There are some images from Indian cinema that stay with us forever. One of them is Dharmendra ji on the 1942 BSA WM20 in Sholay, riding with Amitabh Bachchan as Jai and Veeru. The demise of Dharmendra ji on 24 November 2025 makes that memory even more emotional now. It brings back a time when motorcycles were not just machines but a part of friendship, style, and youth. The BSA in Sholay became more than a prop – it became a feeling.
BSA had always carried that air of old-school charm. Long before the word “retro” became popular, BSA was already shaping how riders felt about freedom and toughness. Having its roots in Birmingham gave it a strong engineering base, and riders across the world respect what the brand stood for.
Classic Legends reintroduced BSA in 2024. The relaunch was done on 15 August, a day that matched the spirit of the brand: independence, pride, and new beginnings. The idea was simple: keep the British soul alive but build motorcycles that suit today’s world.
A lot of that thinking goes back to what Anupam Thareja 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.”
Classic Legends has a well-defined road map for its three brands: Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA. BSA fits into its British space, so the revival of this brand officially started in the UK. Riders there feel like they’re getting the best version of their heritage, but with fresh engineering underneath.
BSA has introduced three motorcycles for global markets for 2025:
- Scrambler 650
- Bantam 350
- Thunderbolt 350
All three have been getting steady appreciation for design, value, and approachability. Before that even, India saw the BSA Goldstar 650 in 2024 to rekindle interest among classic bike lovers here.
With Classic Legends going global, BSA becomes a bridge-Western history on one side and Indian engineering ambition on the other. Mahindra Group’s manufacturing strength supports this revival, giving the bikes a modern backbone while keeping the classic spirit alive.
More than a comeback, BSA’s return is of cinematic memories, garage tales, and that undefinable magic which riders grew up with. And now, with Dharmendra ji’s passing, the connection somehow feels deeper, reminding one of how machines and memories do travel well together.