Been there, done that. BSA A65 Star..It was just over a year old and the ticket-price represented a 25% loss to the first owner
As a pimply youth on about £8 a week, I couldn't concieve losing that much, that quickly.
Shortly after purchase, the battery croaked, that didn't matter, 'cos the rectifier (still Selenium , in 1963! ) followed....then the Alternator lost a set of coils, reducing output and necessitating a major spend to replace all3 items.
All products of the Prince of Darkness factory.
The bike ,of course, vibrated like a SOB the gearbox stripped a load of teeth, necessitating the attentions of one Mr. Bert Saunders of Leigh on sea (Velo and Norton agents) -Anyone remember them?
Other than that and the Dualseat-stitching all perishing before it was 3 years old, it was actually quite reliable...but, due to the woefully inadequate 8 inch cotton-reel that served as front-brake, I coveted one of the Rice-Grinders...a honda Dream, IIRC, with an enormous, beautifully -engineered TWIN-LEADING-SHOE front stopper. (it would have bent the A65's forks!)
Yes, had a xjs-V12...velvet-smooth , fearsome in the damp or wet,unless the right -foot was restrained and it took about 6 hours just to change the plugs. A lot of the underpinnings were carried-over from the Mk.10 Saloon -a huge, bulbous, wallowy !!!! of a thing,so wide at the seat-height, you could sleep across them, sideways. Xjs did about 18mpg overall...the Rolls Spirit (6.75L ) averaged 14....again, a car blighted by it's enormously complex electrics which very rarely all work simultaneously. needless to say, touched with the black hand of the Prince.