1967 Matchless G15 CS with 815 original miles.
47 miles since complete restoration
New Steve Maney 1007cc engine
New Gearbox
New Twin Amal MK2 carbs
New wiring
Bob Newby Racing Belt Drive
97hp at the rear wheel on a Dynojet dyno
For the uninitiated, Steve Maney is the go-to guy for making Nortons go fast. He used to operate out of a workshop in Yorkshire, UK, and his motors have won vintage road races all over the planet.
The Norton/ Matchless P11 is among the rarest and most sought-after motorcycles of the 1960s.
At the time of its release in 1967, it was advertised by Norton’s U. S. importer, the Berliner Motor Corporation, with slogans such as “Dynamite on wheels!” and “The world’s finest all-purpose motorcycle.” It was a bike specifically aimed at a riding audience keen on both performance and adventure.
Adapted from the Norton Atlas and Norton/ Matchless N15CS and G15CS models, Norton envisioned the P11 as a motorcycle for desert racing.
AMC owned Matchless from 1938 to 1966, then went bankrupt... Norton-Villiers bought up what was left of the best of the Matchless bikes and and re-animated them.
The 1967 Matchless G15 was a mix-and -match machine cranked out in the dying days of the UK's original motorcycle production industry.
By the late 1960s, most of the UK’s manufacturers were using engine designs from one
manufacturer, chassis designs from another manufacturer, and trying to create motorcycles that appealed to American buyers. Sometimes the result was a half-decent motorcycle, if you could live with the eccentricities of a British bike (crappy Lucas electronics, constant oil leaks, etc.). Sometimes, the result was something like the Norton Hi-Rider.
This one of a kind Matchless G15CS was taken one giant step further and fitted with a Steve Maney 1007cc, 97 hp, Monster Custom Twin. Its hybrid components are a fascinating tribute to Steve Maney and a fine example of Norton’s tie-in with AMC, all of which planted the seed for the Commando that followed.