Wrong Frame? Wrong Front Wheel?

[matchlessG9]

Good morning. I have just acquired what is allegedly a 1953 Matchless G9. It had been in storage for some time having been messed around a fair bit. It came with no history and the V5 is less than helpful. The engine number is not an issue. It is clearly stamped 53 G9 16410. However, when I put the frame number (92239) into the owner's club machine dating service it came back as belonging to an AJS 16MS of 1953. Is that possible? Are the frames of the AMC machines of that period the same ie singles and twins? Should I be worried or perhaps just a bit disappointed.

Regarding the wheels I haver a full width alloy hub on the front and a half width (steel?) hub on the rear. Is that correct or for 1953 should they both be half width? The article that appeared in Jampot that set out detail changes says that the allow hub came in in 1954.

Maybe I should just resign myself to owning a bit of a bitsa.

[SPRIDDLER]

Welcome to the club and Forums!

Good morning. I have just acquired what is allegedly a 1953 Matchless G9. However, when I put the frame number (92239) into the owner's club machine dating service it came back as belonging to an AJS 16MS of 1953. Is that possible? Are the frames of the AMC machines of that period the same ie singles and twins?

It will have been re-framed. What does the the V5 state? It should say that it is a 1953 AJS 16MS. The frame number will always define the year and model regardless of any engine change. According to the factory Spare List both will have a single downtube frame. Have you used the frame number stamped into the frame or have you used the raised casting number?
See the factory Spares List here:

http://archives.jampot.dk/book/Spares_l ... s_List.pdf

Location of frame number:

Frame no to 1957.JPG

framenumbers (439x640).jpg

Regarding the wheels I haver a full width alloy hub on the front and a half width (steel?) hub on the rear. Is that correct or for 1953 should they both be half width?

See the 1953 G9 factory Spares List here:

http://archives.jampot.dk/book/Spares_l ... ist_G9.pdf

Maybe I should just resign myself to owning a bit of a bitsa.

Yep! But it seems that you have ALL of a Bitsa.

[dave16mct]

The 53 twin frame is different to the 53 single. The 53 twin frame had a casting with a hole in line with the carb for a tube for the air filter. This made it necessary for oil tank and battery carrier to use longer brackets. It was the first year to use a headstay lug on the front downtube. If it was registered in late 53 it would be a 54 model which had a full width hub (biscuit tin shaped) and single sided rear.
Dave

[SPRIDDLER]

Another snippet ref frame nos from Bacon's Restoration book.....
It would seem that your frame number of 92239 is towards the end of the sequence of purely numeric numbers and before the ''A' prefix was used.

Frame numbers.JPG

It came with no history and the V5 is less than helpful.

You said the V5 isn't much help but it should at least say the year and model. Just as a check to be sure that all is legit with your copy of a V5 put the registration number in the link below to check what the DVLA computer says.....

https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

[G15 Roy]

According to the numbers it’s a mixture of bikes only the dating officer can confirm correct information with a full dating factory search.

[matchlessG9]

Thank you everyone for the really helpful responses I have received this afternoon. I must admit to feeling a little bit despondent. I have checked the frame that I have and no there is not a casting for a tube for the airfilter. The engine steady is currently mounted on a clamp (as opposed to a welded lug). I guess I need to see if I can buy a replacement frame. Ironically I just missed one on ebay the listing for which had some cracking photos that showed what I now know to look for. Does anybody out there have a frame I can buy? Paul

[SPRIDDLER]

Does anybody out there have a frame I can buy? Paul

Club spares have some pre-loved parts and AMC Classic Spares have a large stock of frames so I'd give Steve a call. On his website he shows a '52 G9 frame available but best to phone as not everything is listed:

http://www.amcclassicspares.com/

[Reynard24]

Hi Paul
Unfortunately there are a lot of charlatans out there who throw together various bits simply to sell for a profit. The targeting of our hobby by “investors” has exacerbated this with many now trying to unload bikes that were bought when the banks were offering low rates of return. There are also those who tinker in sheds and release bikes into the market that are at best poorly put together and at worst, positively dangerous.
Having said that, one of my bikes is a bitsa - AJS engine in a Matchless frame (albeit the wrong model for the engine) and it is one of my favourite bikes to ride but I did know that it wasn’t correct before I bought it.
If you can find a correct twin frame for your bike then I wouldn’t worry too much about it being a bitsa, it’s how it rides that matters.
In my view too much attention is paid to “matching numbers” - I have another bike that has an engine that is wrong for it’s frame number but someone else has the right engine to match my frame and my engine matches his frame. Were they wrongly entered in the factory ledgers or were the engines swapped at the dealers? It doesn’t matter, both have survived and have been in their current form for far longer than their original pairings according to the factory records.

[clive]

Our section has a member with a 350 frame with a 600 trim engine in and has been very happy with it for years. If you do decide to track down a correct for the year frame unless you are phenomenally lucky you will still not have an original bike and any future prospective purchaser could check this through the club dating service. A further point is that unless you get a V5 with the frame you will have to reregister the bike and this can only be done with a fully assembled bike so it's likely to be off the road for a while.
If the bike rides OK I would accept it for what it is, although its a shame you were not told when you bought it. I have a 350 with a 500 motor in and two further bikes that are complete bitsas. They do the job but I would not sell them without indicating so and would expect them to be cheaper as a result.