AJS & Matchless Owners Club

Thanks Nick D but I never build a bike to sell I build a bike to ride and enjoy, a bike is about the story told and the history involved not about the sale banter.
by the way to the others it will have a matchless timing side cover on as well I hope this is ok!!!!!


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[quote="croxford"]Thanks Nick D but I never build a bike to sell I build a bike to ride and enjoy, a bike is about the story told and the history involved not about the sale banter.
by the way to the others it will have a matchless timing side cover on as well I hope this is ok.

What we need is the desire why plenty of photos for the Jampot send to editor@jampot.com

croxford wrote:Why are you speechless roy I it can always be changed back to an ajs at some point with a respray and new badges I just happen to want a matchless red bike in the collection it's the same bike and its not a bitsa as its an origional bike just with new badges and I am after advice to be legal why can't we all be different in our choice it's not as if i am making into a triumph or bsa it will still be of the same mark and of the club unless this sort of thing is not wanted under the ajs and matchless owners club umbrella

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Changing the colour should not be a problem. The bike becomes a red AJS. Changing its identity by badging it Matchless, BSA or Triumph, all are a different make, which could be seen as an act to deceive for sinister reasons.

Seems a bit over the top Rob. I reckon there are many bikes in the club with AJS frame and Matchless engine or vice versa. Not to mention single engines in twin frames or 500 singles with 350 bottom ends. The non-sinister reason being that's what you've got or in this case want to do. So long as it's not sold in misrepresentation what's the prob?

croxford wrote:but what about the make is this a dvla change as frame and engine are still ajs or an insurance modification

As Duncan has said, it is, and always will be an AJS as far as the DVLA is concerned. You cannot provide them with any acceptable documentation relating to the frame number that states otherwise.

With regard to insurance I'm pretty sure that you will have to insure it according to the details on the V5c, but insurers do give you the opportunity (impose the obligation even) to declare any changes from standard. Simply resolved by asking your (knowledgeable) insurer, e.g. Peter James Insurance.

clive wrote:Seems a bit over the top Rob. I reckon there are many bikes in the club with AJS frame and Matchless engine or vice versa. Not to mention single engines in twin frames or 500 singles with 350 bottom ends. The non-sinister reason being that's what you've got or in this case want to do. So long as it's not sold in misrepresentation what's the prob?

Have I misunderstood, the bike in question is a complete and honest AJS. Which is to be changed to a Matchless. How can that happen if the frame and engine numbers are AJS.

Rob Harknett wrote: Have I misunderstood, the bike in question is a complete and honest AJS. Which is to be changed to a Matchless. How can that happen if the frame and engine numbers are AJS.

Its called "Badge Engineering" Matchless started doing it in the 1930's

I saw something like that when I first started work Duncan. A lorry came to pick up our goods to take to market. Seeing we had more than the lorry could carry, another identical lorry came from the same company. The lorries even had the same reg. numbers. Only one taxed insured and licenced to carry goods.

Paint the bike whatever colour you like and stick any badges you fancy on it, it was born an AJS and it will remain one as far as its DVLA registration is concerned. You wouldnt expect to be able to change an MG Midget into an Austin Healey Sprite, or a Hindustan Ambassador into a Morris Oxford any more than those sad individuals with those tasteless, bloated Chrysler Yank tanks who stick Bentley badges on em for some perverse reason.
Many years ago I had a very scruffy Panther 120 that I was tempted to badge up as a Halfley Davidson until I got around to restoring it.
The only folk who might possibly be interested are the insurers. Otherwise notify the DVLA that the AJS has been broken up then rebuild it so that it probably gets a Q plate - though any dating certificate will still show it left the factory as an AJS

Steve

It may open a can of worms, I've not heard anyone change the make of a vehicle before and don't know what DVLA would think about it and you may get a different answer from them if you asked on more than one occasion.

But you might have a problem at MoT time. The tester is supposed to "identify" the vehicle before starting the test, this should involve more than checking the registration and chassis number. The wrong make compared to the MoT database may, indeed, should lead to a refusal to test.