Matchless was one of the great British motorcycle brands of the 20th century, establishing itself in 1899 and promptly building its reputation in motorsport – most notably in the early days by winning the single-cylinder class in the inaugural Isle of Man TT in 1907. 

Post-war, they became famed for supremely tough ‘big single’ machines and were popular with desert racers in the USA, where their ability to scale hills was even referenced by The Beach Boys. The G80 series stands as the culmination of this archetype, running through to the company’s end in the late 1960s. Today they are still seen in trials events, taking the rough and tumble of off-road racing in their stride and looking cool doing it.

This late-year 1965 G80 has been completely rebuilt a few years ago and turned into a visual and mechanical recreation of the celebrated ‘CS’ spec, with slender aluminium mudguards and an aluminium engine barrel. It looks magnificent and goes well over both tarmac and loose surfaces.

The seller has restored this bike over the course of a few years, leaving no stone unturned and refreshing everything bar the wheel hubs. As such it presents in excellent condition from every angle, resplendent with its maroon frame holding the polished bare-metal fuel tank and mudguards.

The exhaust pipe and utterly spotless headlight pod in particular can achieve such a high shine that a hall-of-mirrors depiction of our photographer in them was unavoidable! The tank and guards meanwhile have a less reflective, more vintage style finish to them. Further up, raised handlebars and high-mounted mirrors (looking as new as they are) add a bit of street sensibility to this otherwise competition-style machine.

So complete is the restoration that when the process was finished, this was to all intents and purposes a new motorcycle again – the odometer was zeroed to reflect this and it has since covered less than 2400 miles in its current specification. As such there is no issue with starting it up and putting some enjoyable miles on it when the sun is out and the great outdoors beckons.

The bike was originally geared for doing trials, but the seller recently changed the drive sprocket to gear it better for normal road use instead. As a result they report that it now cruises very sweetly at 50mph, ideal for taking in A-roads and country lanes alike.

You could go a couple of different ways with this G80. You could keep it shiny and enjoy the show season that is kicking off now with summer’s arrival, or use it as a charismatic Sunday cruiser you can maintain yourself, or revert it to trials gearing and go charging up hills with it. The choice is yours.

Whichever way you go, you will turn heads and give onlookers a prompt to learn about this piece of British engineering history and the long lost company behind it.

BEFORE YOU BUY 

This sale is subject to the Car & Classic Terms and Conditions. By bidding and/or making an offer, you also agree to the following: 

✓ If the seller is registered as a private seller, consumer rights stemming from EU consumer protection law do not apply. Car & Classic’s return policy applies. 

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✓ This vehicle is “Sold As Seen”, on an “As Is, Where Is’ basis and without warranty. A full inspection of the vehicle prior to purchase and bidding is highly recommended. Photos and descriptions are for guidance purposes only. 

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