Here’s another photo of my bike parked outside the mechanics shop which I just love. Check out those camels in the background! It kind of sums up India in many ways – the contradictions of the old British bike, the rush of the modern Indian auto-rickshaws zipping back and forth, and then sauntering through the middle of …
When it was on the bike, the seat looked a bit tatty but quite secure. However when it was removed from the bike and we looked underneath, that was another story. I had planned to get the seat re-covered anyway; this is an everyday procedure here in India and little shacks can be found on most main roads selling new covers ready to be fitted …
The next part I wanted to have a look at was the gearbox. From the owners club forum I understood that there should be a gearbox number stamped somewhere on the case, in addition to the engine and frame numbers (the gearbox and engine are separate units on these bikes). However with the years of accumulated crud and grime …
With the bike safely at the mechanics it was time for a bit of a closer look at exactly what problems I had landed myself with. The first step was to remove the seat and get the engine out so that could be sent off for checking, polishing and honing. So what nightmares would be install for me? Well …
So, with the bike running, the paperwork checked and the deal done it was off to the mechanics shop with the bike for the necessary tinkering, adjustments and servicing before taking it out on the road. So how do you get a motorbike which has no working brakes, no throttle cable, no fuel lines and some rather flat looking …
So, now that I knew a little bit more about what exactly it was that I was looking at, it was time for another look over the old bike. Most importantly was to find the frame number hidden under the seat, and then to check that this (and the engine number found previously) matched the all important …
So what was this strange beast I’d found? Well, it was a Matchless for a start – the big golden “M” on each side of the petrol tank gave that one away! But what model was it and what year was it made? To find that one out would require a bit more detective work (otherwise known as Googling) …
After all the searching, the one bike that caught my eye was an AJS 16Ms. It was in original, unrestored condition, seemed to be complete and was apparently a runner. All looked well until I checked the registration documents a few days later and found that the engine number didn’t seem to tie-up with the …
One of the classic bike mechanics I was talking to in the old city put me in touch with a guy who turned out to be a bit of a collector of old British bikes. It seems that he had acquired these bikes as and when they had turned up over the years with the intention of one day, …