‘JE00100’ returned to this country in the late 1980s/early1990s and is known to the BSA Owners Club. The approximately 12 months gap between production and sale may mean that BSA kept the machine, possibly for display/publicity purposes or, alternatively, that Mr Cave (now deceased) simply got the year wrong when recalling events more than 30 years in the past. Mr Cave states that he visited the production line early in 1972 to see the engine being stamped with the number and later in the day saw the assembled bike on test.īSA factory records show that the Lightning was sold to the Comerfords dealership in Thames Ditton in February 1973 and exported to Texas, USA. One of BSA’s dealers had asked the Sales & Service Department if they could have the last-of-the-line machine, which was given a special ‘out of sequence’ number: ‘JE00100’. In his letter Mr Cave states that this machine is the last twin-cylinder model built at Small Heath. This historic example of BSA’s swansong 650 comes with a hand-written letter (dated March 2004) from Mr Alistair Cave, who was the General Works Manager at BSA’s Small Heath factory from 1964 until its closure. The lusty, parallel-twin performance remained unimpaired, Bike magazine recording figures of 14.09 seconds for the standing quarter mile and a top speed of around 105mph when comparing the Lightning with an almost-identically-performing Yamaha XS2 back in 1972, when - perhaps surprisingly - the BSA’s handling, ride and comfort were deemed superior to those of its Japanese opposite number. In this, its final incarnation, BSA’s 650 gained a new oil-bearing frame, Ceriani-style front forks with exposed stanchions, and conical hubs.
For 1965 BSA’s original A65 Star single-carburettor touring twin was replaced by the A65 Thunderbolt, which joined the twin-carburettor Lightning, both models continuing after the range was given a major makeover for the 1971 season.
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