G80S

Ah yes, the one and only Matchless I ever owned. I believe that this was bought in 1981; four international moves, a divorce and a number of other life-changing events have made it impossible to keep all my paperwork and photos intact, unfortunately…I picked this one up in London for the aforementioned sum (£800) and then proceeded to ride it back to Wentworth, where my parents lived. Mum and Dad had taken me up to town to pick the bike up and were leading the way through the city on the way back. When I first saw the bike it looked pretty sorry, despite being described as in good working order. The carburettor was obviously gummed up and there were a load of other ‘detail’ points, which I chose to overlook. I fiddled on the bike for about an hour while my parents did their best trying to engage in pleasant and interested conversation with the seller (who was obviously dying to get rid of us!) over a cuppa out of oil-stained mugs…

© peter gouws 2011