There was a time when British bikes were held in such low regard that people would throw them away in the local rubbish tip or leave them languishing against the garden hedge. It wasn't the Japanese invasion that caused their demise really, it was the arrival of mass produced cars like the Mini, Morris Minor and Ford Anglia which were affordable and kept you dry. In 1971 the government of the day raised the age limit for a motorcycle licence to 17, same as a car licence. So, many lads went straight onto the road in cars and missed out on the adrenaline rush and addiction to motorcycling. Their loss! Suddenly, having a motorbike was no longer fashionable, and thousands of bikes became worthless and slipped into obscurity.

In 1963 The Beatles had their first number one hit and Rocket Gold Star no. 862 rolled off the production line. Whilst most Merseysiders were queuing up to buy 'Please Please Me' another lucky lad from Liverpool was taking delivery of his Rocket Gold Star.

One afternoon in 1980, a retired scrapyard owner, Freddy, was walking his dog along the banks of the River Mersey. There was major work going on at the time; the River was being dredged so that the riverbank could be strengthened. The mud was being dumped in barges and anything interesting was left on the riverbank. Freddy noticed a Reliant 3-wheeler, a Citroen 2cv and an old motorbike. Freddy continued his walk along the riverbank and sauntered into the local pub 'the Cheshire Cheese' for his occasional rendezvous with a couple of pals, Eric and his brother-in-law Ray. Freddy knew that his pals had an interest in bikes so he was keen to tell them about the old bike on the bank. Initially, neither Ray nor Eric were particularly enthusiastic. Such 'finds' are often disappointing and the bike would undoubtedly be a charmless two-stroke of limited interest and value. Nevertheless, a couple of pints later, curiosity got the better of them and they set off to see if they could find the bike. It was just as Freddy described, lying on the bank, its wheel rims eaten away but the rest of it was there in a very sorry state. They quickly identified the bike as a BSA; they weren't too sure which model. It was obviously an A10 but which one? Eric noticed the clip-ons, some lad's café racer perhaps? Then they noticed the fancy front brake, Gold Star type, and the rearsets. Eric suspected the bike might even be a genuine Rocket Gold Star; What a find! What a wreck! What a crying shame! Stone cold sober after the walk and the mind-stretching discovery they went back for Ray's car and Eric's magazine with BSA numbers in. They checked the frame and engine numbers and everything matched the Rocket Goldie info. Ray and Eric wriggled the awkward bike into the boot of the car and drove it home with the front end hanging out over the back bumper. They hosed the bike down and inspected it. Broken fins on the barrels where it had been grabbed by the dredger bucket jaws, collapsed petrol tank after the mud had been flushed out, no wheel rims, mangled mudguards, smashed instruments. By a strange twist of luck the letters and numbers were still visible on the front registration plate; the letters on one side and the numbers on the other! The frame numbers and crankcase numbers were visible too. All the numbers were noted down and taken to the police station. There was no record of the bike having been stolen. In the days when the bike was dumped it was probably worthless so the owner might not have reported it. Who knows why it finished its days in the Mersey silt? The bike's details were sent to Swansea DVLC and a modern registration document was provided with the original registration number. With more enthusiasm than was good for them Ray and Eric set about dismantling the bike and it was separated into large lumps for storage and future attention in Ray's shed. The frame seemed fine so that was repainted but the rest of it looked like scrap!

After some struggling with the Mersey-ravaged RGS enthusiasm for the project started to fade. Sadly, towards the end of the 1980's Eric died and Ray spent so much time looking after his expanding collection of Matchlesses that realism set in and the RGS slid further and further to the back of the shed.

I go to 'The Antrobus Arms' on a Thursday night to meet the Warrington branch of the BSA Owners' Club. One of the friendly faces, Billy, told me that he had a friend with a genuine Rocket Goldie frame for sale. "Ray's his name, a Matchless enthusiast". I phoned Ray the next morning and, after vowing not to buy any more BSA bits I went, 'just to have a look!'. On the lawn stood the frame, resplendent, looking good after its repaint. "What happened to the rest of the bike?", I asked.

More pictures of the 'Mersey RGS can be seen on my Webshots site shortly after this story appears on 'Britbike' Andrew Guttmann (of Macclesfield)

http://community.webshots.com/user/andrewbsa

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