1967 BSA A65T THUNDERBOLT 650cc Twin UNRESTORED RUNNING Original SURVIVOR!

Offered here is a 1967 BSA A65T THUNDERBOLT 650cc twin, n VERY GOOD, ERY COMPLETE and (nearly) 100% ORIGINAL RUNNING condition! This sweet little bike is GORGEOUS! As you can see in the photos, he is very VERY clean, nmolested and in nice shape, specially if you like the look of an unrestored survivor, with a few scars and blemishes to testify to the passage of nearly 50 years! All bodywork is original and still wears the factory black paint with white pinstriping, few chips and scratches of course but still showing a nice hi-gloss shine. Chrome over all is pretty good, ome scattered spots of light pitting on the left side of the tank, early flawless on the right side, ost importantly the tank is intact with NO dents or dings! Front fender & stays are nice, eadlight shell has some pitting, ear fender has some light pitting, hrome is dull and faded, ouple small cracks on the end. Original Jones 19" WM2 front rim has quite a few spots of pitting and some larger areas where the chrome has come off, pins straight & true, 8" Jones rear rim is in much better shape, hines up very nicely with just a few spots of pitting and a couple tire iron scars, ooks very good overall. Exhaust pipes, ufflers, hainguard, ickstart pedal, earshift pedal, evers are all original, hrome as good as you could expect, nly exception is the front brake lever which could definitely benefit from a trip the plating shop. Structurally, he exhaust pipes & mufflers are in great shape, O dents or dings, O holes, O heavy rust. Engine cosmetics are very good - NO bent or broken fins on the engine, O dents or gouges in the alloy engine covers, rankcases are PERFECT with NO damage of any kind, O dings, rimps or cracks in any of the frame tubes, rame is 100% straight, ncut and unmodified, NO ugly weld repairs, nly issue is a typical one for these bikes - the sidestand lug is broken, rom years of ill-informed owners jumping on the kickstarter with the weight of the bike leaned over on the sidestand - never a good idea! Center stand is intact and works fine, ut if you want a sidestand you'll have to repair the lug. Engine number A65TA7374-Y, matching frame number A65TA7374. The mysterious "-Y" on the engine number has become part of BSA lore, ariously explained as designating certain late-model-year production changes including moving the zener diode and heat sink to the front under the headstock and changing to a 3-line engine oil feed fitting... Nobody really knows for sure!

14,454 miles currently showing on the Smiths gray-face magnetic speedo (and counting - I ride this bike almost every day), hich I have every reason to believe is the original mileage. Speedometer still has the original "Do Not Pull Trip Shaft Down" sticker in place! When the bike came to me about 15 years ago the top end was lightly stuck due to years of storage - Marvel Mystery Oil down the spark plug holes, ne heat cycle on the cylinders and it came free easily with gentle pressure on the kick start pedal. From what I could see down the plug holes the cylinder walls looked good, o the head & barrel were left in place, the valve clearance was set, arburetor rebuilt, oints cleaned & set, ll fluids changed including the fork oil, a little more fettling here and there and she fired right up! After a few miles to bed-in the rings, he engine runs clean and strong with NO smoke, op end is noisy with the usual BSA valve train bag o' nails racket but again the engine runs great, lutch frees easily and does not slip, ransmission shifts cleanly. If I were going to hang on to this bike at some point I would want to take a closer look at the top end, nstall new rings and give the cylinders a fresh hone just because the rings were previously stuck, ut for now everything seems just fine. I mounted a set of period correct UK-made Dunlop K70 tires and replaced the rusty hi-rise handlebars with a set of low bars, ut other than that pretty much everything else - and I mean EVERYTHING - is just as it left the Small Heath works! OK it does have a Concentric Amal carburetor, hich is likely an upgrade by some previous owner, lthough I have read that some late 1967 Brit bikes did make the change from Monobloc to Concentric, o who knows even this could be "original"... And the "-Y" suffix on the engine number does confirm it to be a late '67 production model... Either way the Concentric is the better way to go for sure, nd the carburation is spot-on. Suspension and brakes are original and work as you would expect, hich is to say not great but middle of the road for a mid-60s BSA. Even the electrical system is all-original, iring harness is intact and unmolested, verything is genuine Lucas, ncluding the headlight lens, aillight lens, mmeter, andlebar switches, onnectors and so on... As a bonus, he engine is amazingly oil-tight (for a BSA or any other Brit bike for that matter!), nd even after a hard ride does not mark it's territory with oil stains on my garage floor! As with any nearly 50+ year old unrestored vintage bike, here are a number of flaws or things that could use some attention beyond what I have already pointed out, nd I will try to cover everything that I am aware of here (most are also shown in the photos below): Front fork gaiters have splits and need to be replaced, ost of the rubber fittings are worn, ried & cracked (speedo holder, able guides, ootpegs etc), ork lock is missing, eadlight rim has some dings & roadrash, tank badge on the right side has cracked in half, ank filler cap needs a new gasket, hoke slide & cable missing, correct-for-1967 fiberglass side covers have some cracks & chips in the gelcoat, eat cover has some stains and frayed stitching at the hump, ear brake light switch has a "temporary" repair, orks fine as-is... That's pretty much it - all in all, very nice, ery presentable and VERY rideable example of Birmingham's finest from 1967!

Took her out this morning for a 20-mile ride in the hills south of San Jose over the weekend, hat a blast, till grinning a few hours later - that should tell you all you need to know about this sweet little Beezer!!!

Sold with clean California title in my name and valid Non-Op registration! SOLD HERE WITH LOW RESERVE!!! 

Payment by Paypal, aypal eCheck, ank transfer or email me for other Ebay-approved payment options. LOCAL PICK-UP IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA PREFERRED! However I will work with winning bidder to arrange shipping by trucking company or private party of your choice... LOW COST international shipping can also be arranged - email me for more info!

SEE MY OTHER LISTINGS for more vintage motorcycle goodies... 

Also published at eBay.com