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The success of the earlier BSA A7 and A10 twins was clearly going to create a problem when the time came for a new generation of twins. Bert Hopwood, who had played a major role in the design of the earlier twins, resigned from BSA to join the AMC Group in the late 50s and it was left to his successors to fill the gap. At that time, a fundamental change had taken placed within the British motorcycle industry, with the accent now on unit-construction, a layout in which the engine was built in unit with the gearbox so that both were contained within the same basic crankcase casting. Apart from providing a more rigid assembly it was also possible to style a machine so that its overall appearance was cleaner and more attractive to the eye. BSA's new unit-construction twins were introduced to the press during January 1962 in two versions, the 499cc A50 model and the 654cc A65 model. Both were intended for normal road use, and as time progressed, variants were manufactured with improved performance characteristics. Although none of these models had been intended for use in road racing events, they nonetheless achieved some quite remarkable results on several occasions. Chris Vincent, a BSA employee who enjoyed only token works support, won the 1962 Isle of Man Sidecar TT at an average speed of 84.25mph with an A50 outfit. Six years later, Terry Vinnicombe won the 1968 750cc Sidecar TT on a stretched A65 outfit at 85.85mph. One of the legendary Mike Hailwood's many victories was achieved when he won the Production Race at Silverstone in 1965, riding an A65 twin in the wet. It therefore came as no surprise to find that a specially equipped A65 twin fitted with four forward facing rocket tubes was featured in the James Bond film Thunderball. Appropriately, it was ridden by Chris Vincent, who doubled for its rider on the screen! The A50 and A65 twins were the last of their kind to be produced by BSA, as the company was already on the downward slide at the time when they were first announced, like most of the other British motorcycle manufacturers. The end came in 1973 when dealings in BSA shares were suspended by the Stock Exchange. The cornerstone of the British motorcycle industry had gone for good. This book on the Twins covers the A50 & A65 models. Articles include road tests, touring, engine rebuild, etc. Models covered: Royal Star, Rocket, Lightning, Cyclone, Thunderbolt, Spitfire, Special, II, III & Hornet. 172 pages, over 300 illus. SB.
