Letter from our D.V.M.A-Guestwriter Mr.Ray "Ajs/Matchless International" Pollard from Guelph, Canada.
Ray Pollard on Piet-Hein's AJS Springtwin 500 cc 1950.
"in het Paradijs"!
NL (2003?)
Seeing the article on NSU and the miniature motorcycles reminded me of another miniature venture that I was involved in many years ago.
In 1955 either the blue or the Green magazine in England announced a competition for miniature motorcycles. (This was before kits and models became available.)I had modelled many WW2 aircraft over many years and thought that a motorcycle would be quite a challenge.Living three miles from the A.M.C. factory, my choice of bike was an AJS, and what better than a Boyracer. Wow.
One eight-inch brazing rod seemed ideal for the frame and that determined the scale of the whole machine.
Most of it was of wood, forks, tanks, seat, rear jampots, hubs, rims and tyres. Alloy mudguards were beaten on a wooden form. The flyscreen was petrol filter gauze. Spokes were out of the question, so it had to be'in motion and there has to be a rider! Later.
A rubber eraser provided the chin rest, ball-point pens the oil and petrol caps. Alloyrod for exhaust pipes and I found two metal bits that looked like "megaphones".Today, I would probably use a razor-saw to make fins on the cylinder, but then I just wound cotton around a barrel profile. The rider is a six-part assembly, the body, two arms, two legs and for fine grain, a head and helmet from billiard cue wood. Wet & Dry paper became the track. Painting and lining followed and that was that, but let me tell you about the winner.
The outcome from the London show was a letter from a Dutch company,Firma Wolf, asking if the models could go to the show in Amsterdam?
Yes, please!
They gave us a nice Delft-blue ashtray,
and I still have the box with the KLM destination labels.
(Oh yes, my chains were from my mother's old necklace.)
P.S. If You want to use , feel free to edit.
Ray.
You're Welcome!
Motoring George Spauwen
AJS 1948 7R Boy Racer 350 cc ohc
Ca 1948 AJS 7R 350cc OHC Racing Motorcycle.
Engine Number 7R-634
Built from 1948 to 1963, Associated Motor Cycles’ AJS 7R-known as the “Boy Racer”- was one of the most successful over-the-counter racing motorcycles off all time. Almost all Britain’s road-race stars of the 1950s and 1960s rode a 7R at some stage of their careers, and the model remains a major force in classic racing today.
This early AJS 7R was previously owned by one D.Wharton, a lifelong AJS enthusiast who died in 1985, and was subsequently purchased by Kenneth H Evans of Merceyside. The machine was sold to William Lasby of British Columbia, Canada circa August 1985 and is presumed to have been purchased by Steve Harding, also of British Columbia, who in turn sold the motorcycle on January 3th 1988 to the immediately preceding owner. The latter started and ran the motorcycle only once upon taking delivery in 1988 and then in 1990 put it on display in his kitchen. The machine remained there until 2005 when it went on museum tour as part of “The Art of the Motorcycle”travelling first to Memphis, Tennessee where it was displayed as part of the”Wonders Cultural Series” Subsequently, the Orlando Museum of Art in Orlando, Florida displayed the motorcycle prior to returning it to its then owner in 2006.
The machine is offered together with a folder containing general information on the AJS 7R, previous owner correspondence and assorted engine rebuild/set-up details. Also included are the original footrests ( folding rests are installed for racing ) and the original rear shock absorbers ( after-market units are currently installed ) After the usual safety checks and the customary re-commissioning we “bump-started” this AJS and experienced the thrill of power, speed and exceptional road-holding so well known with this close-ratio geared AJS 7R Boy Racer.
(Bron:Yesterdays)
SO
Motoring George Spauwen
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