Paul's Rants - Is my BSA A65 really just a 'Bad Bike'?

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Paul Henshaw's classic motorcycle channel.

Күн бұрын

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@BritanniaMotorcycles 2 ай бұрын

Myself, my Dad and all my friends used our British bikes as daily transport, every day. In rain and snow, parked in the yard under a tarpaulin, self maintained without "special" tools. And they just ran and ran and ran. I really do not get this rubbish about Brit bikes, Lucas electrics, Amal carbs etc from people who grew up with bikes and components designed 50 years after all those Brit bikes.

@chrispomphrett4283 2 ай бұрын

It's probably because they were in daily use. My BSA was used daily whilst I was doing my apprenticeship with minimal care. Then I got my first car and the bike became a garage queen only used on sunny Sunday rides and that was when the unreliability hit it.

@brucegeange8991 2 ай бұрын

I have been riding Triumphs since 1973 and have never had electric problems and have only ever been sidelined by a puncture

@douglasalexander4348 2 ай бұрын

Self maintained means what exactly? Amal carbs were well known for wearing and sticking, extra thick Bakelite to stop them heating up ? please don’t stick your head in the sand and pretend they were perfect. Thats why Brit bikes died, total denial, and why jap bikes became so popular, all their bikes worked so much better stock.

@stansolley5634 2 ай бұрын

I totally agree with you Paul, your story reminds me of my lovely old RE everyone always told me it was rubbish. Well one day while out on a ride, she all of a sudden started breathing shallow. When I finally got home the next day after a tear down I discovered the piston had separated between top and bottom compression rings. Long story short 500 became 535, oh and she hated spring washers love your videos keep up the good work cheers 🇦🇺

@markalton2809 2 ай бұрын

Just been out the whole afternoon on my BSA B44 Shooting Star. Started first kick every time. 1,000 miles with no (touches wood) troubles. Exhilarating performance, light and nimble, great brakes with the 69 TLS. Looks like a supermodel and attracts the same attention wherever she's parked. I bought it when I was 17 and I love it still. Yes, occasionally bits do loosen off, but the point of having an MOT exemption is that you MOT them yourself every so often. "Does it keep up with modern traffic?" Haha, can modern traffic keep up with the B44? Classic bikes are a whole different experience, they are alive, raw and a joy to ride. More smiles per mile than any modern bike. The MT07 I passed my test on had over double the power, but was 30% of the fun. PS Someone once asked me how fast it goes, I replied that I think it goes faster than light, because I feel younger every time I get off it.

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Great stuff - thanks for sharing!

@neilmcintosh1200 2 ай бұрын

Half of the things are just consumables, half are due to human error. Brilliant bike because it has gently tolerated all of this without a serious reaction. So glad to hear it is still coming out to play.

@frankmarkovcijr5459 2 ай бұрын

I rode by Triumph TR6 1965 with a hardtail and magneto community to work for 25 years. Nice and reliable. It did eat some sheet metal and enjoyed disintegrating license plates. Add to replace the rear hardtail frame section. Also ate a headlight assembly once. Settle down once miles were accumulated. World famous for touring all over Florida at 70 mi an hour all day. Great bike.

@franktreadwell3442 2 ай бұрын

The curve of the header pipes as they exit the engine are exquisite.

@stevec-b6214 2 ай бұрын

Spoken like a true biker!

@williamnethercott4364 2 ай бұрын

Very rational, as you say, not exactly a rant. My old 3TA had been rebuilt from a wreck by the previous owner and I needed to do lots of preventive work, including replacing piston rings, valves and valve springs. It was temperamental but we always got where we were going. My AJS has had one incident where I needed recovery but I won't call it a breakdown or blame the bike because it was my own bloody stupid fault for not tightening the exhaust tappet locknut properly. We can't blame the manufacturer or the bike for mistakes or non-standard items. Your BSA seems like a fine machine to me.

@RayZanibrow 2 ай бұрын

To corroborate your issues, my new clutch cable pulled through the nipple, the joint was dry. The new horn gave up, the regulator/ rectifier stopped working. Most of the new rubber parts have cracked but they've been fitted for three years and all within 100 miles on the rebuilt Lightning.

@SapoPeta-c6x 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the great job. All the very best from Spain matey

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Thanks 👍

@peter7624 2 ай бұрын

It can't be a bad bike Paul, it's a BSA! I think indifferent maintenance by previous owners is mostly the case with old British bikes, and remember they're all getting on in years, they're entitled to a breakdown now and again..

@yarrowsalmon 2 ай бұрын

Spot on Paul !

@Roger.Coleman1949 2 ай бұрын

I totally concur with what you say Paul, of all the many British bikes I've owned over the years , none have ever caused me to become stranded but numerous parts that have failed have been ' pattern ' made or so called electronic upgrades , so now choose to remain ' stock '.I have recently recommisioned a 1961 Austin Mini , unused 50 years and all the original Lucas items are original and dated to the car , now 63 years and mostly still working or easily overhauled , in fact , amazed at the durable quality compared with most modern vehicle electrical components.

@edwardwest5035 2 ай бұрын

I bought a 1966 Lightning in the early eighties for£180 .The sludge trap was full and the big end bearings had gone. Cleaned the trap, replaced the shells. The main bearing bush was fine. I used to run it on heavy detergent 40w oil ( we used it in our lorries). Used it for thirty years with little or no more problems. My mate has it now. When they first came out another mate had one brand new and the barrels lifted and pulled the studs out of the crankcase. I think BSA changed to bigger studs shortly after.

@GreggBennett-j3p 2 ай бұрын

Owned many triumph 650 and 750 twins and a 3 cyl trident. Undeniably, some design details were a bit questionable, and they did vibrate sufficiently to brake brackets, oil tank mounts, and many other things. Those bikes needed to be looked after and ridden appropriately. The big thing is to not over rev them and don’t let them get too hot. I changed my engine oil at 1000 miles and got over 40k miles on a set of pistons I replaced and the engine was running fine when I sold it. The gear boxes after ‘67 were extremely reliable. 4 and 5 speeds. And shifted quite well. Primary drive chains seemed to last indefinitely if you kept oil in the chain case. The switch to a shared oil primary drive in ‘70 was long overdue, imo, but still, my ‘67 bonneville’s primary chain had at least 60k on it and it was fine. Even the ridiculously rudimentary forks on the ‘60’s T120’s performed decently and the twin leading shoe drum brake stopped surprisingly well once set up correctly. The electronics were mostly dead simple and reliable. Vibrations did destroy light build filaments at an alarming rate, tho. I never really had an electrical system failure that I can remember. As I said, they needed to be looked after. If you did, then old T120 triumphs (and A65’s like the Thunderbolt shown here) would easily do 50k miles before needing major overhaul work. Valve guides on the Bonnevilles wanted replacement around 25k due to the steep valve angles, but this was a simple job. Occasionally I get nostalgic for my old Brit bikes, but then I move on. They really aren’t bikes for modern roads.

@MrBeracah 2 ай бұрын

Paul how many bikes have you got? I’ve lost count now. The bike looks great, enjoy.

@19892CV 2 ай бұрын

To be fair, contemporary road tests did mention fractured brackets and high rev vibrations. Having said that I did enjoy my A65s

@stevec-b6214 2 ай бұрын

It is thanks to your work on the A65 that led me to buy one last week. It is running quite nicely, just needs a bit more minor fettling to improve, which is what I wanted to be honest.

@norsehall309 2 ай бұрын

G'day Paul, l have had over 20 British motorcycles of various ages 500cc too 850cc many l still have only one new a 1976 850 Norton that in 1979 rode around Australia (big lap) and didn't miss a beat, sure when any bike gets 10,20,30, years of more their reliability needs working on but that's what we do as enthusiasts, your want super reliable buy new, but don't pick on old technology it works just fine if you know what your doing, cheers mate, Neil 🤠.

@user-ts1fp4nm9y 2 ай бұрын

Anyone who says British bikes are crap has likely never ridden one. I've had 2 and loved them dearly!!

@PeterWW-W 2 ай бұрын

Old bikes have problems, old guys too...

@victorterry 2 ай бұрын

My 1970 Firebird also had the clicking clutch, it turned out that it was triumph clutch cable on it. When I replaced with a BSA cable the clicking stopped. The triumph cable was just a fraction longer and pulled the balls out of the track.

@grateberk6435 2 ай бұрын

Whoever designed that fuel tank is a genius. Dont know why, but it really is beautiful

@Rugbyman269 2 ай бұрын

Yes a beautiful design though I suspect it's off a 250 barracuda / starfire , as far as I remember thunderbolts had a normal steel tank .

@gavind9487 2 ай бұрын

@@Rugbyman269 Later ones did have that tank.

@gordonsuddery4635 2 ай бұрын

If looked after properly there is no crap British bikes, i've had mine for more years than i can remember,as i moved to the Philippines my son Gareth now owns it he loves it too love your videos and information my best wishes to you from the Philippines ❤️💪💪😉😀😁🏁🏍️🛺🐑🇵🇭🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@kevinmurphy724 2 ай бұрын

That's a cracking bike, I've always hankered for that model. Maybe one day. My 72 bike let me down recently, never happened before. I had upgraded to a new inline fuse holder, modern crap. Put the old one back on, perfect. Just like the gators its difficult to get good quality now. I've bought some old stock Honda ones which are perfect condition and been on my bike 14yrs! Cheers Paul keep up the good work!

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@shingerz 2 ай бұрын

Good video well said 👍

@jdevona3469 2 ай бұрын

I like my BSA. It's not stock or without gremlins that arise now & then but riding it makes me happy. Can't ask for more than that.

@markstaley5922 2 ай бұрын

These old bikes are only as good as the owner looking after them i like to see some if not all modern bikes in fifty years hmmm great talk that makes complete sense my old dad would only have bsa and nothing else back in the sixties 👍

@dungspreader 2 ай бұрын

All bikes have their foibles . Even new ones . The fact that this Beeza has survived 50 yrs says a lot . How many of today's new bikes will be around in 50 yrs from now ? And if so , will they be fixable with simple tools and a bit of know how?

@GTMarmot 2 ай бұрын

Aftermarket parts can be a problem nowadays. I bought a generic horn once from Wemoto, and the bracket it came with was so flimsy and thin that it couldn't withstand vibrations at all - it would have broken if I'd kept it. Same with fork gaiters - I bought a new pair from Ebay and they cracked almost immediately, so I fitted a couple of old ones (from the 1980s) which are still fitted and intact - just a bit grey.

@highdownmartin 2 ай бұрын

I’ve had quite a few mechanical failures and punctures etc over the years. And usually within an hour or twenty four of the event, and I’ve time to think about what’s happened, how it happened and how it could so easily have been so much worse ;it’s either my fault or if it’s the bike or the landrover it’s usually managed to pick a good spot , near a friendly face or not far from home or whatever where the previous day or the next day is have been two hundred miles from my house and what wasn’t too bad could have been a real proper inconvenience. The Gods of Cosmic motoring looking down on me again.

@colinmartin2921 2 ай бұрын

Lovely looking bike. I wonder what possessed BSA to move to the blocky styling that they designed in the early Seventies?

@d.pierce.6820 2 ай бұрын

I finally got tired of the fork gaiters cracking and splitting on my '67 Triumph-they would barely last a year before cracking. I got a set of Italian-made gaiters, and so far, they have been great-supposedly a 10 year warranty on them, but we''ll see. Maybe the Italians know a bit about rubber-the GT handlebar grips are original '67 vintage, and still look like new.

@erik_dk842 2 ай бұрын

Hmm. When I rode a Guzzi around 1990, the saying in the rider's club magazine was: "I'd never trust a condom made in Italy"

@billykershaw2781 2 ай бұрын

Brother had a Blackbird, sparks and smoke fizzing out of the ignition....ya pays ya money, and ya takes ya choice...nice beeza! Got them carpets and lino fitted yet? Ha ha ha. Tek care mate!

@philmuskett265 2 ай бұрын

Would love you to video a ride with your lass on the back!!! Hope she's not a back-seat driver!!!!

@borderlands6606 2 ай бұрын

Most of my bikes and cars were viewed as bad according to popular opinion. What they were is unfashionable, which never troubled me. New gaiters might benefit from silicon spray, the stuff sold to keep car window rubbers supple.

@simonrdew 2 ай бұрын

I've had bikes I swear where inhabited by a malign spirit and I agree it wasn't an issue of the marque but a case of either ill use for a prolonged period or the mechanical intervention of a ham fisted cretin at an early stage. Whether or not one persists with such unfortunate machines is a matter of personal stamina. 😅

@borderlands6606 2 ай бұрын

@@simonrdew Keep a vehicle long enough, and you can predict what its failures are likely to be. This provides satisfaction when a bike inevitably fulfils the owner's expectation. He can say that's not a fault because I knew it would do that, and I should have known better. On that basis there are no bad bikes, only unrealistic expectations. I've been sufficiently hooked on some bikes and cars, that the fact they start and move at all exceeds all my expectations of it and is a source of boundless joy. This is known as addiction.

@callmeanythingbutlatefordinner 18 күн бұрын

Just like dogs, THERE ARE NO BAD BIKES, only bad owners.

@hermangibbs8163 2 ай бұрын

WELL SAID.

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Thanks, Herman!

@jackwilliams3343 2 ай бұрын

Id like a lightning to run around on.....

@SLED649 2 ай бұрын

I gotta tell you Paul, the A65 is a bad bike! BAD TO THE BONE GOOD!🤣👍

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

🤭

@philipgibbs2211 2 ай бұрын

Show me a honda of the same age that has fewer problems.

@chrispomphrett4283 2 ай бұрын

My pretty orange Honda XL125K1 from 1975 (50 years old next year!) is still running at just short of 65,000 miles. Oil changes with quality oil and not revving the nuts off it as well as opening up the oilways a little, let it warm up before riding off and check the points ignition regularly... Just completed from the ground up total rebuild which should last out my remaining biking years especially as my larger bikes are getting a bit heavy for me.

@MOFTV 2 ай бұрын

Armor-all is a good treatment for rubber. The modern stuff seems to need additional preservative.

@jerryhatley5004 2 ай бұрын

It’s a pretty bike….

@thra5herxb12s 2 ай бұрын

Three weeks ago, I rode my 1955 Ariel 500 single from Kent to Lincolnshire and raced it all weekend before riding it back again. Total crap 😁.

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Nice work!

@andrewgent5887 2 ай бұрын

Irritatingly and particularly on old Brit bikes, nothing vibrates tight, always loose. Btw I wonder what happen to the horn that left the factory with the bike.

@kevinphipps3644 2 ай бұрын

The new rubber gaiters don’t last very long , not like the originals, it’s like they use cheap rubber !

@ianwright3971 2 ай бұрын

These bikes are as good as the last person that rebuilt them....Most are sound, though dated, designs but will perform quite well if used within the original designs parameters.....I used mainly various BSAs as my ONLY transport for decades, including a commute of 30 miles a day over Dartmoor in all conditions.....You have to remember these bikes are OLD and have suffered plenty of wear and a lot of abuse from enthusiastic but amateur owners, particularly when they were in their 'junk' phase before they became collectible...The fact is every 20 years or so the clock has to be 'set back to zero' by means of a full rebuild carried out to a professional standard.......Do that and most will give good service over many years....

@davidphillips7255 2 ай бұрын

Motorcyles from the last century required more care and attention than modern bikes to be reliable even when new and they are now in many cases more than a half century old. The same is true of cars. Age does not improve machinery, regardless of brand. To expect any different is just foolishness.

@carlnapp4412 Ай бұрын

I recently bought myself a Velocette MAC that is modified with parts of an Indian Bullet. Now she has an Indian primary drive which is absolutely dry. But she no longer looks like a Velocette. Do you happen to know where I could look for parts to rebuild her?

@paulhenshaw4514 Ай бұрын

I don't know, but the owners club might be a good place to start.

@carlnapp4412 Ай бұрын

@@paulhenshaw4514 I hadn't thought of them. Cheers!

@charlielewis9471 2 ай бұрын

Hi Paul, what engine oil do you put in your a65 ?

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Hi Charlie - just a good mineral 20/50, as with all my other machines and most customer machines.

@andrewlengert2558 2 ай бұрын

At least you can work on British bikes, unlike the new stuff, spend a fortune at a garage or scrap it. Also be wary buying fork gaiters as a lot off the Internet only last a few months.