Manufacturer | Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) |
---|---|
Production | 1962–1972 |
Predecessor | BSA A10 |
Engine | 654 cc (39.9 cu in) air-cooled OHV twin |
Power | 38 bhp (28 kW) @ 5,000 rpm [1] |
Transmission | four speed gearbox to chain drive |
Wheelbase | 54 in (1,400 mm) |
Weight | 406 lb (184 kg) [1] (wet) |
Fuel capacity | 4 gallons |
Fuel consumption | 50mpg [2] |
The BSA A65 Star was a Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) 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. [3] A range of A65 Star twins was produced between 1962 and 1972. [4]
The decision by Lucas in the late 1950s to switch production of motorcycle electrical components (from magneto/dynamo systems to alternators/coil systems) forced British motorcycle manufacturers to completely redesign their engines. Triumph and BSA took the opportunity to move from pre-unit and semi-unit construction to full unit construction, that is, with the engine and gearbox together in an integrated casting. At the same time, Bob Fearon, managing director and general manager of BSA, recognised the need for a new look that built on the best features of the A10s but would succeed in the potentially lucrative, but competitive, US market. Working with chief development engineer Bert Perrigo, he developed the unit construction Star twins. [3]
A range of these 650 cc (40 cu in) Star twins were produced between 1962 and 1972, and improved on the old pre-unit A7 and A10 series, being lighter and easier to manufacture, with more up to date styling. [5] Not enough time was spent on testing and development as BSA were struggling to remain competitive with Triumph models and the emerging Japanese motorcycles. Large side panels were fitted to cover the space behind the engine but they contributed to a dated look. This was reinforced by engine vibration, but acceleration was good to a top speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). [4]
Twelve volt electrics were introduced in 1966 and the top of the range BSA Spitfire with a claimed top speed of 120 mph (190 km/h). [6] In 1967 BSA won a special Queens Award to Industry and by 1969 80% of the BSA factory production was going to America. [7] In the US the 650 Star twins were selling well with styling changes including high rise handlebars and more streamlined fuel tanks. In 1970 a new 'oil in frame' design was adopted but this proved unpopular with shorter riders, as it increased the seat height. This was sorted out by 1972 but by then BSA were facing serious financial problems and stopped production of the outdated 650 Star twin. [4]
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Unit construction is the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. This sometimes includes the design of automobile engines and was often loosely applied to motorcycles with rather different internal layouts such as the flat twin BMW models.
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The BSA Golden Flash, commonly referred to as the Gold Flash, was a 646 cc (39.4 cu in) air-cooled parallel twin motorcycle designed by Bert Hopwood and produced by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at Small Heath, Birmingham. The Golden Flash was the first model in the BSA A10 series. It was available in black and chrome; but it was the distinctive golden paint scheme that gave The Golden Flash its name. Production continued until 1963, when it was superseded by the BSA A65 Star.
The BSA Rocket Gold Star (RGS) was a 646 cc (39.4 cu in) air-cooled parallel twin motorcycle produced by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at Small Heath, Birmingham. Launched in February 1962, it was one of the final range of A10 twins, using a tuned A10 Super Rocket engine in the double-downtube Gold Star frame.
The BSA Royal Star was a Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) motorcycle whose new engine design paved the way for a range of successful 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.
Valentine Page (1891–1978) was a British motorcycle designer, who worked for several of the UK's leading marques, including Ariel, Triumph, and BSA. Page was an innovator whose radical designs include the Triumph 6/1, BSA Gold Star, BSA A7 and BSA M20, the J.A.Prestwich engine of the Brough Superior SS100, and the Ariel Leader.
The BSA Lightning is a British BSA 650 cc-class motorcycle made in Birmingham between 1965 and 1972.
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The BSA B50 was a single-cylinder 499 cc (30.5 cu in) ohv motorcycle, produced by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. The last of the big capacity unit-construction singles from the Birmingham Small Arms company, it had an alloy engine with a bore of 84 mm (3.3 in) and a stroke of 90 mm (3.5 in). As well as the road version, special models were produced for off-road competition use.
BSA motorcycles were made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA), which was a major British industrial combine, a group of businesses manufacturing military and sporting firearms; bicycles; motorcycles; cars; buses and bodies; steel; iron castings; hand, power, and machine tools; coal cleaning and handling plants; sintered metals; and hard chrome process.
The BSA unit twins were a range of unit construction twin-cylinder motorcycles made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) and aimed at the US market. A range of 500 cc (31 cu in), 650 cc (40 cu in) and 750 cc (46 cu in) twins were produced between 1962 and 1972, but they were really developments of the older pre-unit A7/A10 model range with less weight. The engines had a reputation for vibration, but acceleration was good for the time, to a top speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).
The BSA A10 series was a range of 646 cc (39.4 cu in) air-cooled parallel twin motorcycles designed by Bert Hopwood and produced by Birmingham Small Arms Company at Small Heath, Birmingham from 1950 to 1963. The series was succeeded by the A65 unit construction models.