BSA Motorcycles that featured in Sholay is experiencing a powerful global revival under Classic Legends.
BSA Motorcycles forever etched into Indian pop culture through the unforgettable Jai–Veeru scenes in Sholay is experiencing a powerful global revival under Classic Legends. Relaunched in 2024, the iconic British brand returns with its timeless design language, robust engineering lineage from Birmingham, and modern performance excellence driven by the Mahindra Group. With internationally praised models like the Scrambler 650, Bantam 350, Thunderbolt 350, and India’s own Goldstar 650, BSA is reclaiming its position as a symbol of style, craftsmanship, and motorcycling heritage. This revival not only honours a cinematic legacy but also marks a significant moment for Indian manufacturing as an iconic British marque rises again for riders worldwide.
The motorcycle that defined friendship in Sholay finds new life with Classic Legends BSA Motorcycles’ classic silhouettes and thumping presence shaped Indian pop-culture long before ‘retro’ captured rider imaginations. It was a 1942 BSA WM20 motorcycle that immortalised the on-screen friendship between Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (the late Dharmendra) in the cult classic, Sholay (released on 15 August 1975).
The enduring image of the motorcycle still symbolises camaraderie, swagger, and youth culture, underpinning the culture of motorcycling. The legendary motorcycling brand that has lived on in the collective memory as the aspirational British machine was fittingly re-launched on 15 August 2024 by Classic Legends. It brought back BSA as a modern classic shaped by British roots and contemporary engineering for riders worldwide.
BSA’s Birmingham roots gave it an engineering reputation that has always carried it across borders. As Anupam Thareja, Co-founder of Jawa Yezdi Motorcycles, said, “BSA was the heart of Birmingham, a brand inseparable from Britain’s industrial mettle and tenacity that came to be revered in racing circuits and motorcycling communities. As with everything in India, we made BSA our own through movies like Sholay, building it into our pop-culture since the seventies.”
BSA’s revival is shaped by Classic Legends’ strategy of matching each of its three brands (Jawa, Yezdi and BSA) to its natural home. So, BSA’s modern renaissance began in the UK, its birthplace, where riders aren’t just buying a global product but “the best version of their heritage,” said Thareja. The company has launched three BSA motorcycles (Scrambler 650, Bantam 350, and the Thunderbolt 350) for global markets in 2025. The launches have met with consistent praise for design, value and accessibility. In India, it had unveiled the BSA Goldstar 650 in 2024. As Classic Legends ramps up expansion across international markets, BSA will be the bridge between Western provenance and Indian engineering ambition.
This global approach allows the brand to grow with authenticity, while giving Indian riders the pride of seeing an iconic motorcycle brand resurrected by an Indian company. The manufacturing excellence of the Mahindra Group defines the modern performance engineering of BSA, produced by Classic Legends.
BSA’s return celebrates a motorcycling brand that carries cinematic dreams, garage lore, and the unmistakable charm of British motorcycling for the Indian motorcycling community.
About BSA Motorcycles & Classic Legends Pvt Ltd BSA Company Ltd, trading as BSA Motorcycles, was acquired in October 2016 by Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of The Mahindra Group. The brand’s vision is to revive the legendary Birmingham-based BSA DNA, introducing modern interpretations of vintage classics for a new generation. In 2021, BSA was awarded a £4.6 million grant by the UK Government for zero-emission motorcycle development under the low-carbon automotive initiative.
Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. was founded with a vision to reintroduce iconic motorcycle brands in India & international markets. The company currently boasts an elaborate portfolio constituting Jawa, Yezdi & BSA marquee brands. It aims to bring consumers a quintessential motorcycling lifestyle experience by co-creating exciting product and service offerings within its motorcycling ecosystem and bringing back renewed fervour into the performance-classic motorcycle market.
The motorcycle that defined friendship in Sholay finds new life with Classic Legends BSA Motorcycles’ classic silhouettes and thumping presence shaped Indian pop-culture long before ‘retro’ captured rider imaginations. It was a 1942 BSA WM20 motorcycle that immortalised the on-screen friendship between Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (the late Dharmendra) in the cult classic, Sholay (released on 15 August 1975).
The enduring image of the motorcycle still symbolises camaraderie, swagger, and youth culture, underpinning the culture of motorcycling. The legendary motorcycling brand that has lived on in the collective memory as the aspirational British machine was fittingly re-launched on 15 August 2024 by Classic Legends. It brought back BSA as a modern classic shaped by British roots and contemporary engineering for riders worldwide.
BSA’s Birmingham roots gave it an engineering reputation that has always carried it across borders. As Anupam Thareja, Co-founder of Jawa Yezdi Motorcycles, said, “BSA was the heart of Birmingham, a brand inseparable from Britain’s industrial mettle and tenacity that came to be revered in racing circuits and motorcycling communities. As with everything in India, we made BSA our own through movies like Sholay, building it into our pop-culture since the seventies.”
BSA’s revival is shaped by Classic Legends’ strategy of matching each of its three brands (Jawa, Yezdi and BSA) to its natural home. So, BSA’s modern renaissance began in the UK, its birthplace, where riders aren’t just buying a global product but “the best version of their heritage,” said Thareja. The company has launched three BSA motorcycles (Scrambler 650, Bantam 350, and the Thunderbolt 350) for global markets in 2025. The launches have met with consistent praise for design, value and accessibility. In India, it had unveiled the BSA Goldstar 650 in 2024. As Classic Legends ramps up expansion across international markets, BSA will be the bridge between Western provenance and Indian engineering ambition.
This global approach allows the brand to grow with authenticity, while giving Indian riders the pride of seeing an iconic motorcycle brand resurrected by an Indian company. The manufacturing excellence of the Mahindra Group defines the modern performance engineering of BSA, produced by Classic Legends.
BSA’s return celebrates a motorcycling brand that carries cinematic dreams, garage lore, and the unmistakable charm of British motorcycling for the Indian motorcycling community.
About BSA Motorcycles & Classic Legends Pvt Ltd BSA Company Ltd, trading as BSA Motorcycles, was acquired in October 2016 by Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of The Mahindra Group. The brand’s vision is to revive the legendary Birmingham-based BSA DNA, introducing modern interpretations of vintage classics for a new generation. In 2021, BSA was awarded a £4.6 million grant by the UK Government for zero-emission motorcycle development under the low-carbon automotive initiative.
Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. was founded with a vision to reintroduce iconic motorcycle brands in India & international markets. The company currently boasts an elaborate portfolio constituting Jawa, Yezdi & BSA marquee brands. It aims to bring consumers a quintessential motorcycling lifestyle experience by co-creating exciting product and service offerings within its motorcycling ecosystem and bringing back renewed fervour into the performance-classic motorcycle market.
Comments
Post a Comment