BEEZA GOLDSTAR 500cc FLAT TRACK HORNBAG ['JOHNNYKABQ' ON POOTUBE] . . . . OUTSIDE OF THE FABULOUS ONE LUNGERS FROM BRACEBRIDGE STREET, THE BEEZA GOLD STAR IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED THE BEST OF ITS TIME . . . . I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF RIDING A COUPLE OF STUNNING RESTOS IN THE NINETIES . . . . BUT YOU SEE ONE STOCK GOLDY AND YOU'VE SEEN EM ALL . . . . THIS, THIS AIN'T STOCK !!!!

Mostly everyone has memories of the the Beeza twins that were often ridden to flat track glory in the sixties and up to the mid seventies in the States, the halcyon days of Triumphs, Harleys and the best Birmingham had to offer going hammer and tong woulda been something to see in the flesh . . . . not much attention gets devoted to the Small Arms manufacturer's big single pot smoker, even though they were part of the circle scene going back to the fifties, I'm sure Dick Mann used to campaign one and a few others besides, so I'm gonna put in a little research time and get back to you with the results . . . . however . . . . during the meanwhile . . . . as those wacky Monty Python lads used to say.

I found this last night in the usual spontaneously random, accidental manner of bouncing from one thing to the next and sucking it all in, one fucking way cool Goldy flat track sled set in a rigid frame, as they were all originally swingarm mounted, definitive slider 'bars, tank appears to be off the legendary Victor model, modded and relocated oil bag and a lovely little reverse cone mega and bobbed and bum padded rear guard/fender . . . . this single lung jigger just gives me a woody from go to gone, looks bloody perfect in every way and the noise is pure Gold Star, they were never a 'cackler', rather a nice chuff-chuffer, they were always the 'clubmans' choice back in the day, both on the track and among the lads and lairs of the Ton Up Club and the Ace Cafe, as they were road registerable, as opposed to the famously fabulous full race, GP orientated, Manx No-tone . . . . and like most big, one pot powerplants, they put out oodles of torque which would've been just what you need in the perpetual slide and grind of flat trackin.

Anyhoo . . . . in a world where so much emphasis is placed on doing the same beautiful-but-boring-as-bat-shit restoration caper with classic bikes of this ilk, it's bitchin to come across someone daring to be different and pulling it off with aplomb and elan, and in so doing, recapturing the last of the big single era previous to Yamaha's introduction of the seminal, second generation thumpers of the mid 70's, the TT and XT 500's . . . . even Stevie Wonder could see the source for the Yammies inspiration, if you know what I mean, and I'm sure you do.