The trouble with the Lightweights is often down to how they were viewed (as cheap commuters) and how they were treated since they were born - and this is especially true of the 250s as they were the toys of 16-year-olds. Basically...they weren't looked after, especially after they were a few years old, and men with large hammers bashed nuts off, stripped threads when bolts were done up with gorilla force, oil wasn't changed, knackered bits were bodged to keep the poor bikes running.
Now (as I've tiresomely mentioned before) I'm a cheapskate BUT I never neglect safety items, nor things which will cause harm to the engine, gearbox, etc. I also have mechanical sympathy, something which was frequently lacking in the past.
The result of all this, is that the Lightweights gained a reputation as unreliable old heaps of junk, not as tough as a "proper" AJ/Matchie (were often attracted older riders who did look after them a bit).
The fact of it is...when sorted out, when de-bodged and de-knackered, these are sweet little bikes which handle beautifully, go quite well and need relatively little maintenance. They are also a (little) lighter than the Heavyweights so are a (little) more manageable. They DO have some odd quirks, they do need any work done on them to be done properly and cost just as much as anything else to restore.
Luckily, there's a lot of practical and documentary information about them now, considerably more even than when I first got my G5 - and we Lightweighteers owe it to each other and those owners of these bikes in the future, to make available all we know and learn about them. ESPECIALLY in photos!
Already, prices of Lightweights have risen - not, I agree, to the level of most other AJS/Matchless bikes but there's an upward trend. This may reflect their status actually increasing at last, plus many older riders find them easier to manage than some towering 500 or 650!
Cheers,
Al (up to his armpits in G5 wobbly clutch and oil)
Ozmadman wrote:Well I like mine, it's a great bike. I am newish here relatively speaking and despite passing my test in 1971 then going on to a car in 1972 have only in the last year or so "come back" to a bike after nearly 40 years abstinence. I wanted an old bike (any old bike) and bought my model 8 as something I could afford, that was in reasonable nick and looked ok. That is all I knew about this bike but I really can't see why it is poo pooed as such by members as if is isn't a "proper" AJS etc. I think they are underestimated and I am glad I bought it and own it now..Janet wrote: I have discovered that some people are not enamoured of the little lightweights but, in time, I hope to educate them.
Paul