Correct configuration of '55 18S

Information relating to the Matchless G80 or AJS Model 18 500cc Heavyweight.
Antoni
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Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by Antoni »

This might seem a bit anal but I'd like opinions on the bike I've just acquired. It has a chrome-plated patern headlight nacelle and a chronometric separately mounted to one side of it via a home made ally bracket. What should the set-up be?

It has Girling shocks (I'm told) which are just acting as springs at the moment. What type of shocks should it have? Jampots? The forks work well but there's a sound of springs spronging against something. Is that a bad sign? There is a quantity of red oil in each fork.

There are gearbox problems too but I've not started to fault-find that yet. For info I've had a '53 G3LS for 10 years - which has been great.
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cfaber
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by cfaber »

Antoni wrote:This might seem a bit anal but I'd like opinions on the bike I've just acquired. It has a chrome-plated patern headlight nacelle and a chronometric separately mounted to one side of it via a home made ally bracket. What should the set-up be?

It has Girling shocks (I'm told) which are just acting as springs at the moment. What type of shocks should it have? Jampots? The forks work well but there's a sound of springs spronging against something. Is that a bad sign? There is a quantity of red oil in each fork.

There are gearbox problems too but I've not started to fault-find that yet. For info I've had a '53 G3LS for 10 years - which has been great.
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alanengineer
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by alanengineer »

year of bike. give us some clues
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by alanengineer »

Read the header again. 55 should have a big headlamp shell with speedo fitted inside.
Jampot suspension
Suspension sounds iffy, need to look for the cause, red oil sound odd too.
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by SPRIDDLER »

Welcome to the Forums, Antoni.
The new models each year were introduced after the August factory shutdown so the 'year' of manufacture of your bike needs to be certain. E.g. 1955 models were introduced in September 1954. Many bikes sat in dealers, unregistered, for long after their manufactured date. Dating certificates (date of manufacture) are available from factory records. See here:
http://www.jampot.com/Dating.asp

If you are not already aware technical and cosmetic details can be found in the archives.
Spares lists with parts illustrations and posters with drawings of the bikes can be found here under 'Books' and 'Promotional':
http://archives.jampot.dk/

The front fork stanchions have rubbers sleeves over them to prevent the long spring rubbing/rattling/boinging on the stanchions. These deteriorate over time. The 'red' oil could be rusty water in the oil. Not uncommon.

The club and this website and much more is funded by members' subscriptions. Your access to this website and facilities is limited as a guest, so I invite you to join if you haven't done so.
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Antoni
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Location: Derybyshire

Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by Antoni »

Thank you for the info.

I am in firefighting mode with this bike at the mo. It drives but not well. It is on the road. Itsa Bitsa with a nicely running '53 manual timing G80 engine and a 376 monoblock carb. Buff log book says 1st owner was Claude Rye Ltd stamped 19 Oct 1955. Has RYE on the reg plate.

The liquid in the forks is a slightly mucky red oil, possibly automatic transmission fluid. No water in it; water would have come out first when I (very briefly) uncovered the drain screws' holes. That fluid will be replaced with oil to the spec and quantity described in the manual.

I will look again at this forum's archives re what parts and tinware it should have. I'd like to get it as correct as I can; being a rivet-counter kind of person. Missing Altette will just need wonga and a fettle. Wrong mudguards will need wonga and luck.

It looks like I need to source some jampots. The present shocks are useless whatever they are (and they aren't jampots).

Finally after decades I've had a few miles' experience of riding a british fifties 500 single. Very nice. And now I'll have a reason/excuse to go to the autojumbles!
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Pharisee
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by Pharisee »

Antoni wrote:This might seem a bit anal but I'd like opinions on the bike I've just acquired. It has a chrome-plated patern headlight nacelle and a chronometric separately mounted to one side of it via a home made ally bracket. What should the set-up be?

It has Girling shocks (I'm told) which are just acting as springs at the moment. What type of shocks should it have? Jampots? The forks work well but there's a sound of springs spronging against something. Is that a bad sign? There is a quantity of red oil in each fork.

There are gearbox problems too but I've not started to fault-find that yet. For info I've had a '53 G3LS for 10 years - which has been great.
This is a photo of the headlight my '55 M18S
18S_2338.jpg
It should have a pair of the later version "Jampot" rear suspension units which are held together with a wire circlip.
18S_2699.jpg
The 'red oil' in the front forks could well be ATF (automatic transmission fluid) which is often used in forks but I find it a little too light. Start with an SAE 20 Fork Oil and see how you get on. You can use 'thicker' or 'thinner' oil to suit your own weight and riding conditions.
Fork oil.jpg
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Antoni
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by Antoni »

Thanks very much for the info and advice. This is a second try to respond to say that. The first response has simply not appeared. If this post appears I'll answer your questions in detail again.
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clive
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by clive »

Hi Antoni and welcome to the forum. First an explanation about your posts. As a newly registered guest member your first few posts are moderated to ensure you are genuinely concerned with our bikes and not posting irrelevant stuff, and this requires one of the moderators to go on-line and see the new entry. I think your future posts should now appear straight away, however as a guest rather than a paid up member you will only have limited access to the website. You will be able to post asking questions for a few months but in view of the parts you are seeking there is a significant restriction on your access. First members can place wanted ads on the website and in the magazine for free whereas a guest member will have to pay £5 per ad, ( ads are not allowed in the open forum ). Secondly guest members are restricted to only seeing adverts 3 weeks after they have appeared in the magazine, and allowing for the lead in time for printing, this means they may have been on the website and viewable by paid up members for as much as 7 weeks. For less available items such as tinware they are likely to be snapped up.
This all leads up to recommending that you join the club if your are intending to try to get your bike back to original. Regards

Ps if you really are a rivet counter type the picture of the 55 headlight above is missing the dome covers on the top fork bolts. A 55 should have an Sr1 mag and auto advance and the 376 carb is for a 350 the 500 should have a 389. Could be getting expensive :headbang:
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Rob Harknett
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Re: Correct configuration of '55 18S

Post by Rob Harknett »

Quite a few comments about correct parts, even pictures of correct parts have parts missing , like fork nut domes which probably have wrong nuts that will accept the domes. All this you could have discovered yourself. When you first got the bike, you should not have touched it before you got it correctly dated, then got all the literature to study what was right or wrong. Also at some time during that period, consider joining our club, perhaps first of all. Then you would get membership benefits, on dating fees. Be able to get parts from the club and advice for your year of membership. Not just 90 days free use of the forum. In that first year the membership fee would be a good investment to save much more time and money.
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