New old bike up for sale.

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Apr 7, 2004
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This is a bike I built in the Winter of 2007. An Illness has caused the owner to sell. Best to buy your BSA's all done up check it out.
Up for auction 1967 BSA Lightning

• All completely re-built in the winter of 2007.
• Built by Decent Cycles, Flint, Michigan,
• Motor by EV engineering, Howard City, Michigan.
• House of Colors paint by Ken Smith, Flint, Michigan
• VIN # A65 LA651*-Y
• 269 break in miles
• Owner has health issues causing the sale of this bike.
• It is built as a Thunderbolt model as is (see sleeved mono block), but has all the parts to make it back
into a two carburetor bike including the head, Amal Concentric’s, and fully painted to match side covers.
• It has won best of shows and best in class any time it was entered.
• Many hidden modifications to get the best out of this machine.
• Powder coated frame and Avon tires.
• Boyer ignition, six volt coils
• H-4 headlight and a Decent Cycles three relay kit
• Norton type spin on oil filter, special engine breather system
• Decent Cycles fork dampening kit, all redesigned valves inside

New chrome fenders and stays, fork legs and bushings, springs, top bolts, seals, all the rubber pieces. New headlight shell, handle bars, switches, lever controls and grips. All new cables, re-built stock gauges by Mark Bowman, new wire harness cloth wrapped with added grounds to all components; these are all fastened to a common ground. New seat with new S.S. trim bars, the pipes are new and the best, 300.00 a set, and so are the mufflers, also 300.00 a pair, not your common re-productions. Tail light is a “Bulbs That Last Forever”. New swing arm bushings and Hagon Shocks, 520 X-ring conversions on the main chain and sprockets (20 tooth front and 47 tooth rear). “Alloy Tech” sump plate with bolt type drain. The Avon tread pattern tires, still many miles left on this set. Battery is AGM type, “PODtronics” regulator. Lots of bolts are new old stock, some are S.S. New chromed steel rims and cad plated spokes, nickel plated brass nipples by Central Wheel, laced by “Jock” in London ONT. All the new oil lines are the correct herring bone type. The Norton type oil filter is unseen, but convenient to service and is plumbed into the return side of the oil system. The sharp eyed BSA guys will see a 1971 head and valve cover used here for it's beefed up casting were the breather is placed the system has a one way valve and filter all hidden of course.

The Ed V. motor has many of Ed’s components that are his standard. Forged pistons, cast iron oil pump, custom tuned and timed transmission work, a mild port job on the single carb head, aluminum/bronze guides, black diamond valves. The crank is balanced; of course, all the bearings and bushings in the entire unit have been replaced with new and fitted. Ed V. is famous for his motor work all over the world.

The paint work is of the best quality, as can be seen in the pictures. It is House of Colors brand, gold underneath a candy red. The liberty was taken of using this gold as the stripe color (stock was white); we also did not use the stock decals on the side covers, and chose the BSA winged logo instead. This treatment is also painted on the spare set of side covers for the Lightning configuration. No dents or scratches are apparent.

This bike was built to ride and show, without regard to cost by a private individual that was working closely with me during the building process. Many parts were bought and returned, because of lower than expected quality. It has nothing but the best combination of parts and workmanship. To start with a good runner and bring it up to this condition, it would cost well over $10,000 today.
New old bike up for sale.

New old bike up for sale.

New old bike up for sale.

New old bike up for sale.
 
I remember "ooh'ing and aah'ing" that one when you posted the finished pix...

NICE.
 
A really nice example, well worth the asking price which seems low compared to a new run of the mill UJM.

Jean
 
That is one beautiful bike. I wish I could have grabbed it but the cash is a little tight right now. Very nice job on the build - it might be one of the best-looking bikes I've ever seen. Kudos to the buyer!
 
That really low mile one you had a while ago Greg, is the only Lightning/T-bolt I've seen that even comes close to this one. Really beautiful. It's been my monitor background for a week or so now, which is some kind of record (I'm a bit fickle/ADHD....). The buyer is truly a lucky guy (or gal...)
 
I am still getting asked about it's availability but you would have to pry it from the new owners hands somewhere in Ohio. 8000.00 was the cost with no labor. So the owner got a deal. 200 hours of shop time free. Even at my low shop rate it should have been 4000 more to break out with a wage for the work. I have more that I will build but not for free labor. The owner’s sickness caused the sale or he just would have driven it for the rest of his life.
 
I've got a similar deal in that '53 Thunderbird chopper. the guy I built it for couldn't kickstart it after liver & kidney transplants, so I traded Sally's New Bonnie for it (and I still owe him chash). At least he can keep riding for a while with e-start.

I sure need to sell it, and WILL be taking a loss on my labor (nearly 200 hours)
 
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