AMBITION ACHIEVED
Back when Chas was a lad, he made himself three promises regarding bicycles, guitars and a motorbike. The first two were fulfilled fairly fast, but his ultimate objective took a little longer to complete. Henry Gregson explains how a 350 lightweight playe
As a young boy, Chas grew up living quite close to the AMC factory in Plumstead. Back then, he had no real knowledge of the motorcycle factory on his doorstep. Instead, his father was a keen cyclist, so one Christmas Chas was delighted to receive a James bicycle. This introduced him to the freedom of a world explored on two wheels. Chas also developed a love of music and spent many hours gazing in the window of the Holdsworth cycle shop and Art Nash’s music shop. He promised himself that he would one day own a racing bicycle and a guitar.
There was also a motorbike shop, a James dealer, opposite Chas’s school. James, the very company who had manufactured his bicycle. Each day, while waiting for the bus, Chas gazed at those motorcycles and made himself another promise: one day he would own one of these, too. He saved enough money to buy a secondhand acoustic guitar, teaching himself the basic chords. On leaving school he found employment in the workshop of the
Holdsworth cycle company and as a musician. Two ambitions fulfilled: one outstanding.
Years later I met Chas through cycling at a training camp where we bonded instantly. Our friendship continued and he often visited, showing a keen interest in my motorcycles and occasionally riding pillion. Chas was determined to pass his motorcycle test and join our great community.
This he did and became the proud owner of an AJS 125 and a Kawasaki 650. Older British bikes still fascinated him and he regularly searched the ads for a James Captain that suited his budget. One morning, he called to say he’d just seen an advert for a Matchless, local to him, at a very good price indeed. Chas asked what he
should do. I asked why he was on the phone to me when he should already be driving over to the vendor to view the bike! I did warn him to be careful as the asking price seemed too good to be true. A couple of hours later I received a second, brief message.
‘I’ve bought it.’
The seller was an elderly gentleman who had reluctantly accepted that his riding days had come to an end. He’d sold off his collection and this was the last of his bikes. He knew his asking price was far below the market value of the Matchless, but he wanted it to go to a good home, rather than get as much money as possible for it.
Chas’ first course of action was (wisely, given his lack of experience with old bikes) to have the motorcycle checked over by his local shop, G Force. They were extremely enthusiastic about the Matchless and, after making a couple of minor adjustments, they gave the bike a BIG thumbs up. A second and equally intelligent move was to attend the next meeting of his local AJS & Matchless Owners Club, a group he describes as very friendly indeed. There, the club members could admire his new purchase: a 1960 Matchless G5 which has been converted by a previous owner to emulate the firm’s CSR model.
AMC introduced their lightweight 250s – the Matchless G2 Monitor Model 14 and AJS Sapphire – singlecylinder ohv models in 1958. They didn’t come without their problems, the most common of which was big end failure on the early versions which gave the bikes a poor reputation. Although the engine and gearbox were new designs, the cycle parts were borrowed from the Francis-barnett / James parts bin.
The 250s appeared to be unit construction, but underneath those bulbous crankcase covers lay not a combined engine and gearbox but oldfashioned, separate modules. The fourspeed gearbox was, unusually, circular in profile and attached to the crankcase by two straps. Primary chain adjustment was achieved by slackening the straps and rotating the gearbox. Close attention had to be paid to the gearbox oil as allowing the level to fall resulted in third gear being starved of oil – with unhappy consequences. Engine oil levels were as critical too, and it needed frequent changes. The bikes only had a capacity of 2.5 pints
and the oil was hidden behind the crankcase cover. So there was no blast of air to assist with cooling when the bike was in use.
In 1960, AMC introduced the Matchless G5 Matador and AJS Model 8 Senator 350s, intended to offer an alternative to the aging but much-loved heavyweight G3 and Model 16. The new 350s received 18” wheels replacing the 250’s 17” ones, and the front end was greatly improved by the use of Teledraulic forks as used on the heavyweight models. The production run was short, however, and the 350s were dropped in 1962, which makes them pretty rare nowadays. So were the bikes as bad as their poor reputation suggests?
It wouldn’t seem so. The initial big end problems were soon sorted, and although the need to keep a watchful eye on the oil levels still existed, they were pretty lively and reliable. Peter Williams and Tony Wood demonstrated the potential of the 250 when they took a modified Model 14 CSR to a class win in the 1964 Thruxton 500 race. The bike, prepared by Peter’s father, Jack, is said to have been capable of 100mph!
The production 250s were similarly upgraded to CSR specification with a whole host of engine improvements during its development; larger inlet vales, stronger valve springs, stiffer conrod and crankpin, steel flywheels instead of the iron originals; higher compression of 9.5:1 and a larger Monobloc carb. The sporty 250 also got the gear ratios from the 350s, Teledraulic forks, a new exhaust system, full-width British Hub brakes and plenty of flashy chrome and polished casings to catch the eye.
Disappointingly, the short-lived 350 was never given the CSR treatment. Yet it’s quite powerful for a 350 of the time, producing around 21bhp, with consistent handling, precise steering and decent brakes. These days both 250 and 350 versions, if found in good condition, can be excellent value for money in today’s inflated classic marketplace. Spares are not exactly plentiful however, and I recommend that any prospective purchaser joins the AJS & Matchless Owners’ Club.
This G5 came with a dating certificate from the owners club confirming its matching numbers. Prior to leaving the factory it was tested by Bill Langley on January 20th and was then dispatched to dealers Barton Motors of Bath on January 22nd. It was first registered sometime between January and June 1960, but since then has carried three different registration numbers. The previous owner who sold the G5 to Chas acquired the Matchless in 2015.
The bike’s paperwork listed extensive cosmetic restoration work – paint, wheel
building, chrome and a replacement seat – but no details of any mechanical attention. So it could be that its ‘CSR’ appearance is only skin deep: there’s no easy way of telling what work has been done over the years inside the engine. The low recorded mileage suggests that the odometer was re-set during the restoration and it seems to have spent its six years after restoration being mainly displayed at shows.
It’s very rare indeed that we can add a new bike to our stable without it needing some work and expense to make it roadworthy and fit to ride – no matter how pristine it appears. The G5 was no exception, with petrol leaking from both taps. The tank was removed and new taps and washers purchased from Villiers Services. That did the trick and, at last, after many decades, Chas was ready for his first ride on his own British bike.
He was delighted to find that it started first kick. Clutch in, engage first gear on the unfamiliar right-side gear lever and… the bike started to move forwards! That was despite the clutch lever being fully held in. The brakes had to be engaged to prevent this creeping forwards – so a bit of clutch drag needed sorting out.
Undeterred by this and determined to experience his first ride on a British bike, Chas decided to press on. Once underway, the clutch behaved as expected and gear changes were just fine. He was also very pleasantly surprised by how quickly he adapted to the right-hand gearchange after previously using only left-side levers.
Riding a 60 year-old British bike was a totally different experience for Chas after his modern machines. Most notable, he says, is the more relaxed feel of the bike and the power delivery at much lower revs. This came as a very pleasant surprise, with the engine providing respectable amounts of power. Similarly, Chas was struck by the unhurried way in which all the controls work.
Most of all, Chas appreciated the feeling of involvement, the need for the rider to work in harmony with the bike. In many ways this reminded him of his bicycles, and helped him feel at home on the Matchless very quickly indeed. But the G5 also offers an entirely new experience: the noise, ohhh, the noise!
That initial episode of clutch dragging was attributed to the fact that the Matchless had not been used for a long time. Chas feels that it’s likely to clear itself, particularly if the technique of popping the bike into second gear prior to engaging first gear is followed. He’s very grateful to the members of his local section of the AJS & Matchless Owners’ Club, who have been very friendly, welcoming and helpful. No one could have asked for a better introduction to the wonderful community of classic motorcycling.
In short, Chas loves his ‘CSR’ and is absolutely delighted with his purchase. He often sits in his garage with a cup of tea, just admiring his beautiful Matchless. I am sure that we can all relate to that!