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1966 Bsa 650 on a budget

26K views 214 replies 20 participants last post by  MikeJustice55 
#1 ·
I picked up a 1966 bsa roller with complete engine for $450 at a swap meet about 8 years ago, lost interest and gave it to my dad then decided to build something again so i got it back from him. Heres the plan.... do as much work as possible solo and reuse as many parts as possible to keep this thing CHEAP. I work at a machine shop so i will be making what I can and have good painting skills so we will see how this goes.
 
#138 ·
...230 main jet, 106 needle jet and 3 1/2 slide cutaway ought to be a good place to start.

Be careful with the needle and needle jet...they changed them in the late sixties. The earlier ones had no air bleed hole in the jet and used the shorter needle. You can't mix and match, or you go super rich, or super lean. The earlier type also had a removable pilot jet, the later ones have the jet hidden away in the dark recesses of the carburetor drillways across from the air screw. I hope this helps.
 
#139 ·
Thanks Goldy. I am pretty sure my carb is early 70s but ill make sure and start where u suggest instead of shooting in the dark. I am REALLY starting to get excited about this build. I have hit the point where im going over the minor details though which seems to take forever and is boring in general. Most of my projects get sold around this point because people offer me a decent amount and i am already thinking about a new one.
 
#140 ·
What was your reasoning in running a single carb? Anything beyond "simple to tune"?

Sorry if you've explained this already. I'm too slothful to root around in this thread's early pages right now.

Manifold is a thing of beauty.
 
#141 ·
I appreciate that, it took me 3 times of cutting it apart and modifying it to make it fit properly. I prefer single carb for many reasons though. Easy to tune, only 1 throttle cable looks clean, i have a brass air cleaner ive wanted to put on a moyorcycle for about 15 years and decided it IS going on this build, and i like the carb not hanging out the sides.
 
#142 ·
So im not the best on the mill at work but im learning. Check out this clutch lever assembly I made. Part of it was my first bar riser i cut out but botched my measurements and had to recut them so i figured it would work well here. This is the first part ive made in a while that didnt feel easy for me. So its safe to say im proud of it.
 

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#146 ·
So, making a throttle assembly was harder than expected and i came very close to ordering one. But since i finished it, im glad i made it. It works very smoothly. The part that the throttle cable slides into was made out of a second peice of scrap cut with a band saw drilled and bolted to the unit i made with a small groove to hold it in line. The bolt head acts as a stop and a second bolt was put in as the other throttle stop. This was the first time i have ever cut a groove inside a part with the lathe and im actually surprised I finished it within .005 of my drawing. I used a plastic throttle unit and cable that i got at a swap meet a while back for $4.00. Got the bars off Amazon for $18.99. $1.75 for hardware and brass was all freebies from leftovers from jobs. So this whole set up costs me less than $26.00. The brass got a rattle can coat of urethane clearcoat to stop oxidation and corrosion.
 

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#148 ·
This is the first time ive ever made custom pipes. I will be tigging them up. Smoothing out the welds a bit, then a coat of high temp black folled by exhaust wrap. I need to make a mounting bracket off of the frame as well where the pipes come together. Theae should look cool when theyre done tho.
 

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#153 ·
Hahaha im sure theyre not that bad. That made me Lol for real tho. 😂 just take you're time, anything can be done if you refuse to give up. Some things will take me multiple attempts and restarts. I am very greatful to have the tools i do have at my disposal but i have made things with just a torch and a grinder that would surprise people. Heres the exhaust heat shields i made out of an old Corvette sidepipe muffler i got for free a while ago.
 

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#156 ·
Made a master cylinder bracket and linkage to mount up for my harley disc brake rear. I ground down my old brake pedal surface and used tig braze silicon bronze over the surface about 3/16" thick and waffled it like the original but when i paint everything black the brass should pop. (Brake pedal was worn almost flat anyway) Also made an exhaust bracket to mount the pipes to the frame by cutting out a simple bracket and drilled and tapped for a 3/8 stud. Ill tig it solid when i tear down for finish welding and paint.
 

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#157 ·
I fabbed up a cool kicker pedal. It was harder than i thought it would be because i cant paint it to hide any imperfections. Also my old machinist friend at work showed me how to do a cool pattern on the lathe with a knurler to create a spiral instead of the normal cross hatching. Theres a lot of machine work into this with a delrin insert that was a press fit inside the stainless housing to keep it from rattling. And a machined oring groove to make it so it spins when necessary but wont flip or flop around while riding. It looks simple but it is NOT!.
 

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#161 ·
That kickstarter pedal looks like something you would see in the movie Fargo, a part on a wood-chipper, dispensing red chunks onto a field of fresh snow.

Looks like you had a good amount of time to ponder the build, to have it be aesthetically-appealing while functioning-well, and not being annoying (rattling, rotating from vibration).
 
#162 ·
Haha the mini chipper dont kick it barefoot. squeaks and rattles drive me insane. Part of the reason ill never do a springer again. 2 in a row had a squeak i couldnt get rid of. I see you're from miami, I live in fort pierce so u might see it in person sooner or later at shows. Ive never put any of my bikes in shows but ill make sure this one makes it to some of them in the maimi or ft Lauderdale area. And ofc daytona next year.
 
#163 · (Edited)
So I had a little down time at work so i revamped our powdercoat booth into a paint booth. I also do powdercoat and industrial painting for the shop but the powder oven is currently broken with no eta on getting fixed so ive just been painting when needed. The boss had no problems with putting up some new lights and white epoxy to brighten things up. I framed in a 12'×8' area with 2x6 so i can staple plastic to make it a clean environment and the room already has filters and exhaust for shooting powder. Hopefully i can get my frame in there next weekend.
 

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