My Matchless G3 1963

Although the Matchless G3 was a prewar motorcycle, its fame and notoriety is due to it becoming the British Army's main motorcycle for World War 2. Due to the military modifications, it became the matchless G3/L.

The G3/L design was based on the G3 design, with a few modifications, mainly to do with weight reduction. The L stands for 'lightweight', since the army specifications called for a motorcycle that could handle rugged terrain.

Matchless G3/L

Over 80,000 Matchless G3/L motorcycles were produced during WW2. Following the loss of so many motorcycles at Dunkirk, the British Army requisitioned every Matchless motorcycle they could after 1940.

Besides making the bike 56 pounds lighter for military use, the success and popularity of the Matchless G3/L lay in the innovative 'Teledraulic' front forks. Instead of the existing norm of girder forks, the front suspension consisted of oil-filled hydraulic dampeners. This made the G3/L much easier to handle over rough terrain. This fork design became standard for most modern motorcycles.

The Matchless G3 had a 350cc engine that produced 16 bhp at 5,200 RPM. When competing for the British Army contract, Matchless lost to Triumph's 3TW, which was a 350cc vertical twin with side-valves. When the Triumph factory at Coventry was destroyed during a German bombing raid on the town in November of 1940, all the Triumph production facilities, designs and blueprints were lost.

As a result, the contract was then awarded to Matchless. Full-time production of the Matchless G3/L began in late 1941, after all army modifications to the design had been implemented and finalized.

The South African Army placed an order for 110 Matchless G3/L's, for use by their dispatch riders. These riders delivered messages and intel that was too sensitive to risk transmitting over radio, or on telephone lines.

Post War Matchless G3/L

Countries that had seen the worst fighting and bombing in World War 2, like Italy, found that the Allied and Axis armies had left behind a lot of military hardware, such as cars and motorcycles. Many of the abandoned Matchless G3/L bikes became civilian transport.

The Ministry of Defense kept the Matchless G3/L in use until 1960, when the BSA W-B40 became the new standard motorcycle.

Despite upgrades in suspension and various parts, the Matchless G3 lost popularity due to gaining weight, but not power.

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