The AJS Motorcycle Company, founded in 1909 by the Stevens brothers in Wolverhampton, England, aimed to manufacture and race motorcycles of excellence, particularly at the Isle of Man TT races.
The company’s initials, A.J.S, were chosen after “Jack”, the only brother with two first names, Albert John (Jack) Stevenson.
AJS’s first motorcycle was released in 1910 and featured a single cylinder engine. By 1913, the company had gained a reputation for producing high quality motorcycles and was the largest producer of motorcycles in the UK.
In the 1920s and 1930s, AJS continued to innovate and produce a range of motorcycles with sidecars and engines ranging from 250cc to 600cc.
In 1931, AJS was acquired by Matchless Motorcycles and produced famous models such as the 16MS, 18MS, Model 20, 30, 31, CSRs, and the “Boy Racer” 7R.
During WWII, AJS shifted to producing military vehicles but returned to motorcycle production after the war. In the post-war years, AJS remained popular for racing and touring, with the company’s 500cc twin cylinder model proving particularly successful.
In 1966, on the collapse of the AMC group, AJS was absorbed into the Norton Villiers group. In September 1974, AJS off road competition manager “Fluff” Brown bought out all the AJS Stormer spares from Norton Villiers and began production of AJS Stormer-based machines in Andover, Hampshire.
Fluff’s legacy continues through his family successors and today markets a range of small capacity machines bearing the AJS name.
Today, the world-renowned National Motorcycle Museum houses over 1000 British motorcycles within its collection, over 20 of those being AJS motorbikes (some rare and unique marques too), and is very proud to provide a strong representation of the company’s rich history and contribution to the motorcycle industry.
The National Motorcycle Museum is located on Coventry Road, Bickenhill, Solihull, B92 0EJ, is open 7 days a week 0830am – 5.30pm and is a ‘must-visit’ location for any motorcycle enthusiast!!
Coventry Road
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