Roy Bacon - Ajs & Matchless Postwar Singles 1945-1969

5/20/2018 Roy Bacon - Ajs & Matchless Postwar Singles 1945-1969

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The bedrock of AMC's postwar production was their line of road singles from which came theoff-road variants. The models had prewar roots,and wartime service so offered the soli d, reliableperformance, coupled with a first class paint finish, of a workhorse, at a time when it wasessential. Their history and subsequent development is traced here in words and pictures.

Postwar Singles

Roy Bacon has over 40 motorcycle books to his credit and isacknowledged as a leading authority on the subject. Achartered engineer, he comments on design, as well asdescribing history he has lived through.

Motorcycle Monographs are a handy, pocket-sized series of books for the enthusiast and generalreader alike. Each book covers a single marque, model or machine in depth, the authoritive tex tbeing fully supported by contemporary photographs to provide a complete reference source.Motorcycles of all ages and types and from all countries are covered by the constantly expandinglist; offering history in the pocket.

All titles and the full list of the range may be obtained from the publisher.

Niton Publishing, P.O. Box 3, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, PO38 2AS.

Postwar Singles1945-1969

Roy Bacon

MOTORCYCLE MONOGRAPHS - NO. 11

ROYBACON

MOTORCYCLEMONOGRAPHS11

AJS&MATCHLESS

POSTWAR

SINGLES

ISBN 1 85579 002 5


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AJS Matchless

Postwar Singles

1945 - 1969

Roy Bacon

NITON PUBLISHING


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First published in United Kingdom by:Niton PublishingPO Box 3 . Ventnor . Isle of Wight PO38 2AS

AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank those who

helped this book by supplying photographs.Most came from EMAP archives, or MotorCycle Newsby courtesy of Editor Malcolm

Gough. Others came from the Mick Woollettarchive and some from the author's files

Copyright Roy Bacon 1990Reprinted 1993

Filmset byCrossprint, Isle of Wight

Reprinted byThe Manor Design & Printing Partnership

Whitwell, Isle of Wight

ISBN 1 85579 002 5A CIP catalogue record for this book is

available from the British Library

All rights reserved. No part of this publica-tion may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem or transmitted in any form or by any

means, electronic, electrical, chemical,

mechanical, optical, photocopy, recording orotherwise withour prior written permissionfrom the publishers to whom all enquiries

must be addressed.

Front Cover: The Matchless Clubman G3L for 1949 as shown on the front cover ofThe Motor Cycle late the previous year

Back Cover: The AJS model 18S for 1954, with sprung frame and jampots, asadvertised in the motorcycle press.


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Road test of a 1962 Matchless G80 which was also tried with asidecar attached. The same registration number was to appearon a test AJS as well!

Contents

Introduction 4

Prewar origins and wartime service 6

Postwar start 10

Spring-frame models 30

Revised engines 39

Duplex frame 46

Singles in competition 53

Specifications 54


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Introduction

The AJS and Matchless heavyweight singles of thepost-war years had their origins in models of the mid-19305. After the war, they continued, with limited altera-tions, for some two decades, gradually becoming obso-lete as fashions and needs changed.

Although customers for their very British style ofsomewhat staid motorcycling faded away over the years,the reputation of the names remained high, thanks to thefine build quality and excellent paint finish of their prod-ucts. From 1945 to 1966, both AJS and Matchless roadmodels represented the epitome of the British singlewith its heavy flywheels, low engine speed and great

pulling power.Alongside the road models, there were competition

versions. At first, these differed in no more than minordetails, which any clubman of the day could devise for aroad machine. Later, the competition models becamemore specialised and, in time, split into two streams,these being for trials or scrambles use. One scramblercontinued alone to carry the Matchless name up to 1969,

before the marque vanished. However, the name wasrevived in the late 1980s with another concept.

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Gordon Jackson on a big AJS during a 1960 scramble; a type of event in which he was competi-tive, although he was better known for his trials riding skills.

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Prewar origins and

wartime serviceBoth the AJS and Matchless

companies had their roots in thedawn of motorcycling and followedtheir own paths up to 1931. Thenthey amalgamated, AJS going intoliquidation and being taken over by

Matchless.AJS had been founded by theStevens family and first won in theTT races in 1914, and then in 1920,1921 and 1922. They rode the crestof that wave through the 1920s, but

over-extended as the decade endedwith the Depression. The technicalenterprise remained, however, withan overhead-camshaft engine ap-

pearing in 1927 and a transverse V-twin in 1931, but then the money ran

out.The Matchless firm was foundedby the Collier brothers who weresoon successful in the track androad races of the early Edwardianera. They moved on to Brooklands

The start of the singles line came with this 1935 Matchless G3 which set the style and generaldesign.

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PREWAR ORIGINS WARTIME SERVICE

In 1941, the G3 gained telescopic front forks to become the G3L and served the services well.

and the new TT races when thesewere first run, enjoying equal suc-cess and three TT wins in the firstfour years of the event.

During the 1920s, they had moresuccess in reliability trials and built

up a good range of machines to sellto the public. For 1930, they intro-duced the V-twin Silver Arrow, andthe next year the much more excit-ing V-4 Silver Hawk, which had anoverhead camshaft engine despitethe hard times.

They were successful enough tobe able to absorb AJS, whose pro-duction they moved from Wolver-hampton to their works at Plum-stead, in South London. The AJSmodels survived the transfer wellenough, although the overhead-camshaft models dropped out ofsight for a year or two, and the rangecontinued with little change for awhile. The Matchless models didthe same and, as with many firmsduring those difficult times, the com-

pany kept to a simple range of singlesand V-twins. The exotic Silver Hawkwas listed up to 1935, but found fewcustomers as riders were so hardup.

The first signs of real amalgama-

tion appeared in 1935 when Match-less introduced their G3 Clubmanand AJS their similar model 16. Bothhad 348 cc engines, and the AJSranks soon included larger andsmaller versions plus twin-port andside-valve models. Matchless fol-lowed suit in 1936, so that in a shortspace of time little was left from the

past, other than the massive V-twinsthat were sold for hauling sidecars.In 1937, the Sunbeam company

was taken over by Matchless and,with AJS, the three firms were regis-tered as Associated Motor Cycles orAMC. The combination did not staytogether for long, and in 1943 theSunbeam name was sold to the BSAgroup, but the AMC name remainedat Plumstead. From then on, it was

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AJS MATCHLESS SINGLES

At the end of the war, the G3L was given a coat of black paint and ran on for the civilianmarket.

used to refer to the two marques asa pair, this becoming more and moreacceptable as their ranges becamecommon. This was well in hand bythe end of the 1930s, while for 1940,the Matchless models adopted aframe with single downtube, whichwas very similar to the one AJS hadused for some time.During the war, AMC producedsome 80,000 machines, all but a few

being in the Matchless form. Theonly real difference lay in the posi-tion of the magneto, which wentahead of the cylinder on the AJS and

behind it on the Matchless. Bothhad the dynamo behind the crank-case, above the gearbox, so it wasdifficult to remove in the formercase, and even more so in the latter.The early war-time machine wasthe Matchless G3 of 348 cc with

Drive side of themodel 18 AJSwhich was as forthe other singleswith the infamous

pressed-steelchaincase.

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PREWAR ORIGINS WARTIME SERVICE

Harry Louis of The Motor Cycle with a competition AJS and Jock West of AMC on a road modelin the Isle of Man for the 1947 TT.

overhead valves, four-speed Burmangearbox, rigid frame and girder forks.This was built up to 1942, but from1941, AMC also produced the G3L,which was lighter and fitted withtelescopic front forks. It became aForces' favourite, for it was fast

enough to cope easily with convoyduty, while the new forks gave itcomfort and roadholding denied to

other makes.The G3L was used for an experi-

ment with rear suspension in 1944,but otherwise continued to be builtunaltered until the end of the war.Thus, it was fully developed for

peace-time use and went over to

this with minimal change, other thancolour.

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Postwar startAfter the war, AMC continued and

extended the practice of duplicat-ing its models in the ranges of bothmarques. At first, there were somefeatures to distinguish one from theother but, in time, these disappeareduntil the process was simple badge

engineering. The only exceptionswere the road racing machines andthe final Matchless models.

To enthusiasts and clubmen ofthe time, it was well known that themachines were all built on the sameline at Plumstead, using the samedetail parts in most areas. Despite

this, each marque had its adher-ents, and the firm fostered this byadvertising each range separately,and by running two competitionteams in both trials and scrambles.The first post-war AJS modelswere announced a week ahead of

the Matchless ones, and each rangecomprised two very similar singles.These were of 348 and 497 cc, theAJS ones being coded as the models16M and 18 respectively, while theMatchless versionswere the G3L andG80 Clubman. All were based heav-ily on the wartime G3L and, thus,

A 1948 AJS roadsingle undergoing atest during trialscarried out in 1955before the general

introduction of theannual MoT.

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POSTWAR START

Hugh Viney's AJS as used for the 1948 Sottish Six Days Trial, the second year of his hat-trick ofwins.

could trace their roots back to 1935.All were to continue to use a codingsystem of number plus letter suffixfor AJS, and letter 'G' plus number

plus similar suffix for Matchless. Toavoid repetition, the machines arehenceforth listed with the AJS ma-

chine first and by model type only;all Matchless models start with the'G' anyway.

The single-cylinder engines used

by the four models were all basedon a 93 mm stroke, which was com-

bined with a 69 mm bore for the

Drive side of a 1948 competition Matchless which was little altered from the standard machine.

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First of the sprung models was this 1949 AJS model 18S with candlestick rear units.

smaller and an 82.5 mm bore for thelarger. Their construction was inthe traditional British style withoverhead valves, separate gearboxand dry-sump lubrication, whichkept the crankcase small and com-

pact.

The built-up crankshaft had fly-wheels whose balance weightingvaried between the engine sizes tocope with the different pistonweights. The detail parts werecommon, the drive-side mainshaft

being a keyed, parallel, fit in the

The competition Matchless with alloy engine at the 1950 New York show; smaller petrol tankalso reduced the machine weight.

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POSTWAR START

wheel where it was held by a nut.For the timing-side shaft, there wasa taper fit and a nut, but no key.The crankpin was a parallel fit in

both wheels, and had the bearingsleeve pressed on to it and nuts tohold it in place. This form of con-struction allowed the use of a tough

pin and hard sleeve without heat-treatment problems, or the need toradius the edge of the pin-hole in thewheels. Later one-piece replace-

sleeve pressed into the big-end eyeof the connecting rod. The rod was

bushed at its small-end for the fully-floating gudgeon pin, which heldthe three-ring piston and was re-tained by circlips. The piston wasconventional, with a split skirt, andthe compression ratios were 6.35:1for the 348 cc engine, and 6.0:1 forthe 497 cc one. The ratio of thelarger engine was set with a singlecompression plate under the cylin-

Rigid model 16M for 1951 with little change from its postwar restart or prewar introduction.

ments could have problems on bothcounts, as the heat treatment tocombine the right degrees of tough-ness and hardness was tricky to getcorrect. In addition, this formneeded a radius in the shouldercorner, and without a matchingradius for the pin-hole, there could

be a clash, high stress and pin break-age.The big-end bearing comprised alight-alloy cage with three rows ofrollers that ran in the hardened

der; in later years, and for the com-petition engines, these were oftenused to arrive at the desired figure.The crankshaft turned in a pair of

ball races on the drive side and in abush and a roller race on the timingside. These bearings were housedin the crankcase whose light-alloycastings met on the engine centre-line, there being an array of bolts toclamp the two halves together.There were different crankcases forthe two engine sizes, but both had a

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The competition AJS single with alloy engine and cylindrical toolbox as seen in 1951.

timing chest incorporated in theright-side case with the oil pumphousing beneath it.

The top face of the crankcase was

machined to take the cast-iron cyl-inder, which was held on four shortstuds by long nuts. The cylinder finswere regular, except where cut awayfor the two pushrod tubes, and randown most of the length of the bar-rel. At the top, the cylinder wasspigoted into the cast-iron head, witha gasket to seal the joint, and four

bolts held the head down.The top of the cylinder head was

machined to take the rocker box,which sat over the single well castinto the head. This well ran roundthe valve guides, which were

pressed in to a dimension. Eachvalve had a cap and was controlled

by duplex coil springs that had aseating located on the guide andwere retained by a collar and col-

lets.The rocker box was a light-alloy

casting with a side cover held bythree nuts. It was bushed for the

rocker spindles, each of which hada separate arm splined to each endand retained by a nut. The as-sembled box was fitted on top of thehead with a gasket to seal the joint,and the pushrod tubes ran downfrom the box to the crankcase. In-side the tubes were the pushrods,which had adjusters at their upper

ends, and which sat in tappets thatmoved in guides pressed into thecrankcase.

A cam went below each tappet,the camshafts being gear driven froma pinion mounted on the crankshaft.The shafts themselves differed, one

being short while the other extendedthrough the wall of the timing coverto drive the magneto by chain andtwo sprockets. For the AJS, this

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POSTWAR START

Jampots for the rear suspension on this 1951 model 18S AJS which still had a saddle ratherthan a dualseat.

longer shaft went at the front andcarried the exhaust cam, while forthe Matchless it was to the rear andhad the inlet cam. In practice, thetwo camshafts were common to both

marques, at that time, and weresimply switched over as necessary.In either case, the exhaust tappet

guide was cut away so that a valvelifter could reach through it to the

pushrod. The lifter turned in a holein the crankcase, was held in place

by its return spring and was con-

nected by cable to a handlebar trig-ger.The timing cover varied to suit

Still a saddle for this 1952 model 18S which had a revised gearbox and small access cover inthe chaincase.

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the marque, for it included the innerwall of the magneto chaincase. Thiswall ran to front or rear as needed,

but the main section was essentiallycommon to both types. An outercover enclosed the chain, and wasshaped and marked to suit, whilethe magneto was mounted on a plat-form to the front (AJS) or rear(Matchless) of the cylinder andabove the engine mounting plates.The magneto was a standard Lucascomponent with manual advancefrom a lever mounted on the handle-

bar.Lucas also supplied the 6 volt E3

dynamo which was unique to AMC,as it was chain driven. This drivewas taken from the left-hand end ofthe crankshaft, a sprocket beingmachined as part of the main engineone, while the chain ran inside the

primary chaincase. The dynamo

was clamped in the engine plates,behind the engine and above thegearbox, so it could be rotated to

set the chain tension.Removal of the dynamo was a

major task compared with machinesthat used the mag-dyno where thegenerator came off really easily. Onthe AMC models, it meant openingup the primary chaincase to gainaccess to the sprocket. On the AJS,it was feasible to pull the gearbox

back to allow the dynamo out, butMatchless owners were faced with amore difficult job. Their rear-mounted magneto obscured thedynamo and forced them to remove

the whole of the primary drive togain access to the dynamo. To fol-low the AJS path was only feasible ifthey removed the inner timing coverfirst and, thus, lost their ignitiontiming. Owners came to dread charg-ing problems!

The engine was lubricated by adry-sump system supplied by an

external tank. The oil pump was atwo-diameter rotating plunger,which was driven by a worm cut

An underslung pilot light was one of the few changes for this 1952 model 18 AJS along withthe revised gearbox.

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POSTWAR START

A dualseat for the 1953 Matchless G80S enhanced its lines as well as improving rider comfort.

into the timing-side mainshaft. The

plunger lay along the timing chest,just below the crankshaft, and had acam-track cut into it near one end. Afixed pin engaged with this so thatthe plunger was forced to move to-and-fro as it rotated. The combina-tion of the two movements provided

both feed and scavenge pumping,the latter of greater capacity thanks

to its larger plunger diameter.

There was no pressure release

valve, so the oil from the feed pumpwent straight into the crankshaftand the big-end. There was also afeed to the cylinder wall with a ballvalve in it so that the bore receivedmore oil when the engine was cold.Once the engine had warmed up,less oil was passed this way, butmore was splashed up from the big-

end.

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The competition model 18C for 1953 when rigid machines were still popular for trials work.

A pressure feed was taken fromthe front end plate of the pump forthe rocker box. This line fed into the

box where an adjustable needlevalve controlled its flow, after whichthe oil drained down the pushrod

tubes to lubricate the cams andtiming gears. Engine breathing wasby a simple flap-valve, which wasfitted into the rear of the drive-sidemain-bearing housing in the crank-case.

The engine was supplied with fuel

by a flange-mounted Amal carburet-tor with separate float chamber. Forthe 348 cc engine,a type 76 of 1 in.

bore was used, while the 497 ccengine was fitted with a type 89 of 1-3/32 in. No air filter was listed, even

as an option, at that time. On theexhaust side, there was a pipe thatran down to a tubular silencer onthe right. For the smaller engine,the pipe ran above the footrest, butfor the larger one, it went below it.All models were fitted with a

Nice 1954 model16MS being shownby the FrenchMonneret familywho had much todo with AMC formany years.

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POSTWAR START

A 1954 Matchless being craned off its work trolley at the factory prior to road testing.

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The last year for the rigid models was 1955 and this is the G3L with full-width hubs front andrear.

separate four-speed Burman gear-box with footchange. This wasdriven by a single-strand primary

chain and multi-plate clutch, whilethe engine sprocket incorporated atwo-lobe, cam-type shock absorber.The primary drive was enclosed bya two-part, pressed-steel case, whichhad a seal at the joint and a band

that ran round it with a clampingscrew at the rear. It was very proneto leaking oil and was to plague

owners for many years.The clutch plates were clamped

together by four compressionsprings. The friction plates hadfabric inserts pressed into their cut-outs, there being four plates for the

By 1955 this 16MShad pilot lights andauto-advanceignition as well asthe new hubs.

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POSTWAR START

350s and five for the 500s. The clutchchain wheel ran on free rollers, whilethe centre was splined to the gear-

box mainshaft. Clutch operationwas by means of a lever on the rightand a long pushrod that ran acrossto the pressure plate.

The gearbox was in the traditionalBritish style with the clutch out-

board of the final drive sprocket andboth on the left-hand side of themachine. The sprocket was splined

to a sleeve gear, which was concen-tric with the mainshaft, while thelayshaft went below them. The gearswere moved by selectors fitted to abarrel cam which, in turn, was ro-tated by the positive stop mecha-nism. A gear pedal went on the right-hand side, as did the kickstart lever.The kickstart turned a quadrant,which meshed with a ratchet gearon the extreme end of the main-shaft, and was returned by a clock

A 1955 Matchless single with its traditional lines that were due for some changes for the nextyear.

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spring. The whole gearbox mecha-nism went into a light-alloy shell,which was fitted with inner and outercovers on the right.

A rigid frame held the engine andgearbox in front and rear plates,these differing between the marquesto suit the alternative magneto loca-tion. The frames were of the tube-and-lug type, brazed together intofront and rear sections. The frontcombined the top, seat and downtu-

bes, while the rear comprised theupper chainstays and the lower rails,

which ran from the downtube to therear wheel.

For the front suspension, AMCcontinued with the Teledraulic forksthey had developed for the wartimeG3L. These had external springs,which were concealed by shrouds,and hydraulic damping. The lowerlegs were in light alloy and had

separate caps to clamp on the frontwheel spindle. The forks turned incup-and-cone bearings, and no steer-ing damper was offered, even as anoption.

Both wheel hubs were spoked to19 in. rims and turned on specialtaper-roller bearings. These bear-ings were not the usual items as, foreach wheel, the spindle formed theinner race for both and carried thetwo roller cages and rollers to makea single assembly. Only the twoouter races were separate, one being

located with a spring ring in the hub,while the other was adjustable bythreaded ring and locknut to set the

bearings. The front wheel had asolid spindle that ran across be-tween the fork legs, but the rearwheel spindle was shorter and hol-low with a longer spindle that ranthrough it to the rear fork lugs. This

The smaller sprung competition model 16MCS of 1955 which had to carry the same weight asthe larger single.

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POSTWAR START

unusual construction had been usedby AMC for some time and providedan excellent wheel bearing, albeitrather more expensive and criticalin adjustment than most.

Both hubs had a separate 6 in.brake drum. That at the front had asmall flange for the fixing screwsthat held it to the hub, but the reardrum had more of an inner wall andincorporated the rear wheel

sprocket. Both brakes were of thesingle-leading-shoe type, and eachshoe had a collar, at the cam end,which could be adjusted to com-

pensate for brake lining wear. Rearbrake operation was by pedal androd on the left.

All models had a 3.25 x 19 in. fronttyre, and the 348 cc machines usedthe same size at the rear. For the 497cc models, the rear tyre was 3.50 x

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Works rider, Bob Manns, about to take the first of the 1956 Matchless G3LC trials models outfor its road test.


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19 in. and the wheel was not quickly-detachable. Neither mudguard wasvalanced but, as was usual, the rearstay of the front mudguard doubledas a front stand, while the rear sec-tion of the rear mudguard could bedetached to assist wheel removal.In addition to the front stand, therewas a rear one and a prop stand,with ample foot, which flew back ifthe weight was taken off it. A liftinghandle was provided to help ma-noeuvre the machine on to the rearstand, and there was an optional

rear carrier to replace it if desired.The oil tank went under thesaddle on the right-hand side and

was matched by the battery carrieron the left. A toolbox went behindthe oil tank, above the upper chain-stay, while a pillion pad and foot-rests were available as options. The3 gallon petrol tank had twin taps,kneegrips and marque transfers,these last being the AJS letters orthe 'flying M' for Matchless.

Controls were conventional, bothair and ignition levers beingmounted on the handlebars which,thus, were quite crowded withclutch, front brake and valve lifter

levers as well as the twistgrip, hornbutton and dipswitch. The mainlight switch, with the ammeter, went

An AJS single hitched up to a Watsonian ambulance sidecar for the Iraqi Ministry of Health to

try out in the narrow streets of Baghdad in 1956.

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POSTWAR START

The scramblesG3LCS of 1956with the new short-stroke engine withpushrod tunnelintegral with thebarrel.

into a small panel mounted in theback of the headlamp shell. Fourstays supported the shell from thefork yokes, and the upper yoke car-ried the 80 mph or 140 kph speed-ometer, the choice depending onthe country for which the machinewas destined.The finish was in black for most

parts, including the wheel rims, and

only the exhaust system, pushrodtubes and some minor details werechrome-plated. The petrol tank waslined in gold for AJS models, and insilver with a black pinstripe forMatchless versions, while the mar-que name transfers were colouredto match.

Thus, with little real alteration

from their war-time production,

By 1957 the AJS 16MC trials model was fitted with the AMC gearbox and Girling rear units.

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AMC were back in business and hada two-model range for both mar-ques. This soon doubled in size, for1946 saw the introduction of com-

petition versions of each model,which had a letter 'C' added to theirmodel type. Therefore, the smallermachines became the 16MC andG3LC.

The changes for competition usewere minimal, most parts being as

rod for all was shortened by in.,and a two-start oil pump worm and

plunger were adopted. During theyear, the timing-side roller bearingwas omitted and the bush madelonger to compensate. The roadmodels were given a flare to theirchainguards, while the 348 cc ex-haust pipe copied the 497 cc one torun under the footrest. The Match-less tanks were fitted with a chrome-

The road Matchless G80S of 1957 with long, thin toolbox to match the oil tank.

standard. The silencer was upsweptand the lights became optional,while light-alloy mudguards, still in

black, were fitted. The control cables

were duplicated and the wheels hadheavy-gauge spokes. The tyres wereof a trials pattern and the sizes werealtered to 2.75 x 21 in. front and 4.00x 19 in. rear. The gearing was low-ered, but the standard 3 gallon pet-rol tank was retained, as was thefinish.

The eight models continued much

as they were for 1947, but with someengine alterations. The connecting

plated 'flying M' badge in place ofthe transfer, and this finish was alsoapplied to the handlebars and wheelrims. The rims were further deco-

rated with black centres lined withgold for AJS and silver for Match-less.

The main change for 1948 was to7 in. brakes for both wheels, thefront brake adopting a two-boltanchor for its backplate. The han-dlebar clamp was changed to four

bolts to secure it, arid there were

fork modifications and an adjust-ment to the saddle springs for alter-

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POSTWAR START

Gordon Jackson discussing his prototype 1959 trials machine with Harry Louis of The MotorCycle.

ing the seat height. The competi-tion models had their front tyresection increased to 3.00 in., and thefinish was brightened a little more.For export, the singles had

chrome-plated petrol tanks withpainted and lined panels, the Match-less colour being red, which wasmatched by the wheel rim centres,

both areas being lined in silver. Thisfinish harked back to that used inthe late 1930s and showed that the

early post-war austerity was begin-ning to be beaten, although therewas still a long way to go.

During the year, the 348 cc en-gines began to use the 497 cc bot-

tom half, so these became commonin most respects. The flywheel di-ameter of the larger engine becamethe standard, but the balance weight-ing still differed to match the twosizes of piston.

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AJS &

MATCHLESS SINGLES

The works Matchless singles used in the 1958 ISDT standing outside Angus Herbert's shop in Sevenoaks during a run out with the press men from Motor Cy

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Spring-frame modelsThe range of machines was in-

creased to twelve for 1949 with theaddition of versions with pivoted-fork rear suspension. They weredistinguished by the addition of aletter 'S' to the model type and only

built for the road. Thus, the AJS ma-

chines were the 16MS and 18S, whilethe Matchless models were the G3LS

and G80S.Both sizes of engine were modi-

fied for all models by the adoptionof hairpin valve springs. This meanta new cylinder head for both enginesizes plus a common rocker box.The opportunity was taken to move

the exhaust valve lifter up to therocker box, where it was out of sight

Road going Matchless G3 for 1959, the year the machine codings changed. Alternator and coil

ignition replaced the magneto and dynamo from 1958.

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SPRING-FRAME MODELS

A trio of 1959 model 16C trials machines with their small brakes and shortened subframe.Virtually their final form.

and where its operating cable wasno longer in danger of being burnton the exhaust pipe. The engine finswere made deeper, and an air filteroption was made available for thefirst time.

The rigid frame continued muchas before, but with sidecar lugs, andthe front section was common to

both rigid and sprung road models.The rigid rear remained as it was,while the sprung type had two siderails, a bridge and subframe. Therails ran along each side, from the

bottom of the downtube, under theengine and gearbox, to extend to therear to support the pillion rests andsilencer. The rear subframe had aloop on each side, which ran backfrom the seat nose to the rear unittop mounting and then down to therails. The bridge was a massive,

light-alloy casting that linked the

frame members and carried the pinon which the rear fork pivoted. Thus,this fork straddled the bridge andrequired the pin to be pressed outwhen dismantling the parts to re-

place the fork bushes.The rear suspension units were

made by AMC and, due to their slimlines, were later known as 'candle-sticks'. Each had covers to enclosethe compression spring and washydraulically damped, but the vol-ume of oil was to prove critical andinsufficient to give the dampingfacility any real length of life. Theunits had clevis ends, top and bot-tom, which made them unique, andmade it awkward for owners tochange to proprietary types.

The sprung models had twintoolboxes, one being tucked intothe subframe corner on each side,

and were fitted with a centre stand,

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The 1960 model 18 with new, duplex frame and smaller headlamp shell but still much as in thepast.

while retaining the saddle for therider. For all models, there was aquarter-turn petrol filler cap, rec-tangular form of rear lamp, dynamocontrol unit mounting on the side of

the battery carrier, and option of asteering damper. For the competi-tion models alone, there was anundershield to protect the crank-case. The finish remained as for1948, other than the chrome-platingof the new rear lamp body.

There were more changes for1950, with a new silencer with offsetinlet and outlet pipes, standardtaper-roller bearings in the rearwheels, a five-spring clutch for the497 cc models, and a torque stay forthe front brake. The road modelswere given ribbed mudguards andlonger carburettor bodies, while thetoolbox on the rigid machines wasrepositioned between the chain-stays on the right-hand side.

The competition models received

more extensive alterations, for theychanged to an all-alloy top half helddown by four sleeve nuts that werescrewed on to long studs in thecrankcase. The cylinder head had

the valve seats cast in place, and thebarrel an iron liner, while no gasketwas used between the two. Theengines were fitted with Lucas'wader' magnetos, and both capaci-ties drove through the five-springclutch. On the outside, the appear-ance was much improved by a slim2 gallon petrol tank, while thetoolbox became cylindrical and wasmounted under the saddle. Theheadlamp was made quickly-detach-able, and the finish for all modelswas as in 1949, except for thechrome-plating of a minor detail ofthe front forks, and the use of atransfer for the competition Match-less petrol tank.

The finish stayed as it was for

1951, but an oval tank badge was

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3

SPRING-FRAME MODELS

used by the AJS models, and themetal Matchless 'M' for the compe-tition versions of that marque. Thisside of the range was doubled by theintroduction of sprung-frame ver-sions, which were coded by theaddition of a letter 'S' to the 'C' andthe basic model. The results werethe AJS 16MCS and 18CS, while theMatchless equivalents were theG3LCS and G80CS.

All the models with rear suspen-sion had new rear units that year,these being of a larger diameter with

greater oil capacity. They soon be-came known as 'jampots', and thename not only stuck, but becamethat used for the magazine put out

by the British AMC owners' club. Allthe road models changed to a light-alloy cylinder head, but kept theiron barrel. In addition, the horn

button was screwed into the right-

hand side handlebar, so its wiring

was concealed, and the 348 ccmodels were fitted with the five-spring clutch.

The competition models changedto a Burman type BA gearbox, andthe sprung versions had a singletoolbox on the right, the item beingcommon with the road machine. Therigid competition machines contin-ued with their cylindrical toolboxand, during the year, the competi-tion engines changed to a flanged

bush for the timing-side main bear-ing.

The flanged bush went into all en-gines for 1952, the year the Match-less finally copied the AJS and hadits magneto moved to the front ofthe engine. In this, it did not com-

pletely follow the AJS, for the ar-rangement of the inner and outertiming covers differed, as did theline of the engine. The 497 cc road

engine lost its compression plate,

Apart from the seat, this 1960 machine is the final form for the Matchless G3C

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3


A 1961 G80 showing the cast alloy chaincase which replaced the pressed-steel type for the

road models in 1958.

and the cylinder was lengthened alittle to compensate.

All models changed to a newBurman B52 gearbox, which wasmore compact and had a ball-ramp

clutch-lift mechanism. In other re-spects, the B52 was conventional,

as was its clutch, which had four orfive friction plates as demanded byengine power and machine use. Dueto the change of clutch mechanism,it was necessary to fit an adjuster

screw in the centre of the pressureplate, and access to this was pro-

For scrambling in 1961, AJS offered this model 18CS, which took considerable strength to getthe best from it.

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3

SPRING-FRAME MODELS

vided by a small plate in the outerchaincase.

Other changes for 1952 includeda light-alloy front brake backplate, ahandlebar clamp with three bolts,and an underslung pilot lamp. Thislamp was never of any use, exceptfor parking, and was never popularwith owners. It was only used be-cause the new form of headlight wasunable to accommodate a pilot bulb,

but this problem did not remain for

was similar, except that the liningwas in silver with a red pinstripe,and the alloy tank badge round with'flying wings'.

Little was altered for 1953, al-though a dualseat appeared for allthe sprung road models, and therewere some detail changes, includ-ing a plastic rear lamp. The finishcontinued austere at home, butexport machines made use of whatnickel there was to revert to chrome-

The timing side of the 1961 Matchless G80CS with the oil tank on the left to allow space forthe massive GP carburettor and air filter.

too long.The 1952 finish was affected by

the shortage of nickel at that time,which restricted the use of chrome-plating. In its place, AMC used whatthey called an Argenised finish,which gave a matt aluminium effectand was applied to the wheel rimsand some other details. The painted

parts remained in black, the AJStanks being lined in gold and fittedwith a new die-cast badge formingthe marque name. The Matchless

plating for tanks and wheel rims.More happened in 1954, when all

models were fitted with larger car-burettors and the inlet ports wereopened-up to suit. The sizes wentup to 1-1/16 in. for all the 348 ccengines, and to 1-5/32 in. for the 497cc ones. For the larger road models,there was a rotating magnet mag-neto, with an auto-advance mecha-nism built into the magnetosprocket, and a new timing coverwith a bulge to clear this. The en-

35


3


gine was modified internally, thetiming-side mainshaft being made a

parallel press-fit in the flywheel.For the cycle parts, there was a

new full-width front hub with somecooling fins, but still with a 7 in.

brake within. The underslung park-ing lamp was replaced by twin pi-lots, one on each side of the head-lamp and equally ineffective. Theaccess cover in the outer chaincase

became a dome so that the wholeclutch became accessible, and thedynamo control unit was moved

while that for the 497 cc sprung ma-chines remained at 3.00 in. The

petrol tank was fitted with a wing-nut filler cap.

The home-market finish remainedas it had been for 1952, except thatthe wheel rims were chrome-platedonce more, the road versions alsohaving lined, painted centres. Thenew front hub was left in its naturalfinish and there were round plastictank badges for the road model

petrol tanks, the Matchless onekeeping the 'flying wings'. The

Little changed on the model 18 AJS for 1962, other than to the tank badges and the finishoptions.

under the seat. The road modelmudguards were flared, and the

petrol tank size for the 497 cc mod-els was increased to 3 gallons.

On the competition side, the newfront hub and clutch access domewere adopted, along with an all-welded frame front half for the rigidmodels and a dualseat for the sprin-

gers. The front tyre sections wentback to 2.75 in. for the trials models,

competition tanks reverted to trans-fers in gold for AJS and silver forMatchless, both looking extremelysmart.

It was all change to the carburet-tors for 1955 with the introductionof the Monobloc type. The 348 ccroad models were fitted with a 1-1/16 in. type 376, while the 497 cc road

machines used a 1-5/32 in. type 389.The same sizes went on to the rigid

36


3

SPRING-FRAME MODELS

Matchless G3C for 1962 fitted with the optional lighting system that was still offered for thecompetition models.

competition models, but the sprungones were fitted with TT carburet-tors of 1-1/16 in. and 1-3/16 in. sizesto the two engine capacities. The

348 cc road engine copied the largerversion with a change to a rotating-

magnet magneto with auto-advance,so also required the same timingcover outer with the clearance bulge.There was a new silencer for all

models.On the cycle side, the full-width

Final year for the true AMC singles was 1963 when this model 18 had a more rounded shape toits toolbox and oil tank.

37


3


front hub was replaced by anotherwith the cooling fins in a barrel pro-file. It was joined by a full-width hubat the rear, which was also in light-alloy, and this offered a quickly-de-tachable facility for the sprung-framemodels. The diameter of the frontforks was increased and the framemodified to provide a hole for theair filter hose, while pressed-steel

pillion footrest lugs were added forthe road springers. The headlampshell was made deeper so that itcould accommodate the speedome-

ter as well as the ammeter and lightswitch. The 3 gallon petrol tank

went on to the 348 cc road models,and the finish for all was unaltered,except for leaving the rear hub in itsnatural finish.

This brought the AMC range to awatershed, for all the rigid modelswere dropped at the end of 1955. Itwas springers only from then on,

plus new short-stroke engines forscrambles use. This was to signalthe beginning of the separation

between the two competition func-tions of trials and scrambles. Intime, this would lead to the use of

348 cc engines only in the former,and 497 cc ones in the latter.

38


3

Revised enginesIn all but one case, the models

that continued kept their existingtype code, regardless of any otherchanges. The exception was the 348cc model built for trials use, whichcontinued as the 16MC or G3LCdespite a change to rear suspen-

sion. It was a situation that lentitself to confusion, but the 16MCSand G3LCS codings were applied to

the new scrambles models, hencethe decision. The problem did notarise with the larger engine, as the18C and G80C were dropped andonly the scrambles model built inthat capacity, not the trials one.

The road models continued with

little alteration to the engine, otherthan increases in compression ratioand the addition of a magnetic oil

Lovely Matchless G80CS of 1963 which remained in the lists even though most riders had

turned to two-strokes.

39


4


filter in the crankcase. The pushrodtubes were shortened so that theyran into the underside of the cylin-der head, rather than higher up, andthe head was altered to suit. The oilfeed to the cylinder bore was dis-

pensed with, and the magneto shield

they were, except that the frontbrake cam lever was moved to thetop of the backplate. More notice-able was a new oil tank, which waslong and thin to fit into the subframecorner on the right-hand side of themachine. It was matched on the left-

For 1964 thesingles were fittedwith NortonRoadholder frontforks, and Nortonhubs and brakes ason this G3.

no longer fitted.The gearbox remained the Bur-

man B52, and the primary chain-case the two-part pressed-steel as-sembly. The frame was alteredmainly in respect of the seat tube.

This became vertical and incorpo-rated the rear fork pivot lug, but therear loop and twin side rails re-mained much as before. The rearfork continued to pivot on a pin

pressed into place, but the absenceof the separate bridge made assem-

bly and dismantling that much moreawkward.

The forks and wheels stayed as

hand side by a combined toolboxand battery carrier with a front panelto join this to the oil tank. Thiscleaning up process was extended

by the addition of a cover over thechain adjuster above the gearbox,

and by grouping the controls andcables. The front mudguard wastidied-up by the deletion of the frontstay, and the rear stay no longerdoubled as a front stand, the centrestand being considered adequatefor all needs. The finish stayed as

before except for a small increase inthe diameter of the AJS badge.

The 348 cc trials model retained

40


4

REVISED ENGINES

Last year for the road singles was 1966 when this Matchless was built, still much as in itsoriginal image.

the all-alloy engine in a new framewith pivoted-fork rear suspension.Its wheelbase was reduced bymounting the fork pivot ahead of theseat tube. The frame itself was still

built-up, as the others, although eachpart became a welded assembly. Themachine continued with a saddleand was fitted with a single toolboxin the left-hand subframe corner.

The scrambles models were builtin both engine capacities and hadnew short-stroke power units. Thesmaller had dimensions of 72 x 85.5

mm, and the larger 86 x 85.5 mm, sothe stroke was common and thecapacities remained at 348 and 497cc. The engines were all-alloy andhad the pushrod tunnels cast withinthe head and barrel. Inside wentforged steel flywheels with the main-shafts simply pressed into place,while the big-end had a strongercrankpin and a single row of cagedrollers. A roller race assisted the

bush on the timing side to supportthe crankshaft.

Both engines were fitted with aMonobloc carburettor, the smallerwith a 376 of 1-1/16 in. bore, and the

larger with a 1-3/16 in. type 389.Compression ratios were quite highat 9.9:1 and 8.7:1 respectively, andsports valve timing was used. Theexhaust pipe carried a silencer, butan extension was available to re-

place it when racing.The frame, forks and wheels were

much as for the road models, and

the machines were fitted with a du-alseat and sports mudguards. Fullelectrical equipment, includinglights and horn, could be suppliedand was more often fitted for theUSA street scrambler or enduromarket, where the combination ofthe scrambles specification with adegree of road equipment was de-sirable. A slim 2 gallon petrol tankwas fitted, but the oil tank remained

41


4


as that of the trials machine and thefinish continued unchanged.

During 1956, the gearbox for allmodels was changed to one basedheavily on the design of the typefitted to Norton machines. Thereason behind this was partly thetake-over of Norton by AMC back in1953, but also a standardisation

programme, which was to enablethe one gearbox to be fitted to allAMC and Norton models of 350 cc ormore. The new design becameknown as the AMC box, but essen-

tially it was based on one first builtby Sturmey-Archer in the early1930s. This design had been takenover by Norton in 1935 and built forthem by Burman, with an improve-ment in the gear pedal positionappearing in 1949 to suit the Nortontwin.

For the AMC group and the Nor-

ton models, the box internals wereleft as they were, but the positive-stop mechanism was made morecompact, and the clutch and its liftmechanism revised. The newmechanism required a screw ad-

juster in the pressure plate, whichmeant a simple pushrod to lift it in

place of the split rod with mush-room end of the past that had doneso much to lift the Norton clutchsquarely and assist in clean gearchanges. The new clutch centreincluded a shock absorber, so the

face-cam device on the crankshaftwas no longer needed. With itsremoval, the clearance dome in theouter chaincase was reduced in size.The new gearbox continued onthe 1957 models, all of which hadtheir rear suspension 'jampots'changed to Girling units. AMC hadfinally admitted that someone else

The Matchless G80CS for 1966 and still available with lights for use in trail riding and enduros.

42


4

REVISED ENGINES

The Matchlessscrambler becamethe G85CS in 1966with cycle partsvery similar to thoseof the successfulRickman brothers.

knew better on the subject, but eventhen did not fit stock items. TheirGirling units might have had stan-dard mounting eyes at the top, butthe lower fixings continued as theclevises of old.

All models had styling ribs addedto their oil tanks and toolbox lids,and the road models were given anoption of separate chrome-platedside panels for the petrol tank.Except for this, their finish contin-ued in black with gold or silver lining

but the wheel rims were chrome-plated only, except for export Match-

less models, which had red centres.On the competition side, the 348cc scrambles models were fitted witha larger 1-1/8 in. type 389 Monoblocand the long thin oil tank with ribs.This also went on the 497 cc model.The finish of both trials andscrambles machines was unaltered.

The basic scrambles machines

led to other, more specialised,models built mainly for the USA.

Some were for flat-track events, sothey had a rigid frame, light forksand no front brake, while the powercame from the all-alloy, short-strokescrambles engine with raised com-

pression ratio, central plug and

Grand Prix carburettor. Along withthis were larger-capacity scramblesmodels with the engines stretchedto 89 x 96 mm and 597 cc. Normally,these were built in the CS modewithout any road equipment, butthe engine was also used in someflat-track machines.

There were significant changes

to the road models for 1958, as theyturned to alternator electrics andcoil ignition. Thus, the dynamo andits drive were dropped along withthe pressed-steel primary chaincase.In their place came a Lucas RM15 al-ternator, which went on the left-hand end of the crankshaft with thestator located in the outer half of the

chaincase. The two halves of thechaincase were cast in light-alloy

43


4


and held together by a row of smallscrews. An access plug went on theclutch centre-line to enable adjust-ments to be made, and a second

plug acted as a filler hole and ameans of checking chain tension.On the timing side, the engine

reflector. An ignition switch wasadded to the centre of the lightswitch to make a combined fitting,

but the layout of the controls wasunaltered. The finish continued as

before, but all models now hadchrome-plated wheel rims. The

The Rickman Matchless powered Metisse in 1962 when it was already the dominant force inlarge capacity scramble events.

line was completely altered, as themagneto was dispensed with, alongwith its drive, so the timing chestwas much reduced in size. Within itwent the two cams, as of old, withthe inlet camshaft driving the igni-

tion cam and its auto-advancemechanism. The points plate wasmounted on the small inner timingcover and concealed by a polishedouter. The ignition coil went upunder the tank, and the alternatorrectifier was mounted under the du-alseat.

The road machines did away with

the twin pilot lights for 1958, so thepilot bulb went into the headlamp

option of the chrome-plated tankpanels remained available and wasjoined, for that one year only, byanother with the panels painted. Thecolours offered were gold for AJSand off-white for Matchless, the

plastic beading used round the edgebeing in blue or red respectively.These bead colours were also usedwith the chrome-plated panels.

Little altered for the competitionmodels for 1958, but they were giventhe option of a 3 gallon petrol tank.The scrambles machines had a newdualseat, wider mudguards and an

oil tank that was set in more, butotherwise continued as standard

44


4

REVISED ENGINES

with the same finish. They also hadthe option of a colour finish for the

petrol tank, oil tank and toolbox -blue for AJS and red for Matchless.For the trials machine, the optiononly applied to the petrol tank andwas in the same colours.

All models were given new codesfor 1959, as the letter 'S' was droppedfrom them, being superfluous whenall had rear suspension. This madethe road models the 16 or G3, and 18or G80, but the only change was todeeper mudguards, the front one

carrying the number plate on itssides.

The changes to the finish weremore complex, although the basicstandard scheme in black remainedas it had been for many years. Theoptions began with the chrome-

plated tank panels and continuedwith a colour option for the petrol

tank, oil tank, mudguards and tool-box. This was in blue for AJS andArctic white for Matchless, and in-cluded the chrome-plated tank

panels, which mounted on blue orblack beading. A further optionprovided a two-tone tank finish, andin this case a plated embellishingstrip went between the colours. For

AJS the tank top was blue and thelower portion in light grey, while the

Matchless top was Arctic white andthe lower part in red.

The trials models became the 16Cand G3C with changes to a smallersubframe, long inclined Girling rearunits, and a two-part rear fork. Thishad the pivot pin brazed into theright-hand leg, while the left leg washeld in place by a cotter pin. Notsomething to inspire too muchconfidence, although it seemed towork well enough in practice. Both

brakes went down in size to 5 in.and worked in light, offset hubs. A

cylindrical toolbox was fitted on topof the rear engine mounting plates,and the finish continued in blackwith gold or silver lining, plus theoption in blue or red as before.

The codes for the scramblesmodels became 16CS and G3CS forthe smaller model, and 18CS andG80CS for the larger. Otherwise,

they ran on as they were, with just achange to the option colour for theMatchless oil tank and toolbox fromred to white. At the end of the year,and the decade, the smallerscrambles model was dropped, sothe competition side split firmly into348 cc for trials and 497 cc forscrambles. For the road machines,

it was time for a new frame.

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4

Duplex frameAll, except the trials models,

changed to a new frame with duplexdowntubes for 1960. This retainedthe separate rear loop and contin-ued with the special Girling unitswith clevis lower ends, but the down-tubes ran back under the engine tothe seat tube, so there were no sepa-rate rails.

The engines continued as theywere, but the cycle parts for theroad models included a new 4 gal-lon petrol tank, two-level dualseatand shallower headlamp shell. Theroad model colours were as for 1959,including the options, with an addi-

tional one of the two-tone petrol

tank alone, the other items remain-ing in black.

The 497 cc scrambles models hadtheir oil tank moved over to the left-hand side of the machine to makeroom for a 1-3/8 in. Grand Prix carbu-rettor and its air filter. They re-tained the magneto for ignition, buthad the option of an alternator to

power the lighting system when thiswas fitted. Whether this was so ornot, the cast light-alloy chaincasewas fitted and the battery, whencalled for, was mounted below theair filter. The machine could be sup-

plied with a 1-3/16 in. Monobloc in

place of the GP and its air filter, in

The 16MS as prepared for the 1951 Clubmans TT with alloy engine and TT carburettor but nomatch for the winning BSA Gold Star.

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4

DUPLEX FRAME

Gordon Jackson in the Perce Simon trial of November 1960 under the eyes of Neville Goss intrilby, Bob Snelling and Ralph Venables.

which case the cams were changedto suit. The cylindrical toolbox could

be fitted if required and the finishwas as in 1959.

Little was altered for 1961, as theworld was moving on while AMCstood still. The accent was on per-

formance, the learner market thenbeing restricted to 250 cc, but turn-ing to 650 cc, or larger, twins as soonas possible. Customers for staidroad singles became fewer, whilethe competition future lay with two-strokes, for they were simply somuch easier for the average rider tocome to terms with. Experts might

have done wonders in trials andscrambles on four-strokes - Sammy

Miller and Jeff Smith on Ariel andBSA machines being prime examples- but few could emulate them.

So, AMC fitted shorter mudguardsand larger tank badges on their roadmodels for 1961. They added amarque badge to the outer timing

cover and reversed the option col-ours. Thus, the single colour wasgrey for AJS and red for Matchless,while the two-tone tanks were greytop and blue lower or red and whiterespectively. For the competitionmachines, there were no changes tospecification or finish.

There were changes to the 348 cc

road models for 1962, as the oldlong-stroke engine was finally re-

47


4


Artie Ratcliffe winning the Cotswold Cups trial in March 1950 with his Matchless G3LC worksmachine.

48


4

DUPLEX FRAME

placed by one with dimensions of 74x81 mm, but the capacity still workedout at 348 cc. The revised enginehad the pushrod tunnel cast into thecylinder,as on the scrambles mo-tors, but the barrel material re-mained as cast-iron. The carburet-tor was increased in size to a 1-1/8in. type 389 Monobloc, and the valvesfollowed suit.

A sports version of the new 348 ccmodel was also offered by bothmarques, being listed as the 16S orG3S. For this, little was altered, other

than the handlebars, which wereinverted, and the mudguards andchainguard, which were chrome-

plated.Other changes common to both

sizes of road model were a key forthe ignition switch and a roll-oncentre stand. The tank badges be-came much larger and were die-cast

in zinc alloy. Due to their size, theybecame known as 'knee-knockers', aname that has survived to today.

The 1962 road model finish wasstill in black, but the option was forall painted parts to be coloured, withmudguards in white and the rest in

blue for AJS, and Tartan red forMatchless. This attempt to jazz up

the old-stagers was taken further bygiving them, and all the others in therange, model names. Thus, the 16

became the Sceptre, and the G3 theMercury, while the 16S and G3S had'Sports' tagged on their names. Thelarger road models were listed asthe 18, or Statesman, and G80, orMajor.

There were no changes to thecompetition models, and their fin-

ish options were reduced to petroltank colour alternatives in blue forAJS and red for Matchless. They didnot escape the move to modelnames, however, so the 16C becamethe Experts, and the G3C the Maes-tro. For the scrambles machines,the names were Southerner for the18CS, Marksman for the G80CS, andTyphoon for the G80TCS, this last

being the 597 cc single built for theUSA.

In practice, no-one seemed to usethe model names, and owners cer-

tainly continued to refer to theirmachines by the old model codes.

The sports 350 did not run on for1963, but the other models did, andall were fitted with standard Girlingrear units. The road machines weregiven a more rounded shape to theiroil tank and toolbox, went to 18 in.wheels, and were fitted with a nar-

rower dualseat. A full rear chain-case option was listed for them, themudguards became of D-section, thesilencer lost its tailpipe, and the

petrol tank was recessed on eachside for the kneegrips, so its capac-ity went down to 4 gallons.

The road models and the scram-blers changed to a new front hub,

which turned on stock ball races,rather than the taper rollers of the

past. The new hub had fewer cool-ing fins and its brake was the samediameter as before, but it acceptedwider shoes and linings. The tyresfor the road machines became 3.25x 18 in. front and rear for the 348 cc,and the same front with a 3.50 x 18

in. rear for the 497 cc ones. Thetrials models stayed as they were,

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5


The 1956 ISDT Matchless machines on show at Earls Court later that year, complete withGerman mud!

as did the general finish. The roadmachines were given a double zig-zag line on the petrol tank shoulder,and the option colours applied tothe petrol tank, oil tank and toolboxonly. The competition models lost

all their finish options, so were onlyto be had in the standard black.There were considerably more

changes to the road models for 1964,as the effects of using standard parts

became more pronounced. On thecycle side, this entailed the fitmentof Norton Roadholder front forksand Norton hubs front and rear. Bothhubs were full-width, light-alloytypes with single-leading-shoe

brakes but, while the rear contin-ued at its old 7 in. size, the frontgrew to a more useful 8 in.

The engines were changed to thedimensions first used by the 1956scrambles motors, so the smaller

had a 72 mm bore, the larger an 86mm bore, and both an 85.5 mmstroke. They copied the old designin having the pushrod tunnel inte-gral with the cylinder,but kept thisin cast-iron, along with a light-alloyhead. The bottom half was as usedin the scrambles engines, with steelflywheels, a single-row, caged-roller

big-end, and roller bearing plus plainbush to support the timing-side

50


5

DUPLEX FRAME

mainshaft.The lubrication system was al-

tered to a Norton duplex gear pumpwith a direct feed into the crank-shaft end, driven by a worm nut onthe crankshaft. On the other end ofthe crankshaft, the alternator waschanged to an RM19 type, and thecarburettor for the 497 cc engine

became the same size as that of the348 cc one at 1-1/8 in. All modelswent over to a magnetic speedome-ter, and the finish was the same as in1963, the AJS optional colour being

Polychromatic blue.For the 1964 trials models, there

was a change to the same enginedimensions as the road 348 cc ma-chines. To suit the intended use,they were fitted with the linered,light-alloy barrel, but no longer hada dynamo listed, even as an option.On the outside, there were shorter

Girling rear units and a small padwith fibreglass base as a seat, in

place of the saddle. The finish wasunaltered. The scrambles singles

kept the AMC forks and wheels as ofold, but the engines were fitted withthe Norton oil pump. Their finishwas as in 1963.

Little was altered for 1965, butthe trials model was dropped, for itwas totally out of place in the sea oftwo-strokes that now dominated thesport. For the road models, therewas a small diamond-shaped tank

badge for AJS, and a smaller 'M'badge for Matchless. The samemachines were also offered as the

Norton models 50 and ES2, with a

change of tank badge, and this didnothing to endear them to any of themarque enthusiasts. There was nochange to the standard finish, butthe options were no longer listed.The scrambles models continuedunchanged.

For 1966, the road singles ran onas they were, but late in the year

their production came to an end.Thus ended some two decades of

post-war production of models thatwere, at one time, the backbone of

A G85CS fittedwith an AJS tankfor Peter Gaunt toride in the 1966

ISDT in which hewon a gold medal.

51


5


the industry. Quiet, reliable work-horses, without much style or glam-our, but essential for their tasks formuch of that time.

Despite the problems, the com-petition side produced a new model,the Matchless G85CS, which alonehad no AJS equivalent. It continuedwith the 497 cc scrambles enginefitted with a 1-3/8 in. Grand Prixcarburettor. This, and the gearbox,were installed in a new, all-weldedduplex frame. The forks remainedAMC, as did the hubs, the front one

having the fins machined off andhousing the usual 7 in. front brake.At the rear, the hub was still an AMCitem, but from the overhead-cam-shaft racing models and, thus, ofconical form with an 8 in. drum.The rear wheel diameter went downto 18 in., but the tyre sections stayedas they were. A central oil tank was

fitted, and the finish was silver for

the frame with polished light-alloymudguards and a red petrol tank.

The G85CS stayed in productionup to 1969 and was altered for 1967

by a change to a 932 Concentriccarburettor. During this period, theG80CS was made available in theUSA as a roadster or street scram-

bler with lights and a silencer. Fewwere built, and they were more ameans of reducing the spares hold-ing than a serious attempt at provid-ing an additional model in the lists.

At the close of this period, the

AMC singles line came to an end. Arather sad finale for machines thathad played such an important partin the history of the industry, butthey were revived again in the 1980sas interest in classic machines grewapace. Owners and riders once againenjoyed the fine finish and easy rid-ing bestowed by the big flywheels

and tall gearing.

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5

Singles in competitionAJS and Matchless OHV singles

played little or no part in the roadracing scene, as that was left to theiroverhead-camshaft cousins. Else-where, especially in the trials world,it was a very different picture up tothe early 1960s, for they had manysuccesses in both one-day trials andthe Scottish Six Days. In this last,they took the premier award no lessthan ten times in the 15 events runfrom 1947 to 1961.

Hugh Viney was their trials maes-tro in the early days, winning thefirst three post-war events and againin 1953. All these successes were on

AJS machines, while Artie Ratcliffeused a Matchless to win in 1950 and1954. Then Gordon Jackson tookover and finished first in 1956,1958,1960 and 1961, the last being the his-toric occasion when he dropped onlyone mark during the entire week.

In the scrambles field, early worksriders were Geoff Ward for AJS and

Brian Stonebridge for Matchless,both having many successes. In Eu-rope, Auguste Mingels won thescrambles championship in 1953using a Matchless for most eventsand, later in the 1950s, Dave Curtisrode the same make to many wins.

During the 1960s, the big scram-bler continued, but was also used asan enduro machine with lights androad equipment added. The finalversion, the G85CS, was very similarto the Rickman Metisse, and AMCwere also to supply Rickman withengines.

At club level, the AMC competi-

tion models played their part formany years. In addition, during theearly post-war years, the ex-WD G3Lwas often recruited for grass trackor scrambles events, where it ranwell enough, usually with the bene-fit of alcohol fuel to keep the all-ironengine cool.

53


5

AJS & Matchless SpecificationsAll models had a single cylinder, overhead valves, four-speed gearbox, telescopic front forks and, where fitted, a six volt electric system.

1- 1953-6.53

4- 1954-8.5

7- 1955-TT

10- 1954-1-5/32, 1955-1-3/16

13- 1955-3.75

16- 1948-3.00x21, 1954-2.75x21

2- 1953-6.3

5- 1955-376

8- 1954-1-1/16

11- 1948-6.56

14- 1954-3.75

3- 1954-9.4

6- 1955-389

9- 1954- 1-5/32

12- 1948-5.83

15- 1950-2.25

17- 1948 on-7

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5

1- 1959-16 & G3

4- 1959-16S & G3CS

7- 1955-376

10- 1954- 1-1/16

13- 1958-coil

16- 1957-6.4819

- 1954-3.75, 1960-4.25, 1963-4

2- 1962, also 16S & G3S

5- 1953-6.53, 1956-7.5

8- 1955-389

11- 1954- 1-5/32

14- 1957-5.80

17- 1955-3.75, 1960-4.2520

- 1963-3.25x18

3- 1959-18 & G80

6- 1953-6.3, 1956-7.3

9- 1957-389

12-1957-1-1/8

15- 1957-5.01, 1963-4.79

18- 1963-421

- 1963-3.50x18

55

SPECIFICATIONS

AJS & Matchless Specifications


5

AJS & MATCHLESS SINGLES

AJS & Matchless Specifications

56

1- 1960-GP or 389

4- 1967-32mm

2- 1967-932

5- 1957-6.48

3- 1960-1-3/8 or 1-3/16

6- 1957-6.12, 1959-5.80

Documents

Roy Bacon - Ajs & Matchless Postwar Singles 1945-1969