Norton 850 Mk III

TOMCAT said:
Looks like a BSA Super Rocket or similar .. turned into a café racer , as the British owners did in the day.
Click to expand...
A BSA GOLD STAR TWIN as it has a GP carb and racing brakes I raced one back in the 60s
 
Its a Rocket Gold Star. '62 Super Rocket motor (650) in a BDB34 Frame (500 single Gold Star) coupled to a RR2T close ratio gearbox (Gold Star) and Norton Roadholder forks.
Avon Triangular tyres and alloy rims.
Clip-ons were low but it was comfortable to ride and very quick in it's day.
It was a genuine RGS except for the tank, (original was chrome), and the forks 'coz the BSA forks were crap!
$30,000 is not far from the mark for an original, one sold in Ireland 2 years ago for over 20,000 Euros
 
BSA sure had some super cool fuel tanks .. BSA Hornets are a sweet looking machine. The frames must be stronger than the Triumph ones as you see a fair few TRIBSA combos in the classic magazines. Guess they were another option to a featherbed frame.
 
They were officially called a Rocket Gold Star in UK. I had the chrome tank and original 'silencers' but at the time I thought it looked better with the fibreglass tank etc.
 
The BSA Rocket Gold Star was the final stage of development of the A10 twins. It had a specially tuned Super Rocket engine in the DBD34 Gold Star single frame, it was a very fast bike (for the time) with good handling, that became a 'classic'. Surviving models are in such demand today that 'fakes' (using Super Rocket parts) are sold as originals.
Launched in February 1962, the total BSA Rocket Gold Star production was 1,584 bikes, of which 272 were off-road scramblers. The later ('61-'63) 9:1 compression Super Rocket engine was used with a Spitfire camshaft and an Amal Monobloc carby that gave 46 bhp (34 kW) as standard. Options such as a close-ratio RRT2 gearbox could increase this to 50 bhp (37 kW) – and add 30% to the price. Nine specials were made for export to California and one was fitted with a sidecar by Watsonian for the Earls Court Show in October 1962.
Rocket Gold Star production ended in 1963 due to the development of new unit construction successors.
 
There is a gorgeous BSA B33 on bike sales. cant seem to past the link sorry mate
 
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