The BSA Lightning is a British BSA 650 cc-class

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 ...

made in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

between 1965 and 1972.

Development

The BSA Lightning was designed as the all-round sports machine of the 1960s,''Motorcycle Sport'', June 1969, p.226 ''BSA Lightning road test''. "The catalogue describes the Lightning as a sports machine...". Accessed and added 2014-07-02 planned largely for export to the US market Motorcycle Mechanics, August 1965, p.36/37, ''Leapaway Lightning. Road test by Editor John Houslander. "Bulk of the Lightning production is said to be earmarked for the American market—and frankly we can't blame the Yanks for wanting them—they are the cream at the top of BSA's big bike production''". Accessed and added 2014-07-02 to complement the touring

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

and the later development, the supersports

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

. Development of the engine aimed to make it more reliable, quieter and less prone to oil leaks, with top speed sacrificed to improve mid-range and rideability. Nevertheless, with twin carburettors the A65L could still reach . Improvements included an oil pressure warning light, but this had a tendency to malfunction, so riders learned to ignore it. A close ratio gearbox combined with a high lift camshaft made for lively acceleration and performance at higher rpm than the standard A65. The bottom gear was a bit high, however, so riders had to learn to slip the clutch up to . Above 5000 rpm customers also complained about excessive vibration, with a tendency to weave above . A useful feature was an 'emergency starting' key position for times when the battery was flat to connect the alternator current directly to the ignition coils. Motorcycle Mechanics, August 1965, p.36/37, ''Leapaway Lightning. Road test by Editor John Houslander''. Accessed 2013-12-14 BSA Lightning

From 1969 the Lightning was improved with balanced exhaust pipes, redesigned silencer-internals, widened crankcase-half mating faces and a twin leading shoe front brake. When road testing, ''Motorcycle Sport'' found the natural cruising speed to be , but was impossible to ride comfortably at more 5,500 rpm in the higher gears due to severe vibration, with 6,200 revs repeatedly breaking the headlamp bulb filament; accordingly no top speed runs were attempted.''Motorcycle Sport'', June 1969, p.226 ''BSA Lightning road test'' Accessed and added 2014-07-02 In 1971, 201 750cc versions, designated the A70L, were also produced for American racing

homologation Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...

purposes. In 1972 the BSA Group were in financial difficulties and, in a last attempt to extend the brand life, a new frame was developed for the A65L. As well as raising the seat height to an impractical , it actually broke during testing at the

Motor Industry Research Association An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

(MIRA) test track, marking the end of one of the most successful range of British twin cylinder motorcycles.

A70 Lightning

To produce a 750cc machine for AMA Class C racing, BSA lengthened the stroke of Lightning's crankshaft by 11mm to give a displacement of 751cc. 202 A70 Lightning machines were produced to meet the minimum production requirements. All were exported to the US, most to the East Coast distributor in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

James Bond film ''Thunderball''

A fully faired gold-painted BSA Lightning fitted with missiles appeared in the 1965

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' Thunderball'', ridden by former road-race champion

Bill Ivy William David Ivy (27 August 1942 – 12 July 1969) was an English professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Maidstone, Kent. He died during practice for a race in East Germany. The Early Years Ivy started racing motorbikes at Brands Hat ...

as a

stunt double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

, wearing a blonde wig to make him look like

Bond girl A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest or female companion of James Bond in a novel, film or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, o ...

Fiona Volpe Fiona Volpe is a character in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'', played by actress Luciana Paluzzi. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role of Domino Vitali in the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in the n ...

, played by Italian actress

Luciana Paluzzi Luciana Paluzzi (born 10 June 1937) is an Italian actress. She is perhaps best known for playing SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe in the fourth James Bond film, '' Thunderball'', but she had important roles in notable films of the 1960s and 1970s in ...

. Volpe used the BSA to fire two rocket missiles and destroy

Count Lippe The following is a list of primary antagonists in the ''James Bond'' novels and film series. Novel villains by author Ian Fleming Kingsley Amis (writing as Robert Markham) Christopher Wood John Gardner Raymond Benson ...

's car, which was chasing Bond. A working missile launching system was fitted to the motorcycle but the explosion which destroyed the car was actually detonated remotely by stunt coordinator Bob Simmons. The filming of the scene was recorded in a

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

film ''A Child's Guide to Blowing Up a Motor Car'' that is on the Ultimate DVD edition of ''Thunderball''. In September 1965, the actual bike was exhibited at a

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

motorcycle show held at the Metropole Hotel exhibition centre.

Motor Cycle 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, ...

, 9 September 1965, Brighton Show Edition. p.363. 'BSA, Stand 9'. "''James Bond fan? Make a bee-line for the Beesa stand: that rocket firing twin from the Thunderball film will be there''". Accessed 2013-08-26

References

External links

BSA Lightning still #1 from if.... movie
Retrieved 2014-05-06
BSA Lightning still #2 from if.... movie
Retrieved 2014-05-06 {{BSA motorcycles, state=collapsed

Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...

Standard motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1965 Motorcycles powered by straight-twin engines

Development

A70 Lightning

James Bond film ''Thunderball''

See also

References

External links