1965 Matchless G15-CS

So, I am on vacation from Africa, back in Rhode Island (wife's home state.) And I am about to embark on a side trip up to Vermont to pick up this Matchless G15-CS from its original owner, John.



I have known John for years over the Internet via a mountain biking forum, Ridemonkey. He followed my descent into motorcycle madness in India and Africa as I have wrangled an old Enfield into the machine I wanted (still in progress) and decided to offer me his own bike, so that I could be its caretaker into the future. John got the bike new in '65 when he left the Army.

So I have a truck borrowed and fueled, a friend committed to copilot,

and am fueling my own brain with New England go-juice.



Should be a five hour drive or so, so we're arriving to John's place in rural Vermont late. He has a camp of some kind we'll crash in, and tomorrow we get to the business.

Going to be an adventure!!


Standing by to leave when my buddy gets off work. More to follow.



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The best road trips, are bike buying road trips. 8)

This was my first...and it was amazing. The trip kind of got in the way of its own documentation. It was a cannonball run from RI late on Friday evening, arriving to the owner's lake camp in VT during the night. After intros and a beer or two, we were all ready to crash. John, the seller, is an amazing guy I have known online via a mountain bike forum for about ten years.

Morning brought a nice view.



But we had some coffee and got on the way to the house where the bike was.



John had the bike and about a gajillion spare parts for this bike and other Nortons waiting in the garage. It's in fantastic shape. Needs the usual stuff for a bike that has been sitting. He has owned it since he got it off the floor in 1965. Has a few personal touches added over the years, too.



Was rather pleasing to get on board after over a year of discussing the transfer.





Got loaded up and on the road.








My copilot, Tom, was a little jealous when he saw the bike's condition, but didn't murder me along the way. Kept him well-fed to keep relations cordial.





Bike is tucked into the father in law's garage in RI for the time being. Probably be stateside again for a few years when I rotate in the spring/summer of 2016 and will be able to get this thing back on its feet properly.



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That bike looks cool, man. Congrats on the great deal.

Is that some smug looking dude sitting on the bike waiting to go up the ramps or what !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : Only jealous [ extremely ].

Hadn't realise initially it was a Norton / Matchless .... last throw of the dice before it all came crashing down.

If you think I am smug...well, perhaps you are correct. But here is a dose of joy for you, as she pretends she is Rollie:



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Sweet ride man. If you are looking for parts or resources for old Norton stuff, let me know.

Thanks, man...will do.

I have a bunch of parts and shit which may be of interest to you as well. No time to get through it all before I return to Africa, but I'll sort it all once I'm back, should be under a year.

In other news, the bike is really a rider, not a preservation piece, which is actually pretty awesome. It's been repainted nicely, but it's not the original factory red, and the pinstripes are a different pattern, and the electrics, etc. have been modified to suit the owner's desires. These are non-issues as far as I'm concerned; in fact I like the fact that 1) there's no incentive to have to baby it 2) it has a true history of use behind it.

First order of business will be cleaning the carbs, petcocks, and tank due to the obvious gumming of fuel that's happened. Will check the old Amals for proper slide fit and probably throw on new fuel lines. Gap the points on the mag, check the ignition timing, check the valves, fill the oil and primary, adjust the clutch, and try to fire it up essentially as-is.

But since I don't feel compelled to keep everything all-original, I have ideas. Probably will do internal upgrades to the fork (has the classic norton topout) either with cartridge emulators or a true cartridge installation. Rear shocks may need a refresh. Considering an electronic ignition upgrade or a Joe Hunt magneto if the Lucas unit proves troublesome. There's a belt drive primary available which requires spacing out the primary a tad, too, but given the way this clutch feels, I'm very interested in an upgrade there.

My guess is that since the Atlas evolved from a smaller-displacement engine, the clutch was just fitted with heavier and heavier springs as the engine got more powerful. Could be a total BS theory but that was my working theory. Plus, it could just use some basic love I'm sure.

Too bad Domi Racer closed up. Up until they did, Dad and I were still ordering parts from them. Now things are a bit more interesting to find.