When the Matchless G3s were allowed to drop off 'with the annoying chain', new motorcycles had to come for the Dutch Army. A selection was made from three models. Three of each model were tested. And we found two. A Triumph and a Matchless. But that Triumph was not the most interesting. Because we already knew the 3TA. Even from the time when Harry Meijer from Badhoevedorp overhauled the blocks for the Army.
The third is coming
But the two we found were the best: The Triumph 3TA and the Matchless single-cylinder. The 3 TA was a twin. The Matchless was a single-cylinder with a Norton fork and a double cradle frame. A machine from the end of the brand.
The funny thing was that the book of requirements stated that the machines had to be 116 km / h fast. We are only talking about the Triumph and the Matchless. The Matchless did not reach the required top speed. The Triumph well.
Why? Bee Triumph they had cleverly mounted a speedometer that exaggerated 10%. So it worked. Until the machines actually came into service. Then they fell through the basket.
Matchless went for mesh because a millimeters thick copper head gasket was mounted on the test model. This resulted in less compression, less power and less speed.
And why no one at Matchless had thought of removing that thick copper head gasket? Ach: Matchless was already a brand that was given up. So the tendency to think had already been removed by the staff.
Which of the three? One of three
We found one of the three Matchless single cylinders from the test at Rik Diephuis of D-Classics. Rik is a dealer in classic motorcycles. He advertises minimal and is specialized in the Danish Nimbuses. “Nobody wants them here”. Sometimes he has some British by-catch. But he prefers not to sell to private individuals. "Too much hassle. They are old motorcycles. There is no guarantee. It's okay ”.
The Matchless is one of the three machines that Matchless has entrusted to the army for the multiple choice tests. It may be the only survivor.
A simple way of thinking
Rik has no towering ambitions. He wants to fill his days with socializing and dealing with friendly people. And Nimbuses? He thinks that is just fantastic motorcycles. He is completely in that world and has customers all the way to Australia and deep into Asia. But a few of his Nimbuses are simply not for sale. That they are not even the nicest, but the nicest.
And the British by-catch he sometimes has? These are often unusual things that Dutch people don't dare to do much with. "We" are often very critical and do not want to spend money. While classics are cheap in the Netherlands. According to almost all foreigners. And then we grumble that so many classics go abroad. Sometimes you think that foreign countries are still lucky.
Simply: because it's fun
Rik has plans to bring some ex army bikes together. For some kind of introduction meeting or something. That seems nice to him. Just like an International Nimbus meeting. It is not just bad news in Groningen.
I have been a mechanic at the 44e Department. Field Artillery in 1967 see the Triumps coming.
In fact liked them more and they drove more stable in the terrain. Although a fan of twins shortly afterwards purchased a 18 AJS1954S with which we
we drove through half of Europe. Now ride Yamaha XS650 (1978) and Gillet Herstal (1931)
We Dutch people “bunt zúnig”, as the Zeeuws Girl advertisement once confirmed to us ('.. and not a cent too much, hey!' ..)
Our Calvinistic way of thinking keeps prices pleasantly low within the national borders, but the over-the-limiters are also aware of this ..
And ah…. It's always something. Years ago we bought all TA, DSsen and Fiat500's in France and Italy respectively. I have a message somewhere from Gazoline: Now the Dutch are also coming to steal our CXs ”And MZ's. In the meantime, Älles is also returning to the birth grounds. Soon I will take the main prize for my Ural 🙂