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1967 BSA A65

1967 BSA A65


1967 BSA A65 LIGHTNING

1967 BSA A65 LIGHTNING
The 650 Lightning was BSA’s top-line bike, and meant to do battle with the market-dominating Triumph Bonneville and had twin carbs just like the Bonnie. The Lightning was certainly fast enough and handled well. It just never had the styling to compete with the Triumph. By this time, 1967, the A65 was well-developed.


1967 BSA A65 SPITFIRE MkIII

A65 SPITFIRE SPECIAL
This was the hot rod version of the A65, just behind the A65 Lightning. Like the Lightning, the Spitfire had twin Amal carbs, the first year for the new Concentric design, replacing the Amal Monobloc across the entire model line.


1966 BSA A65 HORNET

A65 HORNET
If the Lightning was at the top of BSA’s 650 food chain, then the Hornet was somewhere near the bottom. Not a bad bike, but meant to appeal to more of the commuter than the sport bike enthusiast. It had a single carb and milder cams.


1967 BSA A65 SPECIFICATIONS 

A65 Thunderbolt

A65 Lightning

A65 Spitfire Scrambler

Engine type

Displacement

Bore & Stroke

Compression

Carburetor(s)

Ignition

Engine output

Primary drive

Clutch

Gearbox

Ratios, overall:

1st, bottom

2nd

3rd

4th, top

Final drive

Frame type

Wheelbase

Seat height

Ground clearance

Suspension, front

Suspension, rear

Brake, front

Brake, rear

Tire, front

Tire,rear

Fuel Capacity

Curb weight

Single-carb Roadster

Twin-carb Roadster

Twin-carb Street Scrambler

Air-cooled OHV vertical twin

654cc

75mm X 74mm

9.0:1

Amal Monobloc, 1-1/8″

Breakers & coils, Lucas

38 bhp @ 5800 rpm

Triplex chain

Multi-plate, wet

4-speed constant-mesh, right-foot shift

11.1:1

7.18:1

5.13:1

4.35:1

Chain

Welded & brazed lug, full double cradle

54″

33″

7″

Telescopic fork, hydraulic damping

Swing arm, 2 Girling dampers

8″SLS drum

7″ SLS drum

3.25″ X 18″ Dunlop

3.50″ X 18″ Dunlop

2.4 gal (US models); 4.8 gal (UK & export)

406 lbs