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 …