A good way to lighten an A65 – and make it more reliable
Evidence of a former life across the Atlantic Ocean
Modern batteries are smaller than the originals. I find wood is the best way to pack them out so they fit in the battery box
The ignition switch sits in the right side panel. If you make the wires this long you can fish the panel off and rest it on the pillion footrest
Rupe F’s BSA A65L
Rupe (another Rupert) got his 1971 BSA a few months before me. It was bought new by a US serviceman who took it home to California, and left it almost completely unmolested. Rupe is only the second owner, and has also (so far) resisted the temptation to molest it.
But no longer. After 20,000 miles the engine was snorting oil like a walrus, so Rupe’s pulled it apart for a major rebuild. Highlights: the engine was clapped out, with huge bearing clearances and the sludge traps absolutely full. Meanwhile the gearbox is almost unmarked. Machining work (new valve seats, reboring, main bearing work) will of course be done by Barry at T&L Engineering.
Rupe is a close associate of Rupe’s Rewires, and often does engine work on my customers’ bikes. He even built the motor on my BSA T-bolt. You would therefore think he knows the golden rules: 1) clean the bike, and 2) finish everything apart from the loom. But it would appear not, because the bike arrived slathered in 50 years of oil and road grime, and minus an engine.
I built the loom anyway. It was a masterpiece.
I have now figured out how to get three fuses under the seat. The next thing is to somehow eliminate that spring-mounted Lucas flasher unit
New 6 volt coils and decent battery terminal insulators
Here’s the finished headlight. Running wires around the rim leaves lots of room in the middle for the bulb and reflector
It’s going to be a beauty
