

The two motorcycles, the BSA Gold Star and the Royal Enfield Interceptor, are properly retro motorcycles, so they make little concession towards modern amenities. That being said, both of them have LED headlights and USB charging ports. The number of colour options is similar, too, with both bikes getting a special edition top-of-the-line colourway. However, two of the colours on the Interceptor are exclusive to the alloy-wheeled version.

The starting price of the BSA Gold Star is Rs 3.00 lakh, while it is Rs 3.03 lakh for the Royal Enfield Interceptor, the difference being essentially negligible (both ex-showroom). This theme carries onto the maximum price of the two bikes as well, this time the BSA Gold Star being more expensive than the Royal Enfield Interceptor for the special colourways. Considering the rather small price difference, cost is less likely to be a deciding factor in the purchase decision of the potential customer, with brand recognition likely to play a much bigger part in it.