Thanks everyone for the input. 28/32 front/rear seems to be what I would expect based on my other bikes so I'll go with that and see how the handling is when I can get a decent run completed.  I can then tweak from there.  Cheers.  Rob

Thanks for the quick response.  Glad I checked as I thought the Haynes figures looked a bit low!

A65 rebuild is all but finished now apart from a few details and whatever snags the initial runs throw up.  As I'm now venturing out onto the road I'd like to confirm what tyre pressures I should be running.  The Haynes manual states 21psi for the front and 22 psi for the rear which seems a little on the low side to me compared with other similar sized bikes I have.  The BSA has Avon Roadrider Mk II tyres fitted.  Rear size is 100/90-19 and the front  is 90/90-18.  The original front wheel dia should be 19" but the bike came with nice Boranni rims with an 18" on the front so I've stayed with this on the re-build.  What pressures do other folks use on their A65's?

Sorry for the response delay.  I eventually went for the Wassell carbs.  Only because my BSA parts and advice guru has sold loads of them and uses them on his bikes with little problem.  I managed to get them for £100 each rather than £250 ea being asked for the Amals.  I'm almost out of cash on this project!! Time will tell if i've made the right choice.  Before fitting I stripped them down and blew out all the passageways with an airline, all seems clear.  Initial starting was tricky but once running ticked over and revved nicely.  A pig to start though.  I hadn't realised that there needs to be a link pipe between the two inlet stubs to which the carbs are mounted. I'd thought these were take off points for vacuum gauges when balancing the carbs, so I'd blanked them off. Doh!  With the link in place the engine starts easily.  I'm still mystified though.  I've worked on lots of bikes over the years (all Japanese, German and Italian as it happens) and had not come across this layout before.  How does it work as surely the piston on the induction stroke is able to draw mixture from the opposite carb across the the balance pipe.  Or is it something more complex involving pressure pulses, harmonics etc?  Be interested to know if there's a technical article in the club archives somewhere that explains this.  Bike would have had its first road test this weekend but I decided to "nip up" the rev counter cable nut onto the adaptor boss on the timing case.  You guessed it....too many weetabix that morning and I snapped off the boss.  Of course, despite all of the spares I inherited with the bike there wasn't one of these in the "useful bits" pile, so waiting delivery of a new one.  But I'm so relieved that the engine runs OK, I can accept a little set back like this!! 

It runs!!  I eventually bit the bullet and bought some new carbs.  A few kicks to prime things, switch on the ignition, hefty swing on the kickstart and away it went.  Sounds really nice, top end a little tappety but so pleased it runs. There's a few things to sort out carb wise as it's reluctant to start from cold but it's a good base to start from. May even be able to 'tax' it (zero £'s) from August 1st  and take it on a run. Thanks for your patience and help. Rob

To wrap up this current saga I bit the bullet and bought a new pair of carbs.  Couple of kicks and away it went.  Revs nicely and has a good oil return to the tank.  Just a few finishing bits 'n pieces to figure out and it'll be on the road.  Thanks again to everyone for the advice and encouragement.  Rob

The A65 was eventually persuaded to fire up which is a great relief.  We thought it would be something simple and in the end it was.  Tu=rns out it's the carbs (Amal 930) at fault.  Despite several ultra sonic cleaning sessions, new jets, floatt needles etc etc as well as poking wires down the pilot jet and blowing through theres not enough fuel flowing. ~Ther slides are also sloppy in the bores.  So a refurb of the existing carbs or new ones should sort it.  Thanks for your help on this everyone, much appreciated.  Rob

Today has been one to remember.  The A65 actually fired up and ran!!  After taking pity my friend Martin came over and we gave the bike a thorough talking to.  Well, OK, we eventually traced the problem back to the carbs.  They wouldn't flood consistently when 'tickled' so there seemed to be a problem with fuel flow.  This is despite umpteen runs through the ultrasonic cleaner, new float needle, cleaning out the pilot with piano wire etc. All this caused me to dismiss an ongoing fuel problem. I was wrong of course! Whatever we managed to do today it's now going.  Decided that the slides are quite sloppy in the bores so will try and 'borrow' some new ones to see if its the slides or bodies (perhaps both) that are worn.  If it's the bodies then I'll need to invest in new carbs.  Stick with the Amals or go for Japanese? Will browse the forum to see what advice has already been posted. Thanks for everyone's help during this saga. it's been much appreciated.  Rob

Thanks Steve.  My next step will be the pilot jets as you suggest.  Just rebuilding the timing side now .  The valve timing all seems to be correct, checked with DTI in the plug hole and a timing disc.  As for the electronic ignition, Nigel of Classic Motorcycle Spares (in Cricklade near Swindon) kindly lent me a new, boxed set up so that I could check components, such as the 'black' box by swapping them out and this checked out OK.  He also suggested giving a different set of spark plugs a go as he'd experienced a reluctance to fire on an A65 even though it had new plugs as does mine. Once i've reinstalled the pick up and rotor I'll time this at 34 degrees BTDC on compression stroke.  Will post the results.  May be a few days before I get aroundd to it as I've got new kit to install on my R1250GS. Oh, and the lawns need cutting (apparently)!  Once again thank you for the time and advice.  We'll get there. Rob

It is all most strange, I agree  The fuel supply is currently via a remote tank with a hole in the top so it is flowing freely.  Pump fresh E5 petrol too. The ignition set up instructions say to set the system with piston on TDC compression and the rotor mark aligning with the 'A' mark on the pick up.  The black box controller should then be set to fire at 34 deg BTDC.  I am in the process of checking every element of the combustion sequence carefully and step by step noting all the very helpful advice and comments given by everyone.  Watch this space!!  Rob

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond.  I've had things apart today and checked the valve timing again.  It would seem to be correct.  The timing marks you see here are aligned with the right cylinder at TDC on the compression stroke.  As expected with the Left cylinder at TDC compression the cam pinion mark is 180degrees from that position.  So I think all good there.  This evening I will check the point at which the cams start to lift using a timing disc and the factory settings info.  Good points made ref fuel.  The plugs do not seem to be wet after kicking over several times.  I initially discounted this as both sides would be unlikely to exhibit the same carb fault, wouldn't they (twin carbs)?.  Will certainly check again using the inlet blanking off method.  Pushrods are fitted correctly with the longer ones to the front for the exhaust and shorter to the rear for the inlet.  Inlets match each other for length as do the exhaust rods.  As for the plugs, they spark when held against the head and kicking over.  When fitted into the head a spark tester also flashes indicating spark under compression.  Not sure how 'bright' the flash should be as I've no previous experience nor anything to compare with.  It was easy to see in a brightly lit garage with the doors wide open (just incase the bloody thing did run and I needed the ventilation!!!!).  The ignition system runs a 'wasted spark' set up so sparks every engine revolution on both cylinders simultaneously, with one spark lighting things up on compression and one being 'wasted' as it fires with the relevant cylinder on the exhaust stroke.  If none of the above identifies the root cause then I'll go for the bump start which should provide some entertainment for the neighbours. As for the knee, I'm certainly getting a good workout and my right leg does seem to be getting larger than the left.  Thank goodness I don't have a Panther with these problems. 

One other thing, when taking things to bits, as well as gearbox oil draining, there was a fair bit in the 'sump'. Witness marks seem to show the level high enough to submerge the oil pump (Castrol 20W50 oil).  Wouldn't have expected it to wet stump like this after just standing for 8-10 weeks.  But what do I know?  My main experience before this has always been with Japanese and German engines.  I did seat the ball bearing before reassembly but I'll give this another 'tap' with a larger persuasion tool.  Yes, it does have a new spring in there too. Thanks again everyone, will let you know how I get on

I have tried putting a squirt of petrol into each bore via the plug holes. Also squirted petrol directly into the carbs. Repeated with easy start. Nothing on both counts despite trying it several times.  Checked the ignition timing by measuring the piston position with a dial gauge mounted through the plug hole.  The only thing that leads me to valve timing is that its the only thing I haven't tried yet.  I shall ponder the problem further over a few cans of beer this evening!!

Hi Everyone.  I'm now totally at my wits end trying, and failing to get my newly rebuilt A65 to fire.  There is nothing, no cough, stutter or spit back. The ONLY thing I can think of now is perhaps the cam timing may be a tooth out?  The setting mark alignment diagrams seem open to a certain amount of interpretation. I'm open to any suggestions as to what might be wrong, no matter how left field it may be. I'm not looking forward to having to strip the RH side down to check the cam timing again before I've exhausted all other possible options. Here's what I've done so far (machining work by T&L Engineering) :
Barrels fitted with new liners, standard sized pistons, new rings. Crankshaft rebuilt, balanced plus pistons. New camshaft.  Crankcase bearings replaced throughout, end floats set. Cam timing set as per manual (see picture).
Head - new seats, guides, valves, springs.  Valves lapped, gaps set to inlet 0.008", exhaust 0.010".
Electronic ignition - Wassel.  Set to 34 degrees /0.3045" BTD.  Plugs NGK B7ES, new NGK caps. Gaps set .023".  Spark at plugs (resting on head fins). Spark with plugs fitted, tested with Sealey in line spark tester.  Battery new and fully charged. New twin output coil (as recommended by Wassel instructions)
Compression 110psi both sides (6 swings on kick start).
Carbs - Pair Amal 930.  Mains 190, Pilot jet screw 1.25 turns out. Carb rebuild kit fitted. Repeated ultrasonic cleaning and compressed air blow throughs. Fuel flows with tickler pushed in.  Checked floats move freely, not snagging on float bowl gasket. Tried easy start squirted into chokes, neat petrol into bores via plug holes.  Nothing.
Switch on, full choke, ease past TDC, swing kick start. Nothing, nada.  Not a cough, splutter or spit back. It's doing wonders for my fitness though!!!!!
In desperation.  Rob

Hi Paul.  Had the same issue on my 1962 bike.  I simply cut the head off a 10mm bolt and drilled a hole through the middle to clear the cable nipple.  The resulting hollow threaded piece was cut to the required length and a nut screwed on to allow fine adjustment of the length.  Took about 20 minutes to make and seems to work OK.  Rob

You can try Nigel Wynn of Classic Motorcycle Spares.  He's based in Cricklade just south of Cirencester easily accessible from the A417 and not too far from Evesham.  I've dealt with Nigel for years and he's very good.  Try him on 01793 295014 or 07889 727120 or email on orders@classicmotorcyclespares.com.  Google  'Classic Motorcycle Spares' and take a look at the website. Hope this helps.  Don't get fed up, keep going.  I know how it feels tho'.  My A65 is virtually all up together and I still can't get the bugger to run...won't even cough and splutter.  Keep at it, you'll get there!!  Cheers.  Rob