Lockdown 3.0 Look Back

Matchless G85CS

If races were won on looks alone then Matchless were on to a winner in 1965 when they launched the G85CS.

Sadly for sales, the MX world had gone lightweight and even though Matchless managed to produce an ultra-light – for the type – machine with pounds carved from the all-up weight, it wasn’t enough.

There was plenty of power, a decent frame inspired by Metisse, good suspension as well as some tasty bits from the AMC stores such as a 7R rear hub, an Amal race carb and the machine was well thought out but, when even a rider of Vic Eastwood’s calibre struggled to keep it at the front, it was clear its time was over.

If it had been available five years earlier then maybe things would be different but it wasn’t. To be honest five years earlier the influences weren’t around to create such a machine so it couldn’t have been produced any sooner and the sad fact is, in the day, many remained unsold. Once able to reopen, visitors to the National Motorcycle Museum can view this stunning machine and ponder what might have been…

This clip and overview/opinion above is courtesy of good friend to the NMM – Tim Britton of Tim Britton Media Ltd.