The BSA A65R Rocket was one of a series of

unit construction : ''For the vehicle design where the vehicle's skin is used as a load-bearing element, see Monocoque.'' Unit construction is the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. This sometimes includes ...

twin cylinder Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

Birmingham Small Arms Company The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA) 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 tool, hand, po ...

(BSA)

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s made in the 1960s. A version branded as the A65 'Thunderbolt Rocket' was aimed at the US market. The A65R Rocket was produced from 1964 but was stopped in 1965 when all development at BSA was halted by financial difficulties.

Development

The A65R was a development of the old model range led by Bob Fearon, Managing Director and General Manager of BSA and Chief Development Engineer

Bert Perrigo Albert Perrigo (1903–1985) was a British engineer who was a successful motorcycle trials rider before becoming Competition Manager for BSA motorcycles where his ideas influenced the design of many of their best selling motorcycles. Early ...

they developed the unit construction ''Star twins''. To make the A65R more of a 'sports version' of the original BSA A65 Star (and in anticipation of more stringent noise control legislation) it was given 'siamesed' 2 into 1 exhaust pipes with a special baffle, as well as chrome plated mudguards and headlight brackets. Able to cruise at 85 mph (137 km/h) and with a top speed of 108 mph (174 km/h) it was sold as the fastest BSA in production. A special version of the A65 branded as the A65T/R 'Thunderbolt Rocket' was aimed at the US market and featured high rise handlebars and a smaller fuel tank. By 1965 competition from motorcycle producers such as

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

were eroding BSA's previously rising sales figures. BSA's marketing team was slow to respond and new motorcycle development contributed to substantial losses, so by 1972 the company was absorbed into

Manganese Bronze Holdings Manganese Bronze Holdings plc (MBH) was the holding company of LTI Limited. The firm's sole business in its final years as a company was London black taxicab manufacturing through the LTI subsidiary. The Manganese Bronze and Brass Co was foun ...

in a rescue plan initiated by the

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. A plan to combine

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada *Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

, BSA and

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

failed through poor

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and the BSA factories closed.

BSA Lightning Rocket

The

BSA Lightning Rocket The BSA Lightning Rocket was a Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) motorcycle made in Birmingham. A highly-tuned version of the BSA A65R Rocket, it was BSA's bid to capture the potentially lucrative USA export market in the mid-1960s. Twin Ama ...

was a highly tuned version of the BSA A65R Rocket and featured twin Amal 389/206 carburettors and high compression pistons combined with an optional close ratio gear box to give lively acceleration. The Lightning Rocket had a slimmer fuel tank and mudguards - with extra chrome. From 1965 the Lightning Rocket was discontinued in the UK.

References

External links

A65 Rocket restoration project
{{BSA motorcycles, state=collapsed A65 Rocket Motorcycles introduced in 1964 Motorcycles powered by straight-twin engines