AJS & Matchless Owners Club

As the average age of owners increases there have been posts on here asking about electric start kits for singles. ALTON in France produce leccy start kits for Velocette singles at around £2,200 and AMC/Norton twins but not for AMC singles.

Whilst browsing for the comp release information in my previous thread I chanced upon these two clips of Matchless 500's showing in the first one the manufacture of a kit for an electric starter and in the second one the kit being used.

Ref the first clip I came across a long series of posts on another bike website by Jampot member Knut (aka mdt-son) in Norway who had been involved in endeavouring to contact the (now deceased) elderly chap in the USA who designed and made the kits. I understand that in spite of considerable efforts to obtain the patterns for the new casting the family did not wish to sell them and the trail has gone cold.
The clips may be of general interest.

Yes, I was looking into that too Nev but no luck. Alton has no interest in making one for our breed. Mind you friends in the Velo club have told me stories of bent cranks so maybe not the best idea. Still if someone was making kits it would be worth a punt.

I noticed he didn't use the valve lifter when kicking but did when using the leccy starter!
None the less, smart bit of kit and well put together.

It's a shame the family wouldn't sell the patterns. Mind you, I would have thought there was enough engineering genius hanging about the forum to sort it out.

Sure a person as you say on the Forum could re crate it ?????

Neville, it's clear that you are going stir cxrazy. - JohnnyB

56G80S wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 7:27 pm Neville, it's clear that you are going stir cxrazy. - JohnnyB

You could be right John but the leccy starter question appears from time to time as do many other questions which have been comprehensively answered numerous times.
I came across the starter details accidentally so I thought during the quiet Lockdown it might be useful to put the clips together in a post with a specific subject heading that should be picked up more easily in Forum searches. After all, during up to 80 years the bikes have remained mechanically the same as they were when new. It's only the owners who've changed.

Nev - I was commenting on the number of posts, which like mine have increased, not the content which is great. - Johnny B