BSA Goldstar - I gave up! And why animals beat humans!

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:38]Today in the driveway. way. I'm busy polishing to death my BSA Goldstar 650 following its return from second service with those great guys at Whipsy Motorcycles in Bradford with a new change of oil filter seals and new crush washer courtesy of the service kit from the wonderful Hitchcock's motorcycles.

[00:01:07]And with the very latest ECU remap, she's riding like a bike reborn.

[00:01:15]So, it seems only right to apply further coats of waxy goodness. Even though the bike has been thoroughly cleaned and indeed detailed by Whipsy, as is their practice with all the bikes which come into their care.

[00:01:33]Top marks, guys.

[00:01:37]You know, I'd intended doing the service myself and filming it for the channel.

[00:01:42]However, my efforts to free off the 24 mm sump bolt proved a long, sweaty, frustrating failure.

[00:01:53]To start with, I had no 24 mm socket.

[00:01:58]Oh, I had every socket from 8 mm to 22 mm and every socket from 35 mm to 65 mm, but no 24.

[00:02:11]Why does this always seem to be the way?

[00:02:16]So it was that my initial attempt was by way of a 24 mm ring spanner which resulted in nothing more than skin knuckles and some fairly inexcusable language.

[00:02:32]Sorry neighbors.

[00:02:35]So that stopped playing its tracks whilst the 24 mm half2in socket was awaited from the warehouse owned by that chap Bezos.

[00:02:46]or Bezos.

[00:02:50]The next day, said socket rocked up, and with it attached to my half-in ratchet, a substantial affair, I set to the task, confident of success this time.

[00:03:05]But that bolt remained stubbornly seized.

[00:03:10]I was vaguely aware from some past memory that the bolts aluminum, but the sump is steel, which can apparently cause issues.

[00:03:20]Write your bell end of a sump plug. It's penetrating fluid and my big bastard 20-in long torque wrench for you, pal.

[00:03:31]But even with all that leverage, I was getting nowhere and was starting now to round off the corners of the hex as the cheap Bzos supplied socket kept spinning off.

[00:03:49]Cheap rubbish Jeff old lad. Maybe that's why your rocket just exploded again.

[00:03:56]Serves you right, pal.

[00:03:58]Well, more fool me for not paying a visit to the many decades long established tool shop in Lacadike Bradford where they would have seen me right with a socket from the likes of Snap-On or some such though probably for the price of a complete set from Halford's.

[00:04:18]It suddenly occurred to me that I have a big compressor in the garage and a set of air tools amongst which is a rattle gun.

[00:04:30]That'll shake the booger loose.

[00:04:33]So, I fired up said compressor and after ages of hissy priming and no shut off, I realized one that the drain valve was still open and two that I'm an idiot.

[00:04:50]Then my rattle gun needs oiling to free it up and the connector leaks too. So, I headed for the PTFE tape.

[00:04:59]After the best part of an hour, I finally got the rattle gun to well, rattle.

[00:05:06]I attached the Bezos socket and stroed menacingly back to the offending bolt, only to find that the rattle gun would not fit under the bike, and I own neither a bike lift nor an abbber stand.

[00:05:26]At that point, I started to look to the heavens, intending choler style to inquire of the Almighty. Why, when he made so many men out of steel and so many men out of iron, he had to make me out of [ __ ] Then I realized that all was not lost because also within my air tool kit is an air ratchet which will of course fit under the bike and employing the same rattle technology as the gun will shake off that evil bolt.

[00:06:04]But of course that too needed the oil and PTFE tape treatment. But with that done, I'd finally cleared the final hurdle.

[00:06:14]Except except that the air wrench is a 3/8 drive and the socket is half inch and have no adapter.

[00:06:30]So the moral of the story is that if at first you don't succeed, by all means try try again. But realize that sometimes it's not a lack of tools which frustrates you, but a lack of talent.

[00:06:49]Now all of that is incidental to today's musings. And what I wanted to talk about was something I peripherally observed on the drive whilst polishing the bezer.

[00:07:02]A beautiful golden bumblebee was crawling painfully slowly across the stone, clearly exhausted from its day's work and looking near to death.

[00:07:15]I love bees and I know that without them all of humanity would die of starvation.

[00:07:24]I also know that a little sugar dissolved in water carefully placed in front of them to drink can bring back to full strength a seemingly hopeless case.

[00:07:38]So it was that I hurried the kitchen woods and hastily prepared the life-saving drink which I duly pipeted using a straw in front of my little furry patient.

[00:07:50]I've successfully used this technique on several occasions and at the time of writing this, this tiny, beautiful creature is still sipping away.

[00:08:03]I offer a silent prayer for its recovery.

[00:08:09]Yes, I love animals and have no time for people who don't like them.

[00:08:17]My old man used to say, "Never trust a man who doesn't like dogs or beer."

[00:08:23]So, I don't.

[00:08:26]But in that one moment of attempting to resuscitate that golden bumblebee, I'm reminded of that which I've always known.

[00:08:37]Only humans have the capacity for evil, and way too many of them are.

[00:08:44]They're in the news every day screwing up the lies of others through their pathetic, shallow, grotesque notions of power. Often parading their ugliness in front of national flags to con us all into thinking they have our interests at heart. It makes me sick.

[00:09:04]Animals, however, do not possess these faculties.

[00:09:08]No hubris, no egos, no flawed ideologies, no greed beyond the hunger needed for survival.

[00:09:22]Animals have long been seen as symbols of innocence, purity, and honesty.

[00:09:28]From royal dogs to gentle deer and singing birds, animals often appear untouched by the selfishness and corruption that human beings struggle with.

[00:09:40]While humans possess intelligence, advanced societies, and the ability to reason, they also have the capacity for cruelty, greed, and deception.

[00:09:55]The innocence of animals therefore stands in sharp contrast to the moral complexity, often depravity of human nature.

[00:10:09]One reason animals are considered innocent is that they act according to instinct rather than malice.

[00:10:17]A lion hunts not because it enjoys violence, but because survival demands it. Birds migrate, wolves protect their packs, and bees build hives without selfish ambition or hatred.

[00:10:32]Their actions are driven by natural needs rather than personal gain or destructive desires.

[00:10:38]Humans, however, often act with full awareness of the consequences of their choices.

[00:10:46]Wars, exploitation, and betrayal are not matters of instinct, but decisions shaped by ego, power, and greed.

[00:11:00]Animals also live honestly within the present moment.

[00:11:06]They do not lie to manipulate others, create false identities, or hide behind social masks.

[00:11:14]A dog's affection is genuine and a horse's fear or trust is sincere.

[00:11:21]Humans, by contrast, frequently struggle with dishonesty, both toward others and themselves.

[00:11:32]Society often rewards appearances, ambition, and competition, which can lead people away from authenticity.

[00:11:42]Animals remind us of a simpler way of living, one based on direct emotion and natural connection.

[00:11:53]Another aspect of animal innocence is their harmony with nature. Animals take only what they need from the environment and play a role in maintaining ecological balance.

[00:12:06]Humans, despite their intelligence, have often harmed the natural world through pollution, deforestation, and overconumption.

[00:12:17]This contrast raises an important question. If humans are the most intelligent species, why do they so often act against the well-being of the planet and each other?

[00:12:34]In many ways, the innocence of animals serves as a mirror for humanity.

[00:12:42]Animals remind people of qualities they often lose in the complexity of modern life. Loyalty, simplicity, honesty, and harmony with nature. Their innocence is not based on moral superiority, but on their freedom from the ambitions and conflicts that trouble human society.

[00:13:03]By observing animals, humans may learn to become more compassionate, truthful, and connected to the world around them.

[00:13:15]Animals appear more innocent than humans because they are.

[00:13:22]They live without greed, deception, or unnecessary cruelty.

[00:13:28]While humans possess greater intelligence and moral freedom, these gifts can lead both to greatness and destruction.

[00:13:38]Animals through their instinctive and honest existence remind humanity of a purer and more peaceful way of life.

[00:13:48]Their innocence challenges humans to reflect on their own behavior and strive toward a kinder and more balanced world.

[00:14:01]We can but hope they Oh yeah.