Vintage AJS 350 cc 16 C Genuine Factory Trails (Pre-65 Trails Classic)

Vintage AJS 350 cc 16 C Genuine Factory Trails (Pre-65 Trails Classic)

It is with regret but I am having to sell my AJS 16C. It is a genuine factory trails bike dating from 1960 and is complete with a Certificate to confirm this from the VMC.

I have restored this bike to an extremely high standard and also added the optional extra Lucas lighting equipment. This is all genuine as I have the Lucas catalogue pages from this year for this particular motorcycle.

All the fasteners are in stainless steel but machined to be exact copies of the originals – even the deep 'acorn' nuts that hold the handlebars were made by ACME stainless to be exact copies of the originals that I supplied them.

There are lots of copies of AJS & Matchless trails bikes on the market but the genuine trails bikes differ greatly from the road version. Differences include:

Smaller oil tank

Special AMC Gearbox with trails ratios stamped 'T'

Alloy top fork yoke with high tensile steel fork stanchions

Small 5” drum brake font & rear

Different frame, engine plates, rear frame section and two piece swinging arm

Small alloy petrol tank

Alloy mudguards

Lucas Competition Magneto

Extended centre stand

Single Dunlop rubber 'Drillastic' seat

Widerbars

Longer rear shock absorbers

Optional Lighting: The optional extra lighting includes a Lucas QD SSU700 headlamp, a Lucas 629 rear light, the correct Lucas 'short reach' dynamo, a Lucas RB 108 Regulator and a Lucas 31384B rear stop light date stamped '1959' so perfect for this 1960 bike! These parts are all genuine optional extras from 1960.

New, Old Stock: I also have some new, old-stock parts on this bike such as the Lucas reflector unit, the Lucas brake light switch and the horn & bracket.

Engine/Gearbox Rebuild: When I rebuilt the engine I had a new big and little end fitted by Alpha, the barrel re-bored to + 0.6 mm (just over 20 thou) to accept a new, old-stock 'Peter Hepworth' Piston (Peter Hepworth continued the Hepworth company after they ceased trading so it's a high quality piston.) The engine & gearbox bearings are all new, as are the fork stanchions and all oil seals. The magneto was rebuilt by 'Mag Merv' and the dynamo rebuilt by Dave Lindsley. All the levers are 100% correct for this model and all the chains are new, old-stock Reynolds.

Originality: There are some very minor departures from originality that include: A 'BURGESS' silencer, the seat is a reproduction as these did not survive and are impossible to find now, the front mudguard is fastened to the stay with large flat 'mushroom' nuts that look very similar to rivets as used originally, the carb is a new, correctly jetted reproduction from Surrey Carbs (so it runs well!) and the throttle is a 1960's 'SUPERPRATIC' Italian type as it is just a much smoother throttle control than the standard AMAL unit. The mudguards are the originals that the bike had fitted. These are not perfect but are in nice condition.

Registration Number: The Registration number is age related, non transferable and acquired from the DVLA so the bike could obtain a V5C and be used on the road. (Originally this bike never had a registration number as it was a factory trails bike and not built for the road.)

All in all it would be hard to find a better example of this desirable classic bike.

Location: I am in Cottingham, near Hull; easily reached by the M62.

Payment: Cash on collection or cleared funds through Bank Transfer.

Any questions, please feel free to email me.

Note: I had this bike running around eight months ago but discovered that the tank had not been painted correctly as the gold lines melted and the paint bubbled when I poured the petrol in! I had the tank re-sealed and repainted correctly at a cost of £600 and since it has been refitted I have not had it running as I have a damaged right ankle so kick starting it is a problem for me. However, whoever buys it is welcome to kick start it and get it running if they need to before the bike is taken.