Post Sale Update: This G3L sold for $6,400 after 28 bids on eBay.
Like the BSA M20, the Matchless G3L was produced for the British Army for World War II. Unlike the BSA, the G3L was extremely popular as it was the first bike that ditched girder forks. Matchless produced about 80,000 examples of this bike, and the government kept using them through the 60s.
The 349cc air cooled single produced 16 horsepower, but the importance of this bike is the novel front suspension. The “Teledraulic” units were the first telescopic forks with oil damping, which eventually became the international standard for front suspensions.
This specific Matchless G3L (VIN: 44486 G3L 11954) had an older restoration (pre-1997) and has only seen 786 miles since. The seller has had it recently refurbished to running condition with the addition of a new battery and voltage regulator.
Find this Matchless G3L for sale in Springfield, Illinois with bidding up to $6,100