Real Classic BSA A65 THUNDERBOLT
You know how it is. You own a classic bike. You resurrected it from an old wreck. You put blood, sweat, tears and not an inconsiderable amount of money into rescuing it. The machine became your friend. You swear that you will never part with it and you never intend to…but one day in some inexplicable moment of madness, you do just that!
That's exactly what happened to me. In 2020, I parted company with my beloved BSA A65 Rocket, a bike that in the eleven years of my ownership (see RC117) had let me down only twice. One time it was with a broken throttle cable and once with a duff battery and, do you know what, the old girl was so caring that both times she did it within sight of where we lived. How's that for loyalty?
The A65 was bought by a friend who lived in the same village, and I often saw them pass, setting off on a new adventure together. I missed the BSA, I really did. I even offered to buy her back, but her new partner was having none of it. They did call by occasionally so that we could see each other again.
Then in 2022 there appeared an advert for an oil-in-frame model, a 1971 A65, for sale locally. In the photo it looked very nice indeed. I have always admired the look of these bikes. They may be over 50 years old but they still look modern to me. I really did have to go and view this bike.
On arrival at the seller's house, I was greeted by a
