Hello, Am a newbie to this interesting forum & hope to get some help, or 'poked' in the right direction! I am mega keen interested in finding out anything I can on a Matchless G3L motocycle that I was lucky to pick up recently. What i do know is the engine & frame no. date it to 1941 & contract number of C/7183 what that number be stencilled on the fuel tank?? This part of a shipment to the middle east apparently?? It has been in deep storage for donkeys years, but was released & registered in the '50's, but looks to have had barely any use. It is completely original with its panniers & olive drab paint, been stored for approx 50 years at least, so a real find. Any help would be fantastic, esp if we can find anything on what unit it was with etc. If nothing on that I want to keep it as is, but assign a airborne I.D to it, Arnhem theater we were thinking as have ties to that, a tribute to a unit kind of thing. Thanks for any help, Tim.
Hello lotus 7 Thanks for that, Hopefully there is someone out there that knows their onions! Cheers,tim
Tim, welcome, I think you will find a few good friends here. Lots of interest in WW2 motorcycles. Not my area though - I like the idea of motorbikes but wouldn't ride one on the road . Good luck mate.
Aye, Tim - sounds pleasing. I don't doubt our resident leather-clad obsessive, among others, will be along soon, but in the meantime have you got any pictures? They often help things along with stuff like this; giving the rivet-counters some rivets to count. Is it a runner?
Hello & thanks for the welc again chaps. I am so non teck it took me half of yesterday to register on here yesterday!! So will try & bung a pic on as suggested.
Hello, Tim, and welcome. Long time ago, I serviced a matchless motorbike as a mecanic in the Dutch army. And a small test drive. Can not forget. By the way, from where the name matchless ? You can drive it without matches ? As mecanics we adviced our mates to take matches with them, on a testdrive whenever they had a problematic vehickel. Regards, Gerard.
Tim, A Forum link attached with old contact Details that may prove interesting for you with your Research. http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/bboard/showthread.php?9300-Military-G3L-Model&s=30386eac393b35ec6db8fdae4e1f5246 Photo of one sold at auction several years ago. http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20254/lot/18/ Another nice Photo on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchless_G3/L#mediaviewer/File:Matchless_WG3L_350.jpg Good luck with your Research. Regards Tom
Some photographs of the bike would be useful. Unless you can find markings, the chances of tracing service history are almost nil and most machines sold off during the late 1950s will have been through several full workshop rebuilds. No service vehicle is really 'completely original' once it has rolled out of the depot. Unless it was in a time capsule from 1945, you'll probably find that you have quite a lot of work undoing National-Service era modifications and updates. There is a proliferation of vehicles with airborne markings (and Dennison smocks !)...most Matchies were used by RASC in reality. They were fast and nimble for convoy marshalling work.
Cheers, turns out today I'm told I have a Kieth (lemon) ie not wartime, nor is the contract no. correct & the frame no. puts it beyond '45, then again thats been countered, so have no idea now & more confused than ever! This is deffo a wartime machine, there is no way anyone would have tried to make it look thus so far back, it was worth buttons. I really could do with a conformation of numbers chaps. The history I thought was fact was based on info found here so am told.
This link might help Tim ... was on here a while ago ... http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/36905-1940-matchless-g3wo-history-search/?hl=%2Bww2+%2Bmotorcycles#entry448857
Tim, you're asking for confirmation of numbers but I can't see that you've posted any. In any case, I'd be a little loathe to go into it too deeply without seeing photographs of the stampings as all too often, they have been altered. Matchless G3/Ls were in service until the 1960s and if in that time new components were necessary, Associated Motorcycles supplied current or supersession parts, hence aspects like rear sub-frames with sidecar lugs etc. I'm not a Matchless expert (although I know some people who are). Good clear photos including of any REME rebuild plates etc. will help enormously. 'Lincoln Bill' incidentally is now a regular poster on the WD Motorcycles forum. http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3155626639&frmid=0&msgid=0
Hello Rich, thanks- the bike was supposed to be delivered this weekend, but hasn't, so as soon as its here I'll get as much detail as poss, then hopefully you can advise. One of the M20's which are part of the collection, did indeed have REME plates on both frame & engine both '52 dated, this bike was in mega original shape, still with a volkes filter fitted, something I hadn't seen in the flesh before, a lovely old thing I'd have bought if could! Thanks all, be back with that info hopefully sonner than later........!
Picked up the Matchstick' today, so have some numbers that might help my quest! Frame 83447 engine 100490 was registered 1981- DHM 71, the log sheet states 1) previously registered and or used. Declared manufactured 1941 2) REBUILT - assembled from parts. the numbers match those stamed on frame & engine, so hopefully there is a numbers guru that can make sense of them!! All help really appreciated chaps!
