Author Topic: 1950's Matchless anyone here collect them?  (Read 893 times)

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Offline rb550four

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1950's Matchless anyone here collect them?
« on: July 30, 2019, 11:41:59 AM »
So I've been on the Honda 12 step program for a while now, no fun, and yesterday I got a call about a 71 750 that an older fellow thought I could use.Well I don't know if I can use it or not but if the price was right it'll probably be coming home with me. So there it was , all in pieces for the past 20 years looking like a contender for the trailer , when all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye there was this British looking bike not 5 feet from it.  The man who was a bike mechanic that has been restoring this machine a little bit at a time when he comes up here to his country house is 74 years old,lost his wife and bought a new Harley and is ready to part his longtime projects( which are coming along beautifully).
  The first one that I saw was the 1955 AJS Matchless 500, single cylinder, restoration 80% complete, from Oaklahoma...no rust and is looking very nice to me ( it may have even winked at me, but I can't be certain). So I got over to the other side of this spotless garage to ask him about it ( forgot all about the 750 by then) when I saw the 1950 Matchless 500 twin that he has been working on,  that he has been restoring for an equal amount of time but was luckier finding parts for the twin (would ready to ride in a month) Everything was so clean and original, so nice , it was almost like new. Oh my ! I was drooling a little when I saw the first one, now there's two . The twin has an extra transmission,rings and heads that will go with it, the tank is like it was made last week.....   I only came to look at some Honda I thought , now I'm spotting over a couple of British Bikes! How much more can a guy take !!! "What is the bottom dollar that you'd take if I take them both? I need to know so I can think about it, I didn't come here for those , I came for the Honda. 900 for the first one and 3200 for the second one he said.
  I got out of surgery last month and haven't worked since, I go back for surgery next week and won't work for at least another month ....This is really $hitty timing....oh my and then  like this isn't bad enough, on the way out, there is a '99 Ural with a sidecar that could use the carbs clean oil , and a battery. Fark!!! Yes that can go too. Well what do you think you might want for a Russian machine I asked . I don't know make me an offer. I can't make you an offer on this right now because I don't know much about them just yet. Let me check around and see what I can do. Okay he said I never put them in the papers...that 's why the are still here.
  Long story short , I don't need any of this stuff. This doesn't mean that nobody needs this stuff, if you need this stuff let me know and we can see if anything can be worked out. I still have remorse over not buying that Marusho last year and if at all possible I want to see one of these in my garage and the others go to a good home, need to find a way to do it.Any ideas?
A few Honda 500's, a few Honda 550's, a few Honda 650's, '72 cb 450, a couple 500/550/650 hybrids, and 2001 750. 
  550 Snowbike -Somebody had to do it.
  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,101678.0.html             
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,137317.msg1550907.html#msg1550907

Offline Bankerdanny

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Re: 1950's Matchless anyone here collect them?
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2019, 01:10:45 PM »
Damn, that single is tempting. I have always wanted a proper Brit bike. My dad was a BSA guy and I owned an Indian built Royal Enfield 500 single for a while. But I am getting ready to make a significant life change that is going to reduce my excess cash flow for a while, so like you it just isn't in the cards for me right now.
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Current: '76 CB750F. Previous:  '75 CB550F, 2007 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter, '75 Harley FXE Superglide, '77 GL1000, '77 CB550k, '68 Suzuki K10 80, '68 Yamaha YR2, '69 BMW R69S, '71 Honda SL175, '02 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, '89 Yamaha FJ1200