AJS & Matchless Owners Club

I have completed a long and comprehensive restoration on the Matchless. However there are a few problems I need help with.

When I pull the front brake on, the lever stays further away from the handle bars than at a stand still. I wonder if it is the cable bunching up when the forks compress causing the cable to bind up. If that makes sense!!

When I finish a run there is engine oil covering the gear box, toolbox and chain guard. It started a year after the restoration. I've pulled the primary side apart two or three times now, checking the crank case relief valve the primary chain case is at the correct level. But I can't figure out what's going on.

The CVC unit is held in place by foam:
Is there any concerns with cooling?
The bike is positive earth. Should I be running an earth wire to one of the mounting holes of the CVC unit?

Cheers
Jamie

Could be tight bends on the cable, lubrication of cable, & drum moving parts or shoe springs.
If you have the CVC wired as seen in the diagram in your manual, then it should be OK.
Why is it held in by foam? and not bolted on.
Clean off the oil and run the bike checking at intervals until you see where the oil starts to leak from.

The voltage regulator is wrapped in Part 024204 Rubber Shrouding, a piece of latex foam originally, and is not affixed to the tool box.
The terminal marked 'E' on the regulator is connected to the main earthing point by the top of the frame downtube under the 'nose' of the dualseat.
Enjoy the rides, Jamie!

Jamie

When I pull the front brake on, the lever stays further away from the handle bars than at a stand still. I wonder if it is the cable bunching up when the forks compress causing the cable to bind up. If that makes sense!!

Mine are like that, adjust it so that is correct for riding, the stationary setting is not as important. If the cable was U/S the lever would return all the way to the bars as the outer compresses.

macca56 wrote:When I finish a run there is engine oil covering the gear box, toolbox and chain guard.

Welcome, Jamie.
I know as much about twins as a pig knows about Sunday but it seems a fairly common oil leak occurs on twins at the barrel base to crankcase interface. As said, it needs a good clean and careful observation to pinpoint the source.

Not sure if your year/model has an oil presure relief vale or not. Mine has ( 1960 G12 ) and as I was a little concerned that it was letting by even when the oil was hot, I fitted an 'O' ring under its seat. The added oil pressure build up caused oil to p**s out of the copper sealing washer of the oil distributer housing and cover the n/s of the bike in oil, and my shoe. It shows just how much oil pressure is present, as I could not stop the leak no matter how hard I did the nut up ( with an anealed washer) even tried a fiber washer without success. I removed said 'O' ring.

macca56 wrote:I have completed a long and comprehensive restoration on the Matchless. However there are a few problems I need help with.

When I pull the front brake on, the lever stays further away from the handle bars than at a stand still. I wonder if it is the cable bunching up when the forks compress causing the cable to bind up. If that makes sense!!

Jamie

What happens if you try to pump the forks down and apply the brake with the bike stationary? Can you get your weight (or the weight of conveniently available household member) over the front fork yoke to hold the forks compressed while you apply the brake and observe what's going on?
Steve

On my front brake I have two places of adjustment, the first is the riding position where the brake lever nearly touches the handlebar when stationary and the second is for when I take the bike for it's MOT test, in this case the brake lever is adjusted so it stops about an inch from the bars when stationary, after the test I re-adjust the lever to riding position. I have been using this technique for nearly forty years on my AMC bikes without any problems with stopping.

I do exactly the same Mike. Dave.