A65 Grab Rails

[halcyonmotors]

Can anyone here please enlighten me as to the differences between the two mid-60s A65 grab rails part numbers 68-9135 and 68-9045, both of which appear in the 1965 parts book, with 68-9045 called out sprcifically for the Lightning Rocket model??  And for good measure let's add a 3rd variant for 1966 - 68-9327.  I happen to be reviving a '65 Lightning Rocket along with a '66 Thunderbolt here in San Jose CA, so I could really use some help sorting which grab rail belongs to which bike!
Many thanks
Howard Johnston

[limeyrob]

You do realise that here in Blighty we had to do without grab rails and they were almost exclusively for the US.  We had to battle on in rain and fog struggling to get bikes on stands and dumping our girlfriend off the pillion at lights.
I'll have a look in Bacon and see if his pictures make any sense.
And don't tell me what the weather is like in San Jose either, not if you want help, its been raining for 2 weeks here.
Can you scan the parts page or up-load a link, it may make more sense then.
In front of me I have an early A65 Workshop manual, its undated but the bikes are pre-TLS. It has pictures of:
Rocket A65R
Thunderbolt A65
Lightning Rocket A65 L/R
Spitfire Hornet A65 S/H
Lightning Clubman A65 LC
In these pictures only the Thunderbolt has a grab handle, the Clubman has a humped seat.
The grab rail in the picture doesn't look like 68-9135 or 68-9327, its high and narrow-ish. Are you sure 68-9045 is a correct number?
And if you are sitting outside with a beer keep that information to yourself.

[Allan G]

Can anyone here please enlighten me as to the differences between the two mid-60s A65 grab rails part numbers 68-9135 and 68-9045, both of which appear in the 1965 parts book, with 68-9045 called out sprcifically for the Lightning Rocket model??  And for good measure let's add a 3rd variant for 1966 - 68-9327.  I happen to be reviving a '65 Lightning Rocket along with a '66 Thunderbolt here in San Jose CA, so I could really use some help sorting which grab rail belongs to which bike!
Many thanks
Howard Johnston

It'll be easier to sort if you can show a photo of your bike.

the early bikes - pre 65 had 2 different frame types. The sports frame (open loop frame) which had bladed mudugards, and the closed loop frame. which took the valanced mudguard, like used on the star and rocket models.. These mount differently.

By 66, the rear loop on the mudguard changed to allow for aditional mounting from the rear loop to the back of the frame. this also allowed for different mountings for the grab rail..

Hope this helps.