AJS & Matchless Owners Club

Hi am intrested in getting a G80 cs, i contacted the dating officer who said there is no records for this year 57/58 would any one know what the engine /frame numbers should be for this time , or even how many may have been produced, when did they go from short stroke to long stroke engines, ? did they all come with lights or was that an extra cost, what size petrol tank ? where these only for export back in 57/58, how would you tell if its a genuine one and not one to look like, i know lots of questions ,but any help would be very welcome ,thanks.

They went from long stroke to short stroke in 1956. Lots of info here: http://archives.jampot.dk/
57 & & 58 cs models had a distinctive rear frame which combined the lower frame rails.

56 on, also changed to 497 cc. Plus other changes. There may not be any factory despatch records available, but yearly frame and engine start numbers are known. AJS & Matchless engine yearly start numbers differ, but frame numbers do not. So there is no way you can calculate how many AJS & Matchless CS models were made. Even if you could calculate how many were AJS or Matchless, it would not be possible to know how many complete machines were built.
Note: A lot of research is needed for dating. I am sure I saw, VMCC have now raised their dating fees to £95.

That is correct Rob £95.00 VMCC members and £142.50 Non members for DVLA registration purpose. May be that is why we are getting their members using us if they have a AMC bike. Looks like we may to to review our Non members rates.

G15 Roy wrote:That is correct Rob £95.00 VMCC members and £142.50 Non members for DVLA registration purpose. May be that is why we are getting their members using us if they have a AMC bike. Looks like we may to to review our Non members rates.

Yes Roy, I do not think many realise just how much work is involved in the most simple of dating requests. Phone calls, e mails, letters. Time and actual costs. But the work is voluntary, if paid, at least the min. hourly rate would have to apply.

You smoking something Rob?? No-one said anything about being paid, merely mentioned that the fee currently being charged to non-members may have to be raised.

ajscomboman wrote:You smoking something Rob?? No-one said anything about being paid, merely mentioned that the fee currently being charged to non-members may have to be raised.

No Rob, not smoking any funny stuff or drink, I mentioned min. pay rate as an example of what dating fees should perhaps at least be. If the work was a paid for job.

Matchless C and CS engine nos.

1950s Matchless C and CS engines owned by myself and friends have engine numbers as follows:
55/G80S 1903 C -- 55/G80S 2189 C -- 55/G80S 2190 C -- 56/G80 2625 CS -- 56/G80 2660 CS -- 58/G80CS 3222

It would appear that engine numbers for Matchless 500 C & CS engines started from “1” ( maybe 0001 ?) in the late forties or early fifties and continued with numbers in succession without any break in numbers for start of a new model year. Whether AJS C and CS engines and also 350 C/CS were included in the same number series or had their own I do not know.

The standard bikes (not C and CS) had their own number series. As an example I have a G80 with engine no. 53/G80 23857. If you have a “C” or “CS” engine with a 5 digit number it did not start off as a Competition engine.

How many (Matchless 500) C and CS engines were made each year? From my numbers it appears that some few hundred were made each year.

Regards
Bjørn

I do not think you will find a comp. number lower than 1946 Engine 452 and 1946 Frame 457, basically 350 & 500, AJS & Matchless shared the series. However some yearly start numbers do differ for each c.c. and marque.

Hi is there any truth in that you could only buy a G80 cs , during the 1950,s if you where going to use it for competitions ?, and that it had to be ordered direct from the factory, otherwise they would not sell to you, unless you lied.