A Very nice 350cc Ride in the Inland Empire (near Temecula, CA)
Seller writes: “Rare 1956 AJS 16MS 350cc. Motorcycle is in incredible condition and sat many years in a private collection. Restored a number of years back, but still looks great. Recently gone through. Runs Great. Clean Title. Come take a look. Would trade for scrambler (triumph, Ducati) Bought through eBay in 2011 for $7000. Big price drop, so no low balls. Only selling to get a small trailer or offload style motorcycle.”
Find it on Craigslist here: https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/mcy/d/murrieta-rare-1956-ajs-16ms/7250377858.html.
This really does look like a clean restoration. I spotted a few nits, but really not that much. These are great riding bikes that will happily zip along at 60 mph, and they handle very sweetly.
The “S” stands for “Springer”.
The rigid framed AJS Model 16M 350 cc single was developed in 1945 from the military Matchless G3/L World War II motorcycle. Well proven in war service, the 350 cc single remained in production selling large numbers to the civilian market well into the 1960s. Simple and practical, the Model 16 needed minimal maintenance and was very economical. The company also produced an almost identical motorcycle under the Matchless name as the Matchless G3L. The only difference between the two was that the Matchless carried a magneto at the rear of the cylinder barrel, whereas the AJS magneto was at the front.
In 1953, the Model 16M was modernized with a dual seat replacing the saddle and rear pillion seat. In 1956 the Burman gearbox was replaced with a new four speed unit of AMC’s own design and in 1957 further improvements included replacement of the outdated generator with a crankshaft mounted Lucas alternator. The leaky pressed-steel primary drive cover was replaced with an alloy casing.