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O Article of the month - A Matchless masquerade?
Words by James Robinson
Photographs by Nigel C.
It’s a conundrum many marque enthusiasts have found themselves in and one, which causes a rumpus around equally as many owners’ club committees – when does your marque cease to become your marque, or is it always your marque irrespective? James Robinson sampled one such conundrum.
Some of us have some funny ideas in this old motorcycle world we inhabit but few are more likely to generate an increase in temperature beneath the collar than the subject of brand loyalty. For example, some reckon real Nortons only came from Bracebridge Street and rotary Nortons aren’t Nortons at all. Others reckon true Triumphs were only ever made at Meriden (‘forgetting’ they were Coventry before...) and as for Hinckley after, well, they just don’t count. Likewise can a ‘real’ Royal Enfield be built in India? Then there are Scotts from Shipley and Birmingham and, dare I say it, even Derby to a certain extent, if you lump in Silk. As for AJS, plenty reckon a ‘real’ one wasn’t built after 1931 and the move from Wolverhampton. Oh yes, it’s good fodder for the clubroom arguments – and a subject on which every classic enthusiast will have an opinion.
So, is a marque the same just because it has the same badge on the tank? That’s the big question really. A recent case was the Manchester concern that seemingly has the rights to call itself ‘Norton Villiers’ and as such can badge up Chinese imports with the Norton logo – does the Norton Owners Club accept them as real Nortons? Some said yes, many said no. The same applies to Fluff Brown’s AJS company. He bought the rights to the AJS name, so is entitled to call whatever machines he chooses to market ‘AJS,’ therefore anyone with a Chinese import AJS has as much right to join the AJS and Matchless OC as anyone – and indeed a Chinese-built one features in the 2010 AJS and Matchless OC calendar, surely to the chagrin of some although at last year’s Jampot rally I did see someone on one, though I digress...
So, what’s the point of all this? Well, the point is Brian Greening’s Harris Matchless G80, which you see here. Is it really a Matchless? It wasn’t built at Plumstead, but based on the argument above, then yes it is – and the ‘Jampots’ have accepted it as such. The fact that it’s basically the same as machines built by MZ, Jawa, Armstrong, Harley-Davidson and even CCM is irrelevant, it’s all about what it says on the tank – and this one says ‘Matchless.’
This oft-maligned hybrid really came about because of Triumph. In the interim period between the closure of Meriden and the launch of Hinckley Triumph, Les Harris (proprietor of Devon-based Racing Spares Company) was allowed to build the T140 Bonneville under licence from Triumph’s new owner, John Bloor. However, it was made perfectly clear that once a new range of Triumphs came on stream (or when the five year licence expired, whichever came first) Bonneville production would have to cease.
For a long time Harris had been at the forefront of manufacture and supply of Triumph spares, at a time when the Meriden mother-company was producing little. As such he was in a prime position to take up the Bonneville mantle on the Co-Op’s demise. Production began in 1985 but as emissions legislation bit ever deeper, supplies of crankcases began to run low and the new company’s launch became imminent, Harris pulled the plug on the Bonneville in 1988.
The Bonneville was essentially hand-built using a number of bought in components such as Paoli forks and shock absorbers, Brembo disc brakes, Veglia instruments, Italian made wheels, fuel tank etc. These units were bought in bulk quantities and so it made commercial sense for Harris to utilise them post Bonneville. In fact, his new company Matchless Motorcycles was formed mid-1987. As with the Bonneville, the design head was ex-Meriden man Brian Jones, and the development hack bike was presented to selected dignitaries and press in June of that year.
The only serious part of the whole machine that was home built was the oil bearing frame – nevertheless, it was a good looking machine, with steeply raked twin shocks and powered by the venerable Rotax 500cc sohc four valve single, as found in most of the machines mentioned previously. The Matchless sported 12v electrics and there was the option of engines with or without electric start. It was offered in silver, black or metallic burgundy.
It was well received but the plaudits did not transform into sales. One reason could be that, as with all hand built machines made up of bought in components, it was too expensive at £2700, some £500 (say approximately £7000 and £1300 today) more than a similar Yamaha of superior specification. It was also the wrong machine, as traditional, sensible machines were out of favour – the market wanted sports bikes...
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