A.J.S. 35/2

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Motorworld’s newspaper № 12
In 1931, during the period of the global business depression, Matchless bought another British motorcycle manufacturer — A.J.S. Production was transferred from Wolverhampton, A.J.S.’s original hometown, to London. A.J.S. motorcycles kept their individual features for several more years, but by the mid 1930s rationalization was in trend so that motorcycles of the two brands became almost identical, up to the model numbering: from then on it featured the year and the model’s I.D. number.

Matchless X/3 from “Motorworld by V.Sheyanov” collection”

Brough Superior SS80 Special from “Motorworld by V.Sheyanov” collection

After Matchless was taken over, one of the first models to be suspended from production was 1000-cc A.J.S. – model 2 (its “genealogical tree” was going from 1925), and nothing was heard of it for the next twelve months. However, it came back in the season of 1933 featuring a new Matchless engine, identical to the one that was installed on Matchless Model X (by the way, after 1935 the same engine was installed on Brough Superior SS80).

A.J.S. company, first years

By 1935 the A.J.S. model range consisted of almost a dozen of models—from single-cylinder OHV machines up to heavy L-head motorcycles. The motorcycle with the largest capacity was manufactured in two versions: the so called “English” model (Model 2) with the sports steering wheel and standard sideboards as well as the “Export” model (Model 2A) with a wide tourist-type steering wheel and rubberized sideboards. Most models came with sidecars.

A.J.S. Model 2, export version

Both A.J.S. Model 2 and Matchless X were periodically modernized and they remained in production until early 1940 when the British War Office gave an order to confiscate all of the unsold motorcycles.