Links

Motorcycle Apprentice - by Bill Cakebread
(Veloce Publishing)

A unique record of an apprenticeship and fascinating insight to the working practices of the motorcycle industry at the SE London factory of Associated Motor Cycles Ltd in the 1950s and 1960s.
***Now re-printed in paperback format - Click here for OBM review ***

The Matchless Colliers - by Bill Cakebread
(one.track@btinternet.com)

Ex-AMC apprentice Bill Cakebread's second book about the world famous motorcycle manufacturer, in which he compiles the full history of the Collier family and their various achievements throughout the life of the Company.

Click here for OBM review       Click here for Jampot review

Colin Seeley - Racer - by Colin Seeley
(Redline Books)

Book 1 of 2-part autobiography records Colin Seeley's close links with the Matchless factory and its G50 racing bikes.

Motorcycle Engineering - by Phil Irving
Temple Press (1961)

Written by an eminent designer of the 1960s, with an international reputation, this book (now out of print) sets out all the problems - technical, commercial and aesthetic - upon whose solution the success of any new motorcycle must depend.

Articles

Profitable Days at Plumstead (pdf)

A 4-page article in which Jock West, the successful road racer who became a sales executive, talks about his days at AMC.

Working for AMC (pdf)

In this 5-page article, Brian Slark gives an account of conditions and working practices at the AMC factory during his time there as a production worker and tester in the early '60s.

"I've Ridden 30,000 Bikes"
(Reproduced from Motor Cycle News' article of 16 November 2015)

Ex Matchless, AJS and Norton road tester Alan Jones recalls life in the golden age of the British motorcycle industry.

"Memories of a Mileage Tester"

Ex-AMC mileage tester Nick Hyde recalls his experiences during the last two years of the Plumstead factory.

Birth of the Norton Commando
(Reproduced from Classic Bike Guide article of 24 June 2018)

In-depth story of the design team responsible for the conception of the 'vibration-free' Norton Commando.

Made in Plumstead (pdf)

This 6-page article, reproduced from the May 1989 edition of MotorCycle Sport magazine, features reminiscences by ex-AMC employees of their work at the Plumstead factory from the early days up to its closure twenty years previously, as told at the anniversary exhibition and rally held in Woolwich to mark the occasion.

A 'Matchless' Quality (pdf)

This 5-page article, reproduced from the March 1959 edition of Motor Cycling Illustrated magazine, features a guided tour of the Plumstead factory that includes conversations with long-serving employees about the parts they play in the manufacture of Quality Motor Cycles interspersed with a multitude of photographs

Sixty Years at the Top - by Deryck Wylde
Reproduction of Motor Cycle Weekly's January 22, 1983 instalment of the series 'Roost Rulers: Potted Histories of the British Industry', complete with the original illustrations.
An interesting article covering the early exploits of the Collier brothers, through the Second World War years and up to the closure of the Plumstead factory, although containing many statements of dubious accuracy.

Memories of Plumstead (pdf)

John & Rose Rourke relate in 'no holds barred' detail their working lives at the Matchless factory, spanning 1928 until 1961.

Machine tool re-equipment at AMC
(Machine Tool Review)

A 12-page article published in the Alfred Herbert technical journal describes in detail their 1958 installation of new machine tools into the AMC factory extension.

Clubs

AJS and Matchless Owners Club

Norton Owners Club

Famous James Motorcycle Club

Francis Barnett Owners Club