Even back in the early 1970s, it was easy to see Roger McGrath was going places…fast!
There’s a well-earned Ph.D. listed after Roger McGrath’s name, something you’ll notice whenever reading his bio found often across the Internet. You could say he’s been there, done that. It includes military experience as a Marine that later evolved into a professorship with the California Center for Military History as well as teaching military history at UCLA for 15 years, followed by more teaching at Pepperdine, and California State University-Northridge.
He’s also authored dozens of feature articles and published books including Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes, his expertize also often bringing him on screen via A & E and History Channel documentaries focusing on the American Wild West and World War II. In the book “Motorcycle Diaries”, Roger wrote the following, taking us back to his first riding experience and a link to the Matchless Scrambler seen here some 50 years later.
“My first bike was a 250cc BSA. It was a single cylinder “thumper” without much horsepower, but I was stoked. I really learned how to ride—and how to fall—on that “Beezer.” I slid the thing, crossing up the front end to maintain balance, and screwed on the juice to increase traction. I stood it up and rode on the rear wheel. I downshifted—brakes were only for coming to a stop at traffic lights—and accelerated through turns. I leaned until I scraped the footpegs, beveling the rubber on them at a 45-degree angle. No helmet, no gloves, no leathers. No brains, either, I suppose, but the thrill was on.“
“Within a year, I upgraded to a (1961) 650cc Matchless Scrambler. I bought it used, but it was nearly brand new. The whiskers were still on the tires. The guy who owned it was a senior at Southern Cal. He dumped it on one of his first rides and, scared silly, locked it in a garage. I heard about it from one of his fraternity brothers and, knowing that particular model was the cleanest and leanest 650 that Matchless produced, made him an offer. He told me to come and pick it up. I was there the next day.“
“I now had a bike with nearly triple the horsepower of my 250 BSA. The Matchless Scrambler was very low geared and wouldn’t do much more than 90 mph, but it got there in a hurry. In its day, it was the smoothest and best handling of all British bikes.”
Obviously that first Matchless left a permanent impression. Fast forward to late May 2013 and we find Roger wrenching side by side with longtime buddy Sonny Nutter at L.A.’s Garage Company. Roger had dropped by the vintage bike emporium to do some fine tuning on his beautifully restored 1968 Matchless 750cc G15-CS Scrambler.
The “factory hybrid” incorporates a Matchless frame and a Norton twin cylinder powerplant. Roger had researched the provenance of the bike and learned that the bike first rolled off the Matchless assembly line in May 1968…55 years almost to the day this photos were snapped. Says Roger, “For pure nostalgia I had been looking for one to restore. I had found a lot of the G-12 CSR road models but wanted the leaner, meaner scrambler model. I liked the looks.”
The merger of Matchless with Norton was a function of one hand better washing the other. It seemed that the potent Norton 750cc twin caused too much vibration in the vaunted Featherbed frame, something of a mystery, cracking steering heads when flogged about in competition. But when the motor was plugged into a Matchless frame, the snortin’ Norton had a major personality change, making it more durable as well as comfortable ride.
As a result, Matchless dropped their plans for the bike with their own 750cc motor opting for the potent Norton twin, although grafting on their own primary case and gearbox. While the hubs are Norton manufacture the forks are also mostly Norton but extended about two inches as it’s a scrambler model, and thus the hybrid went into production. It turned out to be a major success and a popular model.
After acquiring the bike from the son of the original owner, Roger began its restoration. While his first Matchless Scrambler had been a 1961 G-12 CS 650cc model, this ‘68 model featured the 750cc motor. Beginning with the engine rebuild, he replaced the standard 7.6:1 pistons with 9:1 Commando pistons along with a whole new top end while the bottom end and the 4-speed gear box were deemed in fine fettle.
Along with the increase in motor performance he beefed up the braking power by upgrading the stock single leading shoe front brake with a double shoe assembly. Tossing the U.S. regulations required oversized clunk of a taillight/license plate assembly, he crafted in a small, more pleasing to the eye unit. A major change came with the addition of a new Tri-Spark ignition system sourced from Steve Kelly in Adelaide, Australia, considered the ultimate ignition improvement for vintage British bikes.
Roger has ridden a slew of bikes so when asked to compare the hybrid Matchless/Norton to standard bikes of the era, he replies, “This 750 Norton engine makes a big difference having all the torque in the world. It’s a beast. I have a Triumph Bonneville, a ’67, and it comes on the rpm’s much quicker, but as far as sheer power, this thing has it all over the Triumph. I swear it could rip my arms out of its sockets. I also took some weight off it which also helps. I’m using one of those lithium batteries that weighs like one lb. and also removed the center stand, the skid plate and the big tail lamp assembly. This bike also handles well thanks to the special Progressive shocks designed particularly for this bike and rebushing the swingarm. As for the Candy Apple Red paint, it’s the exact factory color.”
Summing up the riding experience with the Matchless Scrambler, Roger says, “With my wife Susan on the back I rode this bike last September on the Old Route 66 Ride organized by Bib Bibbiani of the SoCal Norton club. The bike was one of 27 that finished making the entire 2200 miles through mountain and lowlands, through heat and cold, rain and hail. In a word, it was exhilarating, like reliving the challenges faced by the early settlers making the trek back in the 1800s. And best of all, at the end of the ride, my wife and I were more in love than ever.”
You could say it’s been a Matchless experience.
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