An A65 As We Wanted It

Jim and Liz knew just how they wanted their A65 Lightning to be

Jim Lightning (for want of a more appropriate surname) could act as a stand-in for late Quo frontman Rick Parfitt, such is his likeness to the famous rock guitarist. But what rocks Jim’s silver locks these days are Small Heath unit twins; and the BSA Lightning to be more specific. This wasn’t always the case however, as Jim has owned umpteen BSA, Norton, and Triton motorcycles, and recently he restored a prize-winningVelocette Venom, as well as a trophy-accruing Norton ES2.

The stunning silver and black ‘Lightning’ seen hereabouts was restored from the ground up by ace mechanic Jim and restyled by his ‘show queen’ wife Liz, who shares Jim’s passion for all things glitter and chrome. However, this BSA is no trailer queen – despite its impressive haul of silverware, which Jim freely admits is credited to his wife’s design input. It’s actually a café racer that gets plenty of use, whether on trips to far-flungVMCC events or on back road burns to Jim’s favourite haunt,The Biker’s Cove in South Queensferry.

The bike once belonged to a family friend who stripped it with the intention of restoring it. However, the A65 ended up in boxes, accumulating rust and cobwebs in a farm shed over several years – hard to believe when we see it now!

Jim and Liz bought the bike around nine years ago and rebuilt it as a BSA (SRM) X65 look-alike, based on CraigVetter’s BSA Rocket 3 concept of 1969 (later rebranded as theTriumph Hurricane when a troubled BSA closed its doors). But Liz decided the X65’s minute petrol tank and Seventies styling was no longer her cup of tea. So the dynamic duo spent another three months rebuilding it from scratch, with genericTriton styling as an influencing factor...

CAFÉ RACER HEAVEN