When Triumph introduced the Speed Twin in 1938, every other English manufacturer knew they had to offer two-cylinder motors of their own. AJS was the last of the major Brit builders to join the party (that pesky World War got in the way) when they released the Model 20 (and its Matchless twin, the G9) ten years later. Designed by Phil Walker, AJS’ parallel twin differed from the competition in that it featured a third crankshaft main bearing as well as alloy heads on iron barrels.
Production of the Model 20 lasted until 1961, by which point it had already been succeeded by the Model 31. During that time there were several major updates – in 1951 the “jampot” rear suspension was introduced, and a year later a 4-speed Burman transmission was utilized. Connected to the Burman was a 498cc twin good for 26 horsepower and a top speed of approximately 90 miles per hour.
This example (VIN: 95252) is offered up by someone Bike-urious has known for years – Chip Lamb. In his words, “this particular example wears its gloss black engine paint and gold tank elements proudly, and presents very well, having resided in Mr. Jacobs’ collection for many years following import from the UK in the early 2000s. On my acquisition about 18 months ago, new tires and tubes were fitted along with a thorough ‘fettling’ to include a carburetor overhaul (said carburetor wears a tag from a UK shop noting its prior overhaul, it was incorrectly jetted), solid state voltage regulator (hidden inside original case), anti wet-sump valve, throttle cable, chain, petcocks (rebuilt), AGM battery, wiring work (much was mis-wired) and much else I’ve likely forgotten.
While not a perfect example, it presents well and starts on the first or second kick. The primary case was grossly overfilled at one point and the clutches were slipping a bit, this has cleared up with some use. The speedometer is currently inoperative, but everything else seems to work as it should. You are welcome to inspect this during the course of the auction – just reach out to me directly. I had to reformat the starting, running and riding video for eBay, so if this doesn’t process correctly, reach out to me for that as well.
This and a spectacular 1956 Matchless G80S from the same estate collection that I have listed this week were purchased for eventual resale at an event that was cancelled. In addition, the work that they both needed to be operational took much longer than anticipated. These bikes need to find new loving homes and their reserve prices are very reasonable. I am a collector automobile dealer and broker as well as an auctioneer – I have worked for many of the large auction houses including motorcycle auctions. I have my own bikes and have ridden for many years and I would not be ashamed to have these bikes in my personal collection, but space is at a premium!”
Find this Model 20 for sale in Augusta, Georgia with bidding up to $3,150 and the reserve not yet met or a BIN of $7,500 here on eBay.
As noted in the description, he also has a 19656 Matchless G80S available – it’s got bidding up to $4,000 with the reserve not yet met or a BIN of $8,995 here on eBay as well.
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Chip L!