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B.S.A A65 Lightning 1965

We are proud to bring you this superb example of the A65 Lightning, sporting correct numbers she has been lovingly restored to the high standard you see here with some practical upgrades like an external oil filter & electronic ignition. There are a good number of receipts documenting various works along with some mot history. A great usable classic bike.

Introduced in 1962, the BSA A65 twin was the unit-construction follow-on to company’s venerable A10 series. The powerplant retained the 360-degree crankshaft and single cam mounted at the rear of the cylinder block, but now engine internals and transmission were contained within a single set of cases. Marking it as a bold new step forward, the engine was treated to streamlined “power egg” styling. Soon the factory catalog would carry no fewer than 11 different models powered by the new-style engine, in both 500 and 650cc displacements. The first high-performance variant, the A65R Rocket, arrived in October of ’63, aimed squarely at America’s speed-obsessed throttle jockeys. It was superseded the following year by the yet-faster Lightning 650, first of the BSA unit twins to be equipped with the new splayed-port cylinder head fitted with dual carburetors. Produced through 1970, the original A65s are considered to be the last of the classic BSA twins, as first the Rocket III triple, then the updated oil-in-frame 650s met with mixed market response, no doubt hastening the company’s demise in 1973.

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