BSA Empire Star

The BSA Empire Star was a standard motorcycle made by BSA at its Small Heath factory in Birmingham, named to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and advertised as The Masterpiece of the Industry. The range was produced between 1936 and 1939, when it developed into the BSA Gold Star and the Second World War stopped production. Designed by Val Page and developed from the popular Blue Star, it came as the 250 cc B22, the 350 cc R5 and the 500 cc Q8, with an alloy primary chaincase, a foot-change gearbox and dry sump lubrication. BSA launched it with a 500 mile endurance test at Brooklands followed by a 1,000 mile ride around the UK with no spare parts needed.