Riding the Model 16
I’VE BEEN ATTRACTED to the AMC singles for a while now. They just seem right. Big enough for my portly form, while good and solid. They’re quite low, too. Compared with my BSA Starfire the AJS is absurdly under stressed and is not as complex as my Bonneville, either. It fits me better than my BSA does with a riding position that is extremely conventional, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It works.
It’s always an interesting moment, preparing to ride a new, old bike. Are the levels okay? Does the oil circulate? Is it fuel tight? Expecting it to be oil tight is a big ask. On the AJS the steering head movement was good, and the lights all worked, even if it was a total loss electrical system. It was time to try it out properly. A couple of kicks later it fired-up, and we took to the road.
‘Do the brakes work’ was an obvious starting – or stopping – point, and the AJS seemed well-enough equipped in that department, as long as you gave everyone plenty of clearance, which suits me anyway. Interestingly, despite being much heavier than my highly strung and revvy BSA, it covered ground just as well. It might not accelerate as quickly, but ultimately it was faster, and just so deliciously torquey. You can easily pull away in third. The Burman gearbox was hardly slick, and it’s a one-up, three-down shift. The clutch is light, and I did need to give it time before engaging the next gear to avoid the worst of the graunching noises.
Once rolling it felt happy on the road and even though I wasn’t exactly pushing the ancient tyres to the limit of their adhesion, it did go around corners. It wasn’t heavy to haul around, and the Teledraulic forks and Jampot shocks soaked up everything. I do wonder whether, after years of local authority neglect, perhaps the roads round my way are more suited to a 1950s motorcycle than a modern one. I put about 15 miles on it and headed home, pulling in for a splash of fresh fuel. That was when I discovered that starting it from hot was a bit of a challenge. While it would restart if I just stopped for a minute or so, after that I would be thrashing away fruitlessly for a long time. It might be something to do with the spark plug or, more likely, I need to refine my starting technique.
I’ve taken to carrying a spare spark plug and spanner everywhere as a new or clean plug sometimes solves this reluctance to fire. Research suggests it might be the primary fuel mixture. Or perhaps the capacitor in the magneto has conked out. Or perhaps it needs a better heat insulator between carb and cylinder head. Or perhaps ‘they all do that sir’. Such excitement to come.