BSA A65 Lightning
This 1970 BSA A65 Lightning represents the final year before the conversion to Oil-in-Frame. Note the TLS front brake.
BSA A65 Lightning Background & History
The BSA A65 Lightning was the highest-performance version of the 650cc BSA twin. The A65 was brought into production in 1963 when BSA (along with Triumph) converted their big twins from non-unit construction to unit construction. Lucas Electrics (aka ‘The Price of Darkness’ because the lights didn’t always work) supplied the entire British motorcycle and auto industries in from the 1940s through the 1970s, and they were largely responsible for the reputation British bikes got for being unreliable. In 1962, Lucas informed it’s customers that it was discontinuing production of their line of dynamos and magnetos that had been installed on nearly every British motorcycle made. They were replacing it, starting in 1963, with the modern alternator and coil electrical system. It required manufacturers to completely redesign their engines to accommodate them. BSA and Triumph used this as an excuse to convert over to unit construction. The non-unit bikes, the 500cc BSA A7 and the 650cc A10, had been very popular for years. They were replaced by the unit construction 500cc BSA A50 and 650cc A65.
The BSA A65 Lightning's 650cc engine was smooth and powerful, up to about 5,000 rpm, at which point it would shake you to pieces.
Fast as Lightning
The BSA A65 Lightning was intended to be an all-around sports machine designed specifically for the all-important American market. The A65 Lightning had twin Amal carburetors, a high-lift camshaft and a close-ratio gearbox that gave it lively performance. They were capable of hitting 108 mph although some riders complained that the bike wanted to weave above 90. Vibration was an issue above 5000 rpm. But it was one quick bike stoplight-to-stoplight.
This 1972 BSA A65 Lightning was the final year of BSA motorcycle production, and shows all the Oil-in-Frame equipment: conical hubs, new forks, headlight & guages, sweet exhaust megaphones and the twin-downtube frame (the market of an OIF) and the slab-style side covers.
Oil-in-Frame BSA A65 Lightnings
In 1969 the BSA A65 Lightning got a round of improvements that included balanced exhaust headers, lower-resistance mufflers, wider mating surfaces on the crankcase halves for better oil sealing, and a powerful twin-leading shoe (TLS) front drum brake. In 1971, all of BSA’s big twins converted over to Oil-in-Frame. This was an all-new frame that incorporated the engine oil in the backbone, instead of in a separate oil tank. Nearly everything else was new also. New wheels and brakes (cool conical hubs), new forks and shocks, new bodywork and running gear, much of which was shared with Triumph. Almost every part was changed except the one that should have been changed: the engine. And no electric starter. By 1971, the undersquare, pushrod BSA twins were hopelessly outclassed by OHC and DOHC multi-cylinder bikes coming out of Japan. But they didn’t have the money to do that so they changed everything else. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. BSA built it’s last motorcycle in 1972, attempted a merger with Norton that saw Norton take over Triumph.
The 1971 BSA A70 Lightning was stroked to 750cc and 202 were built for homologation.
Also in 1971, BSA created a 750cc version called the BSA A70 Lightning, which was produced in low volumed to qualify it, homologation-wise, for various American racing events. Rather than increase the 650’s bore, as Triumph did to make their 750s, BSA lengthened the stroke by 11mm. This gave it a displacement of 751cc. Just 202 BSA A70 Lightnings were produced to satisfy the homologation requirements, and all were exported to the US market. Most of those went to the Eastern Coast BSA distributor in Baltimore. It's amazing how these struggling British motorcycle companies, on the brink of collapse, found sudden bursts of energy to produce some amazing machines in their final hours. Triumph did the same thing with the 8-valve Bonneville TSS in their final year.
The BSA A65 Lightning made an appearance in the 1965 James Bond 007 movie "Thunderball", complete with rocket launchers. That's Luciana Paluzzi on board.
BSA A65 Books
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"BSA T-shirt with Distressed BSA Logo" Available in all sizes, in 5 colors: Black, Gray, Light Gray, Olive Drab & White. Logos are red. |
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