The Hornet is one of the rarest of the BSA offerings, it was sold from 1964 through 1967 and almost exclusively in the US. Aimed at the US off road market it was known as the Spitfire Hornet in ‘64 and ‘65 but the ‘Spitfire’ was dropped for ‘66 and ‘67. The bike was sold with no lights or mufflers, though the electrics were designed to add lights with relative ease. The first three years were ‘Mandarin Red’ (Orange) but was changed to ‘Cherokee Red’ (less orange) for the last year of production.
The 1967 BSA Hornet used a 654CC (39.9 CID) air cooled four stroke overhead valve parallel twin motor (essentially the Lightning motor) that pushed 53 HP through a 4 speed transmission for a top speed of 102 MPH. At 380 LBS the Hornet was thought to be too heavy to really compete in the dirt and it had the reputation for poor handling in the crunch.
This 1967 BSA Hornet (VIN # A65HA14051) is in Paradise Valley (suburban Phoenix), AZ and is listed as a nicely done older restoration. The bike has had lights and mufflers added, but the seller claims you could just take them off and have a ‘real Hornet’ except for the two holes in the rear fender. It has a certificate of authenticity as a Hornet. The bike is currently sitting on the starting bid of $4,000