Hi . i purchased a BSA A65 star, i wanted to replace the fork bushes and seal as they did not damp very well, upon stripping down i found one of the legs where bent, so i ordered some from classic bike ltd, they arrived today and are approx. 2 inches longer than the ones fitted, hence when in place and built up the springs are short of the bottom yokes. Are there 2 sizes for these A65,s as i was not offered an option when purchasing, and help would be appreciated, the only difference i can see is the steering lock is longer than the ones that are for sale.And has a chrome cover over it with a lock nut on top.
This is what i ordered from.BSA FORK STANCHIONS B25/ B44SS 1968-70/ A50/ A65 1964-1968 68-5144.
A50 & A65 1964 to 1968. mine is a 1956.
there are different lengths for different types and years. your first place to start is with a part number , best way to check is from Draganfly site https://draganfly.co.uk/product-category/bsa/sparesparts-for-bsa-a50-a65/ its possible that forks were changed but doing a cross check with othe r online sellers some such as Burton, list sizes https://www.britishbikebits.com/fork-stanchions-pair-bsa-a50-a65-b25-b44-wdb40-1964-68
mine are 21 3/16 th and the ones on the site are 22 5/8ths.
Its bazar because on the dragon fly site it shows from 64 to 65 as 21.2 inches, but on british bike bits .com site it shows the same years as 22 5/8, i purchased the ones i have by the date, there was no sizes shown, its all new to me. but thanks for your help.
Long steering lock sounds like 1962-1965 model with a drop top yoke - these take fork legs 68 -5030 which are 21 1/8 inch log.
68 5144 are for the 1966 on damper rod forks - these have 4 3/32 inch oil holes around the the circumference a bit above the lower bush.
it is a 65 model, i looked on the dragonfly page and it shows them as Part No: 68-5030 so i have added them to a basket, i also found out yesterday that it has the wrong brake shoes in, there was a lot of travel and the adjustment nut was pretty much to the end of the treaded part of the bar, so i stripped it down and found brake shoes with 2 flat ends, one with steel protector clips and the other end sat on a round dowel. surley they should be concave to sit in the dowel correctly, the dragonfly site shows these as the correct shoe Part No: 65-5940 any chance you could take a look at the part numbers and confirm that for me before i press the checkout button, i ended up buying the same type of shoe because of going on the date, many thanks steve.
of course, you have to factor in the fact the bike is 56 years old and a previous owner may have changed the forks, my T100 chop has T140 front end, took me a few months of looking at parts books and measuring to find that out.
unless you owned the bike from new, you dont know what has been updated.
as an aside, my A10 bobber has Aprilia RS125 front end and rear wheel so uses upside down forks, cast ally wheels and disc brakes front and rear.
I understand that, but the dragonfly website shows the longer steering lock and cover, the yokes match, i think the fact i ordered the forks solely on the date was my first mistake ,one of many i assume, the fork stanchions i have here also match the parts pic as does the size, so i am pretty sure they are the correct stanchions for the bike and year. This is the second BSA i have owned the first being a c15 when i was a kid, My goal is to keep as original as possible, This place is brilliant for advise and help from more seasoned owners who have already come across the pitfalls, And any help and advise is always welcomed by me. cheers steve.
Drags front shoes for a 1965 are part no 68-5515/68-5516 or 68-5524/68-5525
Fekd show https://www.feked.com/bsa-8-brake-shoes-a-b-and-m-group-models-with-half-width-front-hub.html
with the curved location, are the flat faced location for self centering brakes
the parts book shows 68-5525 also flat faced
parts book gives 68-5030 A65 LR/TR or 89-5061 A65H/A50C as stanchions
yes i saw that 8inch front and 7 rear its the rear i need, brake is next to useless.
Hi Tige,
1965 saw a few changes to forks, frame, hubs and many smaller items so there are often two part numbers for the same year. Because of this it is definitely worth getting a parts book.
Dave.
Thats something i would like to get, can you point me in the right direction. the previous owner gave e a coule of owner manuals with basic servicing guides but not parts breakdown and numbers.
I managed to find one thanks. wished i had had it before i ordered the wrong stanchions and shoes lol. but thats life. thanks for all the help chaps much appreciated.