ABOVE: 1949 Matchless G80S. THE NEW G80 1949 was the first year for the G80, the company’s top-line 500 single. Typical of British bikes of the era, it used pushrods and a small bore/long stroke (undersquare). The new bike also had a new frame with a swing arm rear suspension, and “Teledraulic” (telescopic and hydraulically damped) front forks. The rear suspension was straight off of one of parent-company AMC’s other motorcycle brands. Velocette already had a swing arm suspension setup […]
MATCHLESS G9 BACKGROUND Like everyone else in the British motorcycle industry at the time, when Triumph rocked the world with their 1938 Speed Twin, the world’s first modern 500cc vertical twin, AMC (Associated Motor Cycles), parent company of Matchless, and AJS, developed a new 500 vertical twin for both brands. As always, there would be a Matchless version and a nearly-identical AJS version. The Matchless was designated G9 and had the magneto mounted in front of the cylinders, and the […]
THE NEW 1952 MATCHLESS G80 1949 was the first year for the Matchless G80, the company’s top-line 500 single. Typical of British bikes of the era, it used pushrods and a small bore/long stroke (undersquare). The new bike also had a new frame with a swing arm rear suspension, and “Teledraulic” (telescopic and hydraulically damped) front forks. The rear suspension was straight off of one of parent-company AMC’s other motorcycle brands. Velocette already had a swing arm suspension setup which […]
1963 Matchless G12CS 1963 MATCHLESS G12CS – A BRIEF HISTORY In 1963 there were four models offered of the G12. There was the Standard, De Lux, the CS (Competition Sport) and the CSR (Competition Sport, Road). They all were 646cc vertical twins with the 4-speed AMC gear box, Lucas magneto ignition. The CS and CSR came with alloy fenders, siamezed exhaust, and quick detachable headlight. The CS had a small 2-gallon competition fuel tank, skid plate and western style handlebars. […]
1966 Matchless G12 1966 MATCHLESS G12 BACKGROND In the 1950s, Matchless and AJS were the diamonds in AMC’s (Associated Motor Cycles) crown, but by the 1960s, their fortunes had turned for the worst. Matchless had launched the G12 and AJS Model 31 650 twins in 1958, with high hopes for big sales in the US market. Unfortunately, they never materialized, at least not in the volumes it would have taken to save the company. 1966 would be the last year […]
1957 MATCHLESS G11 BACKGROUND Matchless entered the vertical twin race in 1949 with the 500cc G9 and its sister-bike, the AJS Model 20. Both shared the same basic engine, which was unique among British vertical twins because it had a center main bearing. This made for a much stronger, smoother engine. In late 1955 they completed work on an enlarged version, now with 593cc (600) resulting from a near-square 72mm X 72.8mm bore and stroke. The resulting motorcycles were the […]
1966 MATCHLESS G80- LAST OF THE LINE The G80 was Matchless‘s top-of-the-line 500 single. Launched in 1949, just as civilian production was ramping back up after World War 2, it was soon competing against an entire field of new vertical twins from Triumph, BSA, Norton, and the rest. On the dirt, the mighty G80 faired quite well, and on the street the big single held its own against other big singles, which ruled the roads up until this time. However, […]
I’ve always had a soft spot for Matchless (and AJS) motorcycles. And if I had a spare US$40,000 kicking around, I’d pop over to New Zealand and bid for this one in the Webb’s Auction of Classic Motorcycles. It’s a G50, a 500cc development of the 350cc AJS 7R, and with less than 200 examples built, it has rarity value as well as beauty. According to the auction notes, the G50 was in direct competition with the Norton Manx. 'The lighter Matchless could take the day on tight and twisty circuits … Just as the 7R had achieved a decade
The Matchless G50 is a competition motorcycle first introduced in 1958, to compete with the Norton Manx and the other top notch racing single-cylinder
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MATCHLESS radiator emblem / badge H. Collier & Sons Ltd started with a 3-wheeled car. After WWI they built advanced cyclecars. But the...
Established in London by the Collier brothers in 1899, the marque survived for over a century
Founded in 1989, Matchless Amplifiers was born with a simple philosophy: Build the best, most versatile amplifier possible. Our amplifiers and extension cabinets are all point-to-point hand-wired by our staff in Los Angeles, California using the best materials available.
All you need to know about Matchless logo: the history of motorcycle company and its emblem, the meaning of logo, and how it was changed through time.
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Famous British Motorbike brand from the very wary days. Read Why Kate Moss is the Face of the Heritage Leather Jacket Brand
This bike is almost sixty years old, yet it's just as desirable today as it was in 1950. For starters, it's one of the original 'scramblers' and it's as rare as hen's teeth. And the back end, exhaust system and tank graphics would be perfectly at home on a contemporary Tokyo custom. The Matchless G80 series might be a simple 500cc British pushrod thumper, but it's achieved remarkable status in the vintage motorcycle world—and this 'CS' scrambler was the ultimate G80 derivative. The CS (Competition Suspension) model was highly regarded as an off-road competition bike, and was still active in
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