1968 BSA A65
1968 BSA A65 Spitfire Royal Star
ABOVE: Starting with the 1968 BSA A65, the Spitfire Royal Star joined the lineup, as BSA’s premium offering, at least until the arrival of the Rocket 3 a year later.
1968 BSA A65 Firebird Scrambler
BSA’S DESERT SLED
The A65 Firebird Scrambler was intended as a “desert sled” (nickname for off-road/enduro/desert-racing), yet included the twin carbs of the Lightning and Spitfire roadsters, giving it more high-rpm power, but a little less pull down low. Note the high pipes, small tank, lightweight alloy fenders, lack of grab bar, and the universal tires. Compare this to the Spitfire Royal Star, above for comparison. The purpose was lightweight and good off-road handling. The big “Beezers” were very competitive in their day, in desert races, scrambles and the like. The high pipes on this ’68-model ran one on each side. Starting with the 1969-model this would change forever to both pipes running high along the left side of the bike.
1968 BSA A65 SPECIFICATONS
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A65 Thunderbolt A65 Lightning A65 Firebird Scrambler Engine type Displacement Bore & Stroke Compression Carburetor(s) Ignition Engine output Primary drive Clutch Gearbox Ratios, overall: 1st, bottom 2nd 3rd 4th, top Final drive Frame type Wheelbase Seat height Ground clearance Suspension, front Suspension, rear Brake, front Brake, rear Tire, front Tire,rear Fuel Capacity Curb weight |
Single-carb Roadster Twin-carb Roadster Twin-carb Street Scrambler Air-cooled OHV vertical twin 654cc 75mm X 74mm 9.0:1 Amal Monobloc, 1-1/8″ Breakers & coils, Lucas 38 bhp @ 5800 rpm Triplex chain Multi-plate, wet 4-speed constant-mesh, right-foot shift 11.1:1 7.18:1 5.13:1 4.35:1 Chain Welded & brazed lug, full double cradle 54″ 33″ 7″ Telescopic fork, hydraulic damping Swing arm, 2 Girling dampers 8″SLS drum 7″ SLS drum 3.25″ X 18″ Dunlop 3.50″ X 18″ Dunlop 2.4 gal (US models); 4.8 gal (UK & export) 406 lbs |