AJS & Matchless Owners Club

I have finally started work on Betsy (bike was called this by the previous owners daughter in the 60's)!

I have her split into manageable sections and want to get anything that needs painting or chrome work done ready to be sent off. Then I'll work at the mechanical stuff.

I took the knee pads etc off and noticed at some chips that there is a much lighter blue paint under the dark blue finish.

I have looked here, google images and Keith Jacksons excellent list but I'm not sure what colour the tank, tool box, oil tank and guards should be?

I'd be very grateful if someone has an original photo or details of the paint.

Thanks in advance.

Brian

Welcome, Brian.
Nice project.
You probably realise that photos of bikes cannot be relied upon to be 100% correct. Many have been restored with whatever paint or parts came to hand. 1960 models were manufactured and sold to dealers from Sept 1st 1959 until Aug 31st 1960. Is yours a Model 31 or a 31CSR (different colour scheme I believe).
In this Feb 1960 magazine cover page for the model 31 the frame, tool box, oil tank and guards all seem to be black (optional two-tone tank).
http://archives.jampot.dk/promotional/C ... _Cycle.jpg

As far as the blue goes, if you search this site using the spyglass top right with the words 'AJS blue' you'll get 32 pages of discussion, suggestions, paint codes and contrary opinions previously posted on here in response to your subject question.

BTW- your access to info and your time on here as a 'Guest' is limited so for ongoing guidance and to be able purchase Club spares I recommend you subscribe (i.e. join the club). Worth every penny

Dropped into Resto Ray's shed this morning for a brew and he has almost finished a 3 month nut 'n bolt resto of Saltbox Alf's (Alan Smith RIP) 1961 Mod 31 CSR.
He hand painted the tank with British Leyland Tractor Light Blue:
As I mentioned in my earlier post, photos can't be relied upon to show the real colour.....
Nice job from an oily rag bike that had been regularly abused Europe-wide by my good pal Alf whilst he was living in France.

Thanks Spriddler, already a member, wouldn't be fair to pick brains otherwise:)

I like the idea of the black panels, guards etc!

It is a standard 31 but with a siamese pipe as it had a side car for years.

That blue looks great but I would't want to be accused of having a fake CSR, people would talk

I think, from what I've read so far, that the CSR was a lighter blue.

I'll do search on here as suggested.

Thanks again!

I'm no expert at all on twins or colours so I don't know whether the CSR models had a unique-to-CSR colour. Every one of my AMC bikes (all singles) has been 100% black but I think you'll find the shade of blue varied considerably. E.g. If you search 'AJS blue' as I suggested in my earlier post there's a contribution from Peter Morris who wrote that Les at Russell Motors had some cans of new old stock AMC blue touch up paint bearing the same reference which Les and his Dad cleared from the Plumstead factory when it closed. Every one was a different shade.

Good to know you've joined. You're not showing as a member so you need to drop a line to notify Eamonn our Webmaster.......... webmaster@jampot.com in order to get full access to all areas of the website.

I have just completed the restoration of a 1977 Yamaha Triple, the colour was standard as Yamaha Crystal Silver. You would think that a bike from a current manufacturer using a factory colour would be easy, far from it. Even this bike had major difficulties matching a single colour and was eventually matched from a part to a Mercedes car colour. The second tank panel colour didn't even have an official name and was simply matched to Volkswagen Blue by eye.
the moral of the story being that saying a bike is the correct colour when it is that old is like saying you remember what roses smelled like 60 years ago, everybody smells them differently and remembers it differently!
Basically it is really up to you to decide what looks right, paint technology has moved on in the last 60 years and colour consistency then was not what it is today in any case