BSA Catalina Scrambler

The BSA Catalina Scrambler was the perfect machine for a rider like AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Chuck "Feets" Minert. Chuck Minert raced for the BSA factory team, with the biggest win of his career coming at the 1956 Catalina Grand Prix. The win was so prestigious that after Minert's win, BSA named the 1959 Gold Star DBD 34 the "Catalina Scrambler." It was a little tricky because the machine Feets rode to victory was a 1956 BSA Gold Star Scrambler. “I switched to a five-gallon tank so I could run the 100-mile race non-stop. I used a front brake backing plate with a scoop for extra cooling and ran a 19-inch front wheel instead of the standard 21-inch wheel favored by English riders,” Feets said.

Chuck Minert, at 83 years old, standing behind a 1962 BSA Catalina Scrambler. 

Hap Alzina, the West Coast BSA dealer, asked the factory to build a replica of Minert's Gold Star bike. BSA responded with the Catalina Scrambler in 1959. The machine would not change until BSA stopped production in 1963.

Hap Alzina

Chuck and his wife Gloria

The aluminum-barreled Gold Star was arguably the most successful race bike ever built. It won races for over a decade in all disciplines, but ultimately the venerable Gold Star model was replaced by the smaller (and lighter) B44 that was developed by 500 World Champion Jeff Smith. This machine, based on the BSA 250cc model, would win its final 500cc Motocross World Championship in 1965, marking the end of four-stroke dominance in the premier series for the next 30 years.