Racing
The 1957 AJS 7R 350 cc, with 75.5 mm bore and 78 mm stroke, gave 38.5 bhp (28.7 kW) at 7600-7800 rpm, and weighed 285 lb (129 kg). The top speed was 180-190 km/h (115-120 mph). [3]
AMC withdrew from the world of works, and one-off, road racing at the end of the 1954, with the death of Ike Hatch, and in the face of fierce competition from the other European bikes.
After this AJS made a production version of the standard two valve AJS 7R, for privateers and a 500 cc version, badged as a Matchless G50 was also sold. By the end of production in 1963 the two valve OHC AJS 7R engine made over 40 bhp (30 kW). [4]
Swedish rider Bill Nilsson converted an AJS 7R road racing machine into a motocross bike and rode it to win the inaugural F.I.M. 500cc Motocross World Championship held in 1957. [5] AJS 7Rs won the 1961, 62 and 63 Junior Manx Grand Prix races and came second in 1966.
A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd was a British automobile and motorcycle manufacturer in operation from 1909 to 1931. The company was founded by Joe Stevens in Wolverhampton, England. After the firm was sold, the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on four-stroke motorcycles until 1969, and since the name's resale in 1974, on lightweight, two-stroke scramblers and today on small-capacity roadsters and cruisers. The company held 117 motorcycle world records.
A multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing, and with more smaller valves may be able to operate at higher revolutions per minute (RPM) than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.
Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc four-stroke twins. Matchless had a long history of racing success; a Matchless ridden by Charlie Collier won the first single-cylinder race in the first Isle of Man TT in 1907.
The Honda NR was a V-four motorcycle series started by Honda in 1979 with the 500cc NR500 Grand Prix racer which used oval pistons. This was followed during the 1980s by a 750cc endurance racer version known as the NR750. The oval piston concept allowed for eight valves per cylinder which generated more power due to the increased air/fuel mixture and throughout compression. In 1992 Honda produced around 300 street versions of a 750 cc model, the NR, with a 90-degree V angle. Whereas the NR500 had used an oval piston with straight sides, the road going NR750 used an elliptical piston with curved long sides. The bike became the most expensive production bike at the time, selling for $50,000.
Triton motorcycles were hybrid motor cycles built from the 1950s to the 1970s that involved fitting Triumph engines into Norton frames. Because no factory offered Triton motorcycles, they were typically privately built. However, some UK dealers offered complete bikes. The aim was to combine the best elements of each marque and thus gain a bike superior to either. The name 'Triton' is a contraction of Triumph and Norton; 'Triton' was the name of an ancient Greek god.
Geoff Monty was an English professional motorcycle racer, constructor, rider-sponsor and retail dealer, initially based in Kingston on Thames and later – under the name Monty and Ward – Twickenham areas, near London, with a move to Edenbridge, Kent by 1968.
The Ducati 750 Imola Desmo is a racing motorcycle built by Ducati that won the 1972 Imola 200 race in the hands of Paul Smart. This win helped define Ducati's approach to racing.
Associated Motor Cycles (AMC) was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded by the Collier brothers as a parent company for the Matchless and AJS motorcycle companies. It later absorbed Francis-Barnett, James, and Norton before incorporation into Norton-Villiers. Henry Herbert Collier founded Matchless as a cycle company in 1878. His sons Henry (Harry) and Charles (Charlie) joined him and the name was changed to H. Collier & Sons.
The Ducati Desmoquattro are water-cooled, four-valve engines from Ducati. They have been produced since 1985 in capacities from 748 to 1,198 cc.
The AJS 500 cc Porcupine was a British racing motorcycle built by Associated Motor Cycles (AMC), which débuted in 1945 with a horizontal-engine designated E90S. The later E95 model was developed with an inclined-engine. AMC produced AJS and Matchless brands at the time.
The AJS V4 started out as a prototype air-cooled V4 road bike, but became a water-cooled and supercharged racing bike.
FN is a Belgian company established in 1889 to make arms and ammunition, and from 1901 to 1967 was also a motorcycle manufacturer. FN manufactured one of the world's first four-cylinder motorcycles, was famous for the use of shaft drive in all models from 1903 to 1923, achieved success in sprint and long-distance motorcycle racing, and after 1945, also in motocross.
The Yamaha YZ250 is a two-stroke motocross race bike made by Yamaha. The model was launched in 1974, and has been regularly updated and is still in production with new releases every year.
The Yamaha YZ450F is a four-stroke racing motocross bike built by Yamaha Motor Corporation. It was the successor to the previous YZ426F which was discontinued in 2003. It is credited by Cycle World and Dirt Rider magazines as the bike that started the four-stroke dirt bike revolution. The 2006 YZ250F and YZ450F were the first production motorcycles equipped with titanium suspension springs.
Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH is an Austrian motorcycle company with Swedish origins.
The Matchless G12 is a British motorcycle made by Associated Motor Cycles at the former Matchless factory in Plumstead, London. Developed in 1958 specifically to capture the potentially lucrative US market, the last G12 was produced in 1966.
The Honda NS400R is a street-legal two-stroke sports bike produced by Honda between 1985 and 1987. Adapted from Honda's NS500 Grand Prix motorcycle ridden by "Fast" Freddie Spencer, the NS400R is the company's largest-displacement street-legal two-stroke road bike.
Colin Jordan Seeley was a British motorcycle retailer who later became a motorcycle sidecar racer, motorcycle designer, constructor and retailer of accessories. In 1992 he was involved in running the Norton Rotary race team.
Hansen & Schneider were a range of limited production motorcycles produced by the German MV Agusta importers Michael Hansen and engineer Roland Schneider based on the MV Agusta 750 Sport America and the 350 Ipotesi models. The machines were manufactured from 1975 to 1982.
The Ducati 450 R/T (road/trail) is a 436 cc (26.6 cu in) single cylinder bevel drive desmodromic SOHC motorcycle produced by the Italian manufacturer Ducati from 1971 to 1974. Initially produced at the request of the American importers Berliner Motor Corporation as a motocross / enduro motorcycle offered exclusively to the American market, and only a few hundred machines were made of this type. It is the only off-road racing motorcycle to use desmodromic valves. An optional street equipment kit was available. From 1972 it was produced for the European Market as a street legal on/off road machine, which was sometimes known as the 450 T/S.
