1953 AJS Model 20 Frame 95252Engine 53 20 9658ABOUT THE AJS:Albert John Stevens and his three brothers became involved in motorcycles before the turn of the 20th Century. By 1909, they were manufacturing motorcycles under the name AJS. In the industrial Midlands well north of London. The company failed in 1931 and was taken over by Matchless, the two later operating under the name, Associated Motorcycles in Plumstead, a suburb of south-east London.The last of the major British motorcycle manufacturers to offer a parallel twin, Associated Motorcycles did not announce its own 'Springtwin' until the Earls Court Motorcycle Show of 1948, and even then production was for export only. Typed Model 20 (AJS) and G9 (Matchless), the two newcomers followed the established pattern of British parallel twins but were unusual in having an engine with a third, central, crankshaft main bearing. The new 498cc power unit was housed in the swinging-arm frame recently introduced on AMC's heavyweight singles, and for once there was a fair amount of variation between the two marques, which featured their own individual tanks, seats, and exhaust pipes in addition to the customary badge and color scheme differences. The Model 20 and G9 remained in production until mid-1961.ABOUT THIS MOTORCYCLE:This particular example wears its gloss black engine paint and gold tank elements proudly, and presents very well, having resided in Mr. Jacobs' collection for many years following import from the UK in the early 2000s. On my acquisition about 18 months ago, new tires and tubes were fitted along with a thorough 'fettling' to include a carburetor overhaul (said carburetor wears a tag from a UK shop noting its prior overhaul, it was incorrectly jetted), solid state voltage regulator (hidden inside original case), anti wet-sump valve, throttle cable, chain, petcocks (rebuilt), AGM battery, wiring work (much was mis-wired) and much else I've likely forgotten.While not a perfect example, it presents well and starts on the first or second kick. The primary case was grossly overfilled at one point and the clutches were slipping a bit, this has cleared up with some use. The speedometer is currently inoperative, but everything else seems to work as it should. You are welcome to inspect this during the course of the auction - just reach out to me directly. I had to reformat the starting, running and riding video for eBay, so if this doesn't process correctly, reach out to me for that as well.This and a spectacular 1956 Matchless G80S from the same estate collection that I have listed this week were purchased for eventual resale at an event that was cancelled. In addition, the work that they both needed to be operational took much longer than anticipated. These bikes need to find new loving homes and their reserve prices are very reasonable. I am a collector automobile dealer and broker as well as an auctioneer - I have worked for many of the large auction houses including motorcycle auctions. I have my own bikes and have ridden for many years and I would not be ashamed to have these bikes in my personal collection, but space is at a premium!Acceptable forms of payment include cash on pickup, bank wire transfer or certified funds received within seven days of auction close. I leave on a trip overseas on the 21st of October, so in the hopefully unlikely event that they cannot be picked up prior to then, they will be available around Thanksgiving. Storage until that time is no problem so long as full payment is received on time.Bid with confidence, see my 25 year eBay feedback, thanks very much for looking. Reach out to me directly if I can be of assistance.