The CS (Competition Suspension) was the top of the line G80 model (except for the super-rare Typhoon G80TCS). Matchless’ marketing suggested that all you had to do to race was remove the lights – so with this bike you’ve already got the first step taken care of.
The near-square 497cc engine was fed by an Amal Monobloc carb and was capable of pushing this 380 pound bike to just over 90 miles per hour. The bike was not light and the engine was tuned to provide power across a broad powerband rather than for maximum peak numbers. For more information, check out this fantastic period review from 1963 in Cycle World, hosted by Jampot.dk. Cycle World summed up the review by saying the bike “is a most impressive all-around performer on clay roads, up sandy washes, over boulder-strewn creek beds and just about every place but on a paved road – and it seems likely that with the right tires it would be pretty good there, too.”
This example has 36,241 miles and it’s currently set up as a trials bike with a “custom frame and oil tank”, Lucas racing magneto, and Evan Wilcox aluminum tank. It also features 21″/18″ Akront wheels and the motor from a 1953 bike. It’s sold with a title so you could theoretically run it on the street if you sourced some lights?
Find this Matchless for sale in Las Cruces, New Mexico for $5,000 here on Facebook Marketplace.