Rode my '52 G80 to Tuscany, keeping under 60. Back in UK at 73 the crankpin exploded out into the world, just missing my leg. Built up another bottom end & sold the bike. Apparently it did it again. Nearly 40 years on I'm amazed Alpha are still selling that part. It's not fit for purpose and dangerous. Unlike Bullets there's too much flex in the early AMC big end assembly. As far as I remember AMC beefed up the bottom end in '54 but I don't know if they changed the big end. I'd had that bike as sole transport for 12 years. I used to rebuild the engine once a year. Never had a part actually break until we ran out of OEM pins. I'd say AMC had the weakest engineered bottom end of all brit big singles, that is until they belatedly added a norton pump. That's a lovely engine.
My pals Matchless 500 inconveniently broke its crankpin just after leaving Skye during a 2,500 mile trip around the Scottish mainland and islands...It was a long ride back to Devon with the AA for him:frowning:..and my tour became a solo one on the B33...Ian
