1946 AJS MODEL 18 BACKGROUND
Immediately following the end of World War II in 1945, every British motorcycle manufacturer rushed to convert from war production back to making civilian products. Millions of British troops were coming home, and they would all need transportation. But economic times were tough in England after the war, and many couldn’t afford a car, so cheap, reliable motorcycles filled the need. While all of the brands had high performance ‘halo’ products that the magazines gushed over, they made most of their money selling basic commuter bikes to the British home market. During the war, AJS’s parent company AMC produced Matchless G3/L military bikes for the British, in both 350 and 500cc. When the war ended, they quickly civilianized the bikes, creating the Matchless G3 and it’s sister bike, the AJS Model 18. While the two brands were styled differently from each other, mechanically they were nearly identical. In fact, the only mechanical difference between the two brands was the the AJS mounted it’s magneto in front of the cylinder, while the Matchless mounted theirs behind.
1946 AJS SPECIFICATIONS
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Engine type Displacement Bore & Stroke Compression Ratio Carburetor Ignition system Engine output Gearbox Wheelbase Seat Height Dry Weight Suspension, F/R Brakes, F/R Tires, F/R Fuel capacity Top speed |
Air-cooled OHV single 498cc / 30.0ci 82.3mm X 95mm 6.26:1 Amal 89B Lucas magneto 25hp @ 5400rpm 4-speed, right-foot shift 57.25″ / 1454mm 31.0″ / 787mm 386 lbs / 175kg Telescopic forks / 2 shocks 7″ SLS drum / 7″ SLS drum 3.25″ X 19″ Dunlop 3.6 US gal / 13.6L 85 mph |