my 1971 BSA 650 Lightning

[racinchef]

I purchased my 1971 BSA around the summer of 1982. I still had my 1974 Honda CB360, but quickly sold that.



The BSA was an ugly mess. It had +6 inch fork tubes that I quickly had cut down to stock height. The previous owner worked in an upholstery shop and the stock seat had been redone in an off tan color. I bought a bottle of black leather dye and fixed that quickly too. The bike had no air filters so I got a set of K & N's and I replaced the hand grips with a set of GrabOn foam grips that were the rage of the day. (The only thing close to Kuryakyn was Robert McCallum's character in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.") I had a buddy that worked in an auto body shop and he painted the tank for me. Here is how the bike looked then.





I started going to swap meets at the Cheshire County Fairground in NH and British Iron swap meets at Turner Falls, MA and began to amass bits and pieces to get her fixed up nice. I also got hold of a JC Whitney catalog and ordered a universal luggage rack and headlight brackets. At the swap meets I got a set of side covers and the "BSA" logo that goes on them. I also got a front fender of unknown heritage. At another meet I found a set of new silencers (mufflers) and somewhere I can't remember got a new set of head pipes. My auto body friend, Bernie painted the tank again (my sister's bike fell against mine and left a nasty gouge in the paint) along with the fender and sidecovers. I designed a set of brackets for the front fender and another friend cut them out in metal for me in his dad's shop. I cut up an old inner tube to fit between the bracket and the fender and we also made a bracket to mount the sidecovers. I painted the brackets and also touched up the frame. The jetting in the carbs must have been wrong because it blew a hole in one of the pistons and I ended up having it bored to 690 cc's and my mechanic also had the crankshaft rebalanced along with some other internal work on the engine. Other parts and work done were a speedometer that I also got at a swap meet, new swingarm bushings that cured a wobble that made the bike feel like it was hinged in the middle, and a pair of better shocks. I also fitted a pair of chrome and glass fuel filters in the fuel lines. Oh yeah, I got new footpeg rubber and pieces for the shifter and kickstart lever. Finally, this is how the bike looked by the 2nd year I owned it.





The next year I found a stock gas tank (the one on the bike was a Triumph) and a stock seat, but I don't have pictures of that. Here is what the bike should look like completely stock.

That brings back memories. My first bike was a 1967 Bonneville I bought new.Do you still have the BSA ?

[racinchef]

Originally Posted by meanstreak031

That brings back memories. My first bike was a 1967 Bonneville I bought new.Do you still have the BSA ?

No, I sold that after I got married.

[dakals]

Awesome pics!!!!

[coacha]

Great pictures. I'm thinking of buying an old bike next spring to tinker with and restore. Thanks for the insight.

That marriage thing.LOL. That power women have over us.