1968 BSA A65 Lightning project (Part 4 OF 4)
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- Опубліковано 6 січ 2025
- Here's the last video in the mini-series of John’s BSA Lightning project
It's a 2-part video from a couple of days in the garage.
Many thanks to my friend Ronnie for some of the additional footage
In the first part, we remove the inner gearbox cover again and fit the beautiful new SRM oil pump assembly. We also had a nice interlude as we watched Geoff take off on his awesome 1954 Vincent Rapide.
The second part of the video if from this morning when we completed getting the bike ready for starting again, including:
Refitted the sump plate and new gasket
Reassembled new tachometer assembly
Squirted more oil into the crank case to help prime the new SRM Oil pump
Refitted the outer timing/gearbox cover and kickstarter assembly
Reinstalled footpegs,
Refilled the gearbox and primary cases with oil
Statically checked the Boyer Bransden electronic ignition
Started the bike
Dynamically timed the bike using the strobe / timing light
John went for a quick ride up and down the street!
Buy me a coffee? ☕ 😉
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![1968 BSA A65 Lightning and 1972 Triumph Bonneville T120V [visit 10 of 31]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5fbEHj7tsSM/mqdefault.jpg)
![1968 BSA A65 Lightning and 1972 Triumph Bonneville T120V [visit 10 of 31]](/img/tr.png)
I had a 65 lightning, new pistons every 4000 miles. Good luck with yours!
Another great video by the Mighty Garage!
Thanks a lot. I really hope so! We're hoping to go to a Norton rally in Lumby next year and are hoping that things will be more stable by then. Best wishes, Mike
Miss my old 66' lightning hill climber, extended swing arm. That thing was the most fun you could have with your clothes on...
For me the A65 is the most beautiful motorcycle in the world! And also the sound is simply the coolest!
Great workshop and interesting group of friends, along with the bikes , you couldn't ask for much more . I used to ride an Identical BSA , had 3 Triumphs back then but always thought the BSA was a better-looking machine . Dave NZ
Well Done! I have owned 20 motorcycles so far at age 73 and I enjoyed this very much!
Thank you Jim. Glad you enjoyed the video! That was a lovely bike to have in the garage. If you haven't seen it in the cul-de-sac, here's John again talking about his terrific Lightning. Cheers, Mike ua-cam.com/video/5fbEHj7tsSM/v-deo.html
What great mechanics these guys are and in spite of continual off the book problems -never a profanity uttered. Really enjoyed this. Thanks guys.
Many thanks Dave! That was a really enjoyable project and I loved having the BSA in the garage to admire 😉
I watched the whole thing... and felt your joy... in the end.
Many thanks Jay. I fell in love with that beautiful bike while it was in my garage 😉 best wishes, Mike
Since time immemorial, every motorcycle manufacturer has created that one bike which defines not only who they are, but ignites the passion for two wheels and there is nothing like a British bike to do that. Thank you MiTy for adding fuel to the fire.
Ken Jarabek hehe. My pleasure Ken! Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks very much for your great comments. Best wishes, Mike
Yes I agree and BSA made those bikes between 66 and 70
Very enjoyable thank you. I noticed the very early 8 inch twin leading shoe brake, what a thing of beauty they were.
Im’m officially green with envy one of my two favorite bikes I’ve owned.
When I bought one for the A10 I didn't know whether to fit it to the bike or put it in a display cabinet. They are a thing of beauty alright.
Beautiful bike. I had A 650 Thuderbolt who looked just the same. It had only one carburator and the front break was smaller. It also had 20 horse power less ten the Lighting unfortunately and that was the reason why I sold it in 1988. Such a beautiful bike with only 32 HP...
Just another beautiful British bike, the BSA. Yes it leaked and vibration was significant, but when it was given strict maintenance, you know you had a real motorcycle to ride. The Torque and handling were magic! Too bad with labor problems in the UK, and the intense competition by the Japanese it fell by the wayside. It's great that somewhere they're being restored; you Go!
Thanks a lot for your comment. Yes, that is a really cool BSA. It's such a great looking bike and sounds terrific. Best wishes, Mike
Bike sounds phenomenal. My dad had a BSA but I think it was a 2 stroke.😊
You guys are lucky to have each other’s wisdom and experience on working with these old bikes.
Jane Leelavathi Thanks a lot Jane, yes that was a really enjoyable project. Cheers, Mike
I had one in ‘76 and I loved that bike!!!
I owned a '67 the same color. Bought new in Grand Rapids, MI and drove it to Riverside, CA after breaking it in. Only kept it for about 6k miles though. Went through Lucas electronic parts like water, same for gauges (both failed twice each). Finally after hearing some tinkle tinkle noises, I found that one piston's skirt had cracked leaving pieces in the bottom. I'd met Malcom Smith, the head mech at the dealership and Huskvarna factory dirt bike rider ('On Any Sunday' and Baja fame) and he talked BSA in L.A. into paying for the rebuild as the bottom of one cylinder liner was .060 out of round - it must have been dropped during assembly but still used anyway. That was the last straw and it had to go. Lovely bike to ride, but keeping it running was too much to handle.
This has been the most relaxing, satisfieing, informative restoration video I have ever watched. Thank you.
Thank you very much indeed for your kind words. It was a really enjoyable project to work on John's beautiful BSA. It felt like such a pleasure. Best wishes, Mike
Thanks. Great set of vids. I have subscribed. I have a 1967 BSA A65 Lightning. Been riding it since 1969. My first and only bike until I bought a 1995 Harley Sportster 1200 in 2015. You guys are fun to watch and vids are instructional.
Thanks very much for your kind feedback and for subscribing! I really appreciate it. The Lightning's are such great looking bikes and we hope to see more of John's soon. Yes, we're having a lot of fun! Best wishes, Mike
So enjoyable to work on something old and have it fire up and go.
Totally agree. I still get such a kick out of it when the bikes starts up again! It makes it all worth it ;)
That oil pump is, actually, beautiful. Always a pleasure to watch you at work, a really cool vicarious experience!
54macdog glad you enjoyed it!. Yes we had a lot of fun with this project. And it’s always such a thrill to hear the bike burst into life at the end of a project :-) cheers, Mike
I had 3 BSA's (a 69 Lighting, a 68 Thunderbolt and a 69 Victor).
I can say by experience that it's really not a easy job to get the clutch wright on a BSA made in the late '60s.
My 69 Victor 441cc engine broke down because of its oil pump failure. So, in a sence and by experience, I would say that it's really not a bad idea to change an original BSA oil pump for a new and more modern one.
Take good care !
Thank you very much Jean-Francois. Best wishes, Mike
Great bike and a great man cave workshop
Thanks a lot Gregory. Best wishes, Mike
Did the SRM pump stop your wet sumping? I'm looking to buy one for my 1963 A10 chopper. It wet sumps, and SRM said this may stop it from doing so.
I’ll ask John. Thanks for asking. Cheers, Mike
Hi again, I wrote to John and he replied "Can’t say anything about the SRM pump and wet sumping. This BSA never wet sumped before or after the oil pump change." I'm sure that the new pumps must help. Best wishes
Just revisiting some old favourite videos and had to comment on how beautiful John's BSA is, such a classic. Also, I've said this before and I'll say it again (especially regarding part 2 of this series) I'm convinced you're one of those Six Sigma Johnnies. ;)
Hehe! Thank you Brendan. I really loved having John's bike in the garage. It is such a cool looking bike with the flamboyant red color! It really cheered up the garage for a little while. John rides it really well. John (on his BSA), Andy (on his Triumph T120) and myself (on my Norton Commando) have promised ourselves that we will do a "Brit Bike Ride" as soon as the weather improves. I can't wait and will take the GoPro of course! Best wishes for 2021! Cheers, Mike
instaBlaster.
Very very nice bike. I shared a 1969 lightning with my Dad back in the very early 80s. I was into Japanese and Spanish bikes and Dad loved his Brit stuff. I was always swapping my collection around and Dad heard of a lightning in bits. We had a look a look at the boxes of parts and a deal was struck. I swapped a roadworthy Suzuki GT380 for the parts ( I hated that 380, a pig of a bike) and Dad was going to do the restoration. Sadly Dad suffered a stroke when it was 99% complete and never got to ride it, although he did enjoy going out to the garage to be around it.
I remember it was red like the vid, had the crossed flags on the side panels, a Devimead head, high comp pistons and open bellmouths. I also remember the Prince of darkness lighting system and that ######y zener diode under the bottom yoke. That zener and a few bulbs made the restoration complete.
Only bike I ever saw with flames coming out of the carbs with dad shouting to rev it up and suck them in! Oh, then of course, the Amal Concentrics had the tickler button and my gloves stank of petrol ever after!
Of course, ours was the UK spec with flatter bars than the one in the pic. Last thing I remember about was not the power, it did not set the world alight, but the low down torque was mightily impressive when doing fourth gear roll ons to overtake something. No need to downshift. I was less impressed with the vibrations making my feet migrate to the end of the pegs.
Sadly, because of his condition, Dad had to sell the bike and it ended up going to Australia. Broke his heart. Thanks for the video and memories of my long gone Dad.
Thanks a lot for sharing this lovely story Tinker. Really appreciate you taking the time to share these great memories. It was such a pleasure to read this. Best wishes to you. Mike
You would have to sit on the back pegs to get that thing do a wheelie. Nice bike though good to see it kept to well, it is a essentual part of history.
Good one Mike---My 68 Lightning now enjoys the sun in Arizona
Great work! These bikes are what a motorcycle basically should be! Nimble, light, maybe fun to work with too.
Thank you Livari. It was a really enjoyable project to work on together. Cheers, Mike
The oil tach drive sheared off because of bad maintenance of the tach cable. It likely rusted up or got pinched by the fork stops or both - making it seize and the oil pump shaft coupling was the weakest link.
Love that BSA sound!
It sounds so good, doesn't it. Best wishes, Mike
Great that you guys help each other 👍
Can’t wait to see the next project, you hinted at Mike, the suspense 🏍
Hehe, I know.. it's killing me too ;)
I had a 69 and very quickly learnt the clutch needs respect. I used to slip the clutch on Japanese bikes while giving it beans, and get away with it. On the BSA this would ( I suspect ) heat and warp the clutch plates so that when the clutch was fully squeezed, it still wasn't disengaging. The gear box would complain with loud clonks and possible damage. So, I learnt not to twist the throttle, until the clutch was fully released.
Hi Mike, Thanks again for these videos ;)
Thanks a lot Les, cheers, Mike
Thanks as always for sharing Mike, all the extra work will I'm sure pay off when you guys are enjoying 'summer' ride outs' not having a lame bike.
atvb t ..
Thanks Terry, yes that was a really good modification. I'm sure he will be glad he did it!
God, I miss my '66 bezeer.
Thank you for the great video , really enjoyed
Derek gee Thanks very much Derek. I’m glad you enjoyed. Best wishes, Mike
What a great looking bike.
caahacky it’s super cool, isn’t it John. Yes, I really enjoyed looking at that bike in the garage. Best wishes, Mike
@@TheMightyGarage The Japanes got there with these beauties... www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-1972-Honda-CB500-Four-Original-Unrestored-STUNNING-consecutive-number-plates/303021890174?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D3646a961b2474667b7948aabc847c4b4%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D153347012777%26itm%3D303021890174&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A0e4590f4-2257-11e9-98f5-74dbd180f859%7Cparentrq%3A904e82141680a9cc37d82055fff54071%7Ciid%3A1
Wow, they are really nice. I love the old CB's. Thanks for sharing.
I'm surprised John didn't order an SRM clutch pressure plate along with the oil pump and sump plate.
He may have run out of money after buying the oil pump 😊😊
SRM bling :)
I walways wonder about those iodized painted parts like that light blue. Does that eventually come off or dissolve in anyway into the engine? Looks kinda ridiculous since is buried deep in the engine. Great job btw, the care and attention here is palpable.
Changing the oil pump was a very wise decision, just a little work now t save a major rebuilt later, how is progress on the Rapide fork damping/springs ?
Englishman French thanks a lot Chris. Yes, the Rapide it’s still a work in progress I’m afraid! I’ve just replaced the rear tire and had that rear wheel balanced and need to take the bike for another ride to see if that helped. Then I have a list of the jobs to do on the front end, step-by-step, to try and figure it out the root cause. Best wishes, Mike
Looking forward to the Manxman videos..
Thanks again Ulrich. The videos have started! Best wishes, Mike
Great! I see a lot of hard to get missing parts. I recently restored a 1961 Norton Navigator. A very rare bird here in Germany.
Best whishes
Uli
Hi Mi Ty Just purchased 68 thunderbolt and the zener diode and heat sink are in a bag i am not electric minded and wondered if you could point me in the right direction as to fitting it , I found your info on the commando very helpfull , thanks .
Hi Marshall, I'm sorry but I'm really not strong at all with electrics. I usually "call a friend" when I need help. Have you considered asking on the Britbike online forum? There are some really knowledgeable and helpful BSA guys who I'm sure could help very quickly.
Here's a link to the forum site. You might need to join to be able to post the question:
www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/1/1/bsa-bulletin-board
Here's a thread I found:
www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/574121/Searchpage/1/Main/62424/Words/%2BBSA+%2BThunderbolt+%2Bwiring+%2Bzener/Search/true/re-1969-bsa-a65-thunderbolt-wiring-help#Post574121
Best wishes, Mike
Had a 1968 A65Thunderbolt, a very easy bike to live with. I notice this lightning has had its primary chaincase notched for the larger 21T gearbox sprocket fitment, is it running the higher gearing? I fitted a BSA b25ss oil filter to my A65 it just sat nicely in sidepanel in the space for a small toolkit.
I owned a 1969 Lightning in 1972. It was my first bike. Looking back it's too bad my mechanical skills were not better. I did like it. That beautiful chrome gas tank. It was definitely a sharp looking bike. Ever since then I've had a soft spot for vertical twins. I was seriously considering a Bonnie T100 earlier this year but opted instead for an Indian Scout. If I could afford a second bike, it would be a T100.
Please help me on this: I can't recall, was the shift pattern 1 down / 3 up or the older 1 up / 3 down on the 69 Lightning?
Never mind, he answered my question when he dropped into first gear..
Thanks a lot for your note. Yes, that was certainly a really nice looking bike. I fell in love with it with it on the bench! Didn’t want to give it back to him when we were done :-) yes, the T100s are great bikes.
Such an interesting vidio
TEST Thanks very much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Cheers, Mike
My '69 Lightning (in Australia) had red side covers and the crossed flags emblem. Not in the USA?!
Or at least they’ve been modified to look like Triumph pipes!
Hey I like him I got a 68 thunderbolt I’m going to bring it up there and get mine to look like that
are you referring to the exh down pipes i got a set for my a10 r/r that i thought looked more like triumph pipes and not the curved bsa style i've always had [i've had my bike since 79 ] in the past .
Do these fellows run a mineral or fully synthetic oil in their bikes?
It's all mineral oil in these bikes, preferably with extra zinc 👍
Are the bars stock, I think they are perfect. What a beauty. I have always been a Triumph guy but kinda same, same.
Hi Daniel. I'm not sure if the bars are stock but I think they may be. Cheers, Mike
Do you have a different r/ hand crank bearing or just the standard bush?
Beyond being pretty and I suspect better made, are there any additional advantages of the SRM oil pump vs BSA stock oil pump?
They pump more oil per minute and at a slightly higher pressure
As Mike alluded to, over time the material the pumps were made from swells and cracks causing the internal gears to stick and put strain on the worm drive. My pump had micro cracks coming off the gear housings so replaced it with the SRM unit which gives a greater flow rate and prevents the engine from wet sumping.
Is it advantageous to run synthetic oil?
My brother had a lightning 68
Thanks Steven. They are great looking bikes. Cheers, Mike
Hi don't they make a sump pan with a drain plug? And how about a oil cooler?
Those are triumph exhaust header pipes on that BSA
The tennis ball on the lever.
Hehe, yes. Those levers are sharp and pointy 😉
I had to change that spindle on my 68 Spitfire and the first one was bad, had to return it and the second one was fine. There are issues with the quality of reproduction parts, good choice replacing the whole pump, I just found it pricy!
Ehab Sahawneh thank you Ehab. Yes, the pump was very expensive but hopefully it will last a lifetime. Best wishes, Mike
Engine sounds a bit clattery ?