BSA Lightning Rocket
Encyclopedia
The BSA Lightning Rocket was a British
motorcycle
made by BSA
at their factory in Birmingham
. A highly tuned version of the BSA A65R Rocket
this was BSA's bid to capture the potentially lucrative USA export market in the mid-1960s. Twin Amal 389/206 carburettors and high compression pistons combined with an optional close ratio gear box to give lively acceleration.
Sharing many A65
cycle parts, the Lightning Rocket had a slimmer fuel tank and mudguards - with extra chrome. From 1965 the A65 was discontinued in the UK and the BSA A65L Lightning
become the main BSA production twin.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
made by BSA
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
at their factory in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. A highly tuned version of the BSA A65R Rocket
BSA A65 Rocket
The BSA A65R Rocket was one of a series of unit construction twin cylinder British motorcycles produced by BSA in the 1960s and a version branded as the A65 'Thunderbolt Rocket' was aimed at the US market...
this was BSA's bid to capture the potentially lucrative USA export market in the mid-1960s. Twin Amal 389/206 carburettors and high compression pistons combined with an optional close ratio gear box to give lively acceleration.
Sharing many A65
BSA A65 Star
The BSA A65 Star was a Birmingham Small Arms Company motorcycle aimed at the US market for unit construction twins. As well as giving a clean look to the engine, with the pushrod passages part of the cylinder block casting, unit construction reduced the number of places oil could leak from...
cycle parts, the Lightning Rocket had a slimmer fuel tank and mudguards - with extra chrome. From 1965 the A65 was discontinued in the UK and the BSA A65L Lightning
BSA Lightning
The Lightning was a BSA motorcycle made in Birmingham between 1965 and 1972.-Development:The BSA Lightning was designed as the all-round sportbike of the 1960s, planned largely for export to the US market to complement the touring Thunderbolt and the supersports Spitfire...
become the main BSA production twin.