My father bought brand new one in 65 or 66 I believe it was a MK II 650 Special, same paint scheme. I remember spending many hours on the back of it, and remember my father always having to work on it prior to rides.
Best things I ever did to my 67 BSA Lightning was, 1)Oil Cooler with thermostat, and 2) a Micro Digital Boyer Ignition(WAY better than the old Analog Boyer ignition)!
I had one of those in 1970. Nice ....until I broke the engine! Vibrations were horrific! Then I lost it in a poker game and never saw it again!! Lol! Heard it had been rebuilt somewhere and working fine now.....😎😎 I had a bigger tank though, made of fiberglas.
@@classicbritishbikesupersto2247 LOL! It was not to bad, as the rebuilt of that bike would cost as much as I paid for the bike, so maybe a good thing! But I must say, it was a fun bike to ride...as long as it lasted. My fault really, as I was on a trip when on cylinger just stopped working and I continued with one cyl only. That "took care" of the crank shaft! Happy new year by the way!! I am in Thailand on my usual winter stay riding bikes every day...I have 3. Nsr 150SP, Honda CBR250r, Kawa er6n 650. I am a happy biker!
BSA was the Birmingham Small Arms Company who went from making guns to bikes. We had a Bantam that we played on as a dirt bike until we wrecked it. If we had looked after it, it would be worth £thousands now.
Lovely things. Rode similar bikes in the 1970s and 1980s. The reversed brake pedal is a serious issue. In an emergency, you will instinctively slam down on the other side. Not good.
Every British bike was the same up to around 1975, as were Harley Sportsters. No big deal, you soon learn to adjust Got the 500 version of this bike myself and a Harley FXDWGI so I know it's straightforward to swap over
A rare and beautiful bike, also a great example of why the British motorcyle industry was almost totally decimated by the Japanese only a few years later. Leaks? Check. Lousy electrics? Check. Kick start only? Check. Vibration? Oh, yes...enough to shake parts off the bike. I had a BSA Lightning that I tricked out to the max. It made great sounds, handled well, and had a lot of mechanical issues. The reliability issue was a real turnoff after having owned a totally bulletproof Honda Superhawk. The BSA ended up being my first....and last British bike.
My father bought brand new one in 65 or 66 I believe it was a MK II 650 Special, same paint scheme. I remember spending many hours on the back of it, and remember my father always having to work on it prior to rides.
Think'n work'n on the bikes was just part of it back in the day. I know my 76 Sportster always needs love before, during and after a ride. Wahoo!
Nice looking power egg!
Wahoo!
Best things I ever did to my 67 BSA Lightning was, 1)Oil Cooler with thermostat, and 2) a Micro Digital Boyer Ignition(WAY better than the old Analog Boyer ignition)!
Nice!
I had one of those in 1970. Nice ....until I broke the engine! Vibrations were horrific! Then I lost it in a poker game and never saw it again!! Lol! Heard it had been rebuilt somewhere and working fine now.....😎😎 I had a bigger tank though, made of fiberglas.
So..was that good luck or bad? Wahoo!
@@classicbritishbikesupersto2247 LOL! It was not to bad, as the rebuilt of that bike would cost as much as I paid for the bike, so maybe a good thing! But I must say, it was a fun bike to ride...as long as it lasted. My fault really, as I was on a trip when on cylinger just stopped working and I continued with one cyl only. That "took care" of the crank shaft! Happy new year by the way!! I am in Thailand on my usual winter stay riding bikes every day...I have 3. Nsr 150SP, Honda CBR250r, Kawa er6n 650. I am a happy biker!
BSA was the Birmingham Small Arms Company who went from making guns to bikes.
We had a Bantam that we played on as a dirt bike until we wrecked it. If we had looked after it, it would be worth £thousands now.
Beautiful motorcycles!
Is the new BSA Goldstar available in the US? I think they are awesome, but most of the classic bike crowd hate them. Don't understand why!
Not yet but we're hoping soon. Hope Baxter Cycle picks them up too. Would love to take one for a ride. Wahoo!
Lovely things. Rode similar bikes in the 1970s and 1980s. The reversed brake pedal is a serious issue. In an emergency, you will instinctively slam down on the other side. Not good.
Was a fun ride. Wahoo!
Every British bike was the same up to around 1975, as were Harley Sportsters. No big deal, you soon learn to adjust
Got the 500 version of this bike myself and a Harley FXDWGI so I know it's straightforward to swap over
A rare and beautiful bike, also a great example of why the British motorcyle industry was almost totally decimated by the Japanese only a few years later. Leaks? Check. Lousy electrics? Check. Kick start only? Check. Vibration? Oh, yes...enough to shake parts off the bike. I had a BSA Lightning that I tricked out to the max. It made great sounds, handled well, and had a lot of mechanical issues. The reliability issue was a real turnoff after having owned a totally bulletproof Honda Superhawk. The BSA ended up being my first....and last British bike.
Have owned many Japanese bikes and loved them all. Wahoo!
Shoulda pulled the cap on the oil tank to make sure it was returning.........
Why would that be any concern?
To be sure the engine tank oil had not seeped into the engine sump. We actually do this check on all these older bikes before running.
Important step, we did a check before running the bike.