1968 BSA A65 Lightning project (Part 4 OF 4) 

Another great video by the Mighty Garage!

Miss my old 66' lightning hill climber, extended swing arm. That thing was the most fun you could have with your clothes on...

What great mechanics these guys are and in spite of continual off the book problems -never a profanity uttered. Really enjoyed this. Thanks guys.

I had a 65 lightning, new pistons every 4000 miles. Good luck with yours!

Well Done! I have owned 20 motorcycles so far at age 73 and I enjoyed this very much!

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.

For me the A65 is the most beautiful motorcycle in the world! And also the sound is simply the coolest!

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.

Bike sounds phenomenal. My dad had a BSA but I think it was a 2 stroke.😊

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.

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...

I watched the whole thing... and felt your joy... in the end.

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!

So enjoyable to work on something old and have it fire up and go.

That oil pump is, actually, beautiful. Always a pleasure to watch you at work, a really cool vicarious experience!

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.

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 !

You guys are lucky to have each other’s wisdom and experience on working with these old bikes.

This has been the most relaxing, satisfieing, informative restoration video I have ever watched. Thank you.

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.

I had one in ‘76 and I loved that bike!!!

Great bike and a great man cave workshop

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.

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

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. ;)

Good one Mike---My 68 Lightning now enjoys the sun in Arizona

Love that BSA sound!

Great work! These bikes are what a motorcycle basically should be! Nimble, light, maybe fun to work with too.

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.

Hi Mike, Thanks again for these videos ;)

Great that you guys help each other 👍 Can’t wait to see the next project, you hinted at Mike, the suspense 🏍

Thank you for the great video , really enjoyed

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 ..

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.

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.

SRM bling :)

God, I miss my '66 bezeer.

Such an interesting vidio

I'm surprised John didn't order an SRM clutch pressure plate along with the oil pump and sump plate.

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.

What a great looking bike.

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

Looking forward to the Manxman videos..

My brother had a lightning 68

Do you have a different r/ hand crank bearing or just the standard bush?

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.

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 ?

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..

Are the bars stock, I think they are perfect. What a beauty. I have always been a Triumph guy but kinda same, same.

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.

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 .

Those are triumph exhaust header pipes on that BSA

Beyond being pretty and I suspect better made, are there any additional advantages of the SRM oil pump vs BSA stock oil pump?

Hi don't they make a sump pan with a drain plug? And how about a oil cooler?

The tennis ball on the lever.

Is it advantageous to run synthetic oil?

My '69 Lightning (in Australia) had red side covers and the crossed flags emblem. Not in the USA?!

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!

Engine sounds a bit clattery ?

Do these fellows run a mineral or fully synthetic oil in their bikes?