THE G50 THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
One of the main aspects of the Harris plan for the re-introduction of the Matchless marque was to establish a number of models. The G80 was to be the volumeselling road tourer, and then a sportster was to be released with the emotive model identification G50, named after the legendary 500 racer of the 1960s. This would have been based on the G80 but with twin front discs as standard, a longer thinner tank and single sports seat, rear-set footrests and clip-on handlebars, skinnier mudguards, alloy rims and a 42bhp engine. The higher output was to be achieved with more compression, bigger carb, wilder cam and a shorter louder exhaust. Additionally, the bike’s styling was to be a 1980s version of the café racer theme, using more compact fittings like tucked-in turn indicators, slope-back single seat and the like.
But the G50 could have only been built on top of a successful G80 roadster business. When the touring bike hit trouble, the sports machine went no further than the single prototype which gathered dust in the Devon workshop. Eventually it was scrapped for parts. Yet another ‘if only’ story accompanied the demise of a classic British marque. A shame, a great shame.