BSA Gold Star 650 vs Royal Enfield Interceptor 650: Bringing retro back

It wouldn’t be an understatement if we said it is the clash of the titans when we pit the iconic BSA against the world’s largest mid-size motorcycle manufacturer, Royal Enfield. The 600 cc segment has never been so dynamic and affordable in the Indian market as BSA marked its return with the Gold Star 650. The motorcycle is priced from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.35 lakh, ex-showroom, and is available in six variants. Classic Legends, the parent company of BSA, Jawa and Yezdi, has fired the first salvo at the Interceptor 650, which has never really faced any competition since its inception in 2018. We pit the two retro roadsters against each other. 

BSA Gold Star 650 vs RE Interceptor 650: Engine

Let’s start with the challenger, the Gold Star 650 powered by a 652 cc liquid-cooled engine with an output of 45 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 55 Nm at 4,000 rpm, the latter is the best in its segment. It is paired with a 5-speed gearbox. The Interceptor 650 has a 2 bhp advantage over the BSA motorcycle as its 648 cc air-cooled engine produces 47 bhp at 7,250 rpm and 52 Nm at 5,250 rpm of torque. The Royal Enfield retro motorcycle is mated to a 6-speed gearbox, something that BSA may have missed out on in. 

BSA Gold Star 650 vs RE Interceptor 650: Hardware

The Gold Star 650 is based on the double cradle frame and has a wheelbase of 1,425 mm making it 25 mm longer than the Interceptor. It has an accessible seat height of 780 mm, a ground clearance of 150 mm with 41 mm front telescopic forks and twin shock absorbers with 5-step adjustable preload. It comes with a 320 mm front disc brake and a 255 mm rear disc and has dual-channel ABS as a standard feature. It sits on a 100/90 18-inch tyre in front and 150/70 17-inch at the rear. The Gold Star is only available with wire-spoke wheels. 

The segment leader, the Interceptor, is also based on a dual cradle frame and sports 41 mm front telescopic forks and twin coil gas shocks in the rear. It also comes standard with dual-channel ABS and both the tyres are 18-inch in size. The front tyre size is similar to the BSA’s with 100/90 and the rear with 130/70. As for the brakes, the front has a 320mm disc and a 240 mm disc at the rear. The Interceptor is available with both spoke and alloy wheels based on the variants.

BSA Gold Star 650 vs RE Interceptor 650: Features

BSA Gold Star 650 is the first in its class to offer both a 12-volt socket and a USB port to connect devices and recharge them. The 12-volt socket is placed alongside the left body panel and the USB port is on the left handlebar. The Gold Star get twin analogue instrument cluster pods with the left one housing the speedometer, a low battery indicator and a small digital display for the odometer and trip meter. The left pod has the analogue tachometer, a digital fuel gauge and a low fuel indicator.

The Interceptor also gets a twin-pod instrument console with the analogue speedometer on the left cluster with a multi-information display that reads out the fuel gauge, trip meters and odometer. The tachometer is on the left pod. It also gets a USB port for charging a phone or other devices. 

BSA Gold Star 650 vs RE Interceptor 650: Price and Variants

The BSA Gold Star 650 is available in six variants and starts from Rs 3 lakh. On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Interceptor starts from Rs 3.03 lakh and goes all the way to Rs 3.31 lakh, ex-showroom, and has seven trims.