Editing AJS (section)

=== Motorcycles ===

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:AJS-at-the-TT.jpg|right|frame|1930 magazine cover featuring AJS motorcycles racing in the Isle of Man TT]] -->
[[File:AJS 192X 2.jpg|thumb|right|AJS]]
[[File:AJS 500 cc OHC Racer 1931.jpg|thumb|right|AJS 500&nbsp;cc OHC Racer 1931]]
[[File:AJS 350 cc TV 1936.jpg|thumb|right|AJS 350&nbsp;cc TV 1936]]
[[File:A. J. Stevens and Company 1926.jpg|thumb|left|Preference Share of the A. J. Stevens and Company (1914) Ltd., issued 11. February 1926]]
[[File:Matchless Silver Streak 1938.JPG|thumb|right|[[AJS Silver Streak]] 1938]]
[[File:AJS H5 Shuttleworth Snap Replica.jpg|thumb|right|AJS H5 Shuttleworth Snap Replica]]
Joe Stevens, father of Harry, George, Albert John (‘Jack’), and Joe Stevens Junior, was an engineer who owned the Stevens Screw Company Ltd, in Wednesfield, near Wolverhampton. Stevens had a reputation for quality engineering before the company built its first motorcycle in 1897, using a Mitchell single-cylinder four-stroke imported from the US. Before long, Stevens began making engines, starting off with a better-built version of the Mitchell but the family soon developed their own designs, including parallel-twins and [[V-twin]]s, which were sold as proprietary engines to other manufacturers, including Werner, Wolf and Clyno.<ref name="Grant">Title: AJS, The History of a Great Motorcycle, Publisher: Patrick Stephens Ltd, Copyright: 1969 Gregor Grant, SBN 85059 038 8</ref><ref name="Tragatsch">Title: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Motorcycles, Editor: Erwin Tragatsch, Publisher: New Burlington Books, Copyright: 1979 Quarto Publishing, Edition: 1988 Revised, Page 70-71, {{ISBN|978-0-906286-07-4}}</ref>

In 1909, after a [[Wearwell]] motorcycle fitted with a Stevens [[side-valve]] single-cylinder engine won a trophy for a 24-hour non-stop run in 1909, Jack Stevens decided to contest the [[Isle of Man TT|Tourist Trophy]] in the [[Isle of Man]]. A new company, A J Stevens & Co (AJS), was founded, with premises in Retreat Street, Wolverhampton, to manufacture motorcycles and the first model appeared at the Motor Cycle Show in 1910. Its engine, a two-speed 298&nbsp;cc side-valve, was made to come within the 300&nbsp;cc limit for Junior machines in the [[1911 Isle of Man TT]] races and was slightly larger than the 292&nbsp;cc used for the proprietary engines. Jack Stevens came 16th on AJS's official entry, one place behind private owner J.D. Corke on an identical machine.

Albert John Stevens lent his initials to the company, but it was a family concern. In 1922 for example, Harry Stevens acted as managing director, George Stevens as commercial manager, Joe Stevens Junior managing the experimental section and Jack Stevens as production manager.<ref name="Grant" /><ref name="wolver">{{cite web|url=http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Transport/Motorcycles/ajs4.htm |title=A. J. Stevens & Co. (1914) Ltd |access-date=2009-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520013755/http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Transport/Motorcycles/ajs4.htm |archive-date=2009-05-20 }} WolverhamptonLocalHistory ''AJS'' . Retrieved 28 November 2006.</ref>

AJS did not contest the 1912 TT as it was busy satisfying the demand for its products, but was 10th in the 1913 Junior. With the Junior limit raised to 350&nbsp;cc for 1914, the AJS motorcycle had grown to 349&nbsp;cc, with four-speed gears and chain final drive. AJS achieved their first TT victory in the Junior [[1914 Isle of Man TT]] race that year through [[Eric Williams (motorcyclist)|Eric Williams]], whilst also taking second, third, fourth and sixth place. The old Screw Company's facilities could not cope with the demand and with the company reconstituted as ''A.J. Stevens and Company (1914) Ltd'', AJS moved to a new factory built around Graiseley House, in the [[Blakenhall]] district, a short distance south of the Retreat Street premises, which were relegated to the being the company's office and repair department.<ref>[http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Transport/Cars/AJSfactories/Graiseley/graiseleyhillworks.htm Graiseky Hill Works] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020115914/http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Transport/Cars/AJSfactories/Graiseley/graiseleyhillworks.htm |date=20 October 2013 }} on the Wolverhampton Local History website.</ref> The 349&nbsp;cc machine (known as the {{frac|2|3|4}}&nbsp;hp) was most in demand but the company also produced an 800&nbsp;cc (6&nbsp;hp) V-twin.

On 3 November 1916, the [[Ministry of Munitions]] prohibited the production of non-military motorcycles, and AJS went over to manufacturing munitions, but in early 1917 the Ministry received an order from [[Russia]] for military vehicles, and AJS was given a contract to produce part of the order with its [[AJS Model D]] machine. This kept AJS busy until Ministry of Munitions restrictions were lifted in January 1919.<ref name="wolver"/>

When production of the 350 resumed in 1920, it was much improved. The side-valve engine was replaced by a new overhead-valve design that produced 10&nbsp;bhp. It also had internal expanding brakes and chain primary drive. Cyril Williams won the first post war [[1920 Isle of Man TT]] Junior race on his 350, even though he had to push the motorcycle home for almost four miles (mostly downhill) after a breakdown. AJS took the first four places in the [[1921 Isle of Man TT]], and [[Howard R Davies]] bettered his second place in the Junior by winning the Senior on the same 350&nbsp;cc AJS. This was the first time a 350 had won the 500&nbsp;cc Senior TT race.<ref name="iom">{{cite web |title=Meetings - Isle of Man TT Official Website |url=https://www.iomtt.com/tt-database/events?meet_code=TT21%20%20&era=1 |website=www.iomtt.com |access-date=6 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref> In 1922 Manxman Tom Sheard won the Junior on an AJS, with G Grinton, also on an AJS, taking second.

The 1922 machine was a classic design that would become famous as the ‘Big Port’ on account of its large-diameter exhaust port and pipe (initially 1{{fraction|5|8}}&nbsp;inches, but changed in successive years). The OHV 350 would be the mainstay of the company's racing efforts until 1927 and in production form (first offered to the public in 1923), was also AJS's most popular sports motorcycle throughout the 1920s. At this time, the company produced a comprehensive range of other models ranging from 250 to 1,000&nbsp;cc. These were generally given a model number, plus letter to denote the year of manufacture (for example, B meant 1924, F 1925, G 1926).

In 1929 for example, the AJS range consisted of:
M1 Deluxe 996&nbsp;cc side-valve V-twin £76/10/0;
M2 Standard 996&nbsp;cc side-valve V-twin £66/0/0;
M3 Deluxe Touring 349&nbsp;cc side-valve single £48/10/0;
M4 Deluxe Sporting 349&nbsp;cc side-valve single £48/10/0;
M5 Standard Sporting 349&nbsp;cc side-valve single £45/0/0;
M6 349&nbsp;cc overhead-valve single £54/10/0 (twin port), £52/0/0 (single port);
MR6 Special Sports 349&nbsp;cc overhead-valve single £62/0/0;
M7 349&nbsp;cc overhead-camshaft single £62/0/0;
M8 498&nbsp;cc overhead-valve single £62/0/0 (twin port), £59/10/0 (single port);
MR8 Special Sports 498&nbsp;cc overhead-valve single £72/0/0;
M9 Deluxe Touring 498&nbsp;cc side-valve £54/0/0;
M10 498&nbsp;cc overhead-camshaft single £72/0/0;
M12 Lightweight 248&nbsp;cc side-valve single £39/17/6.
Several of these were intended to pull one of the 12 AJS [[sidecars]] also on offer, including sports, touring and commercial models.<ref name="catalogue">Title: Series "M" AJS Motorcycles, Publisher: A.J. Stevens & Co (1914) Ltd, 1929</ref>

By 1927, it had become clear that push-rod overhead-valve designs were becoming dated in racing, so AJS introduced two new chain-driven overhead-camshaft racing models, the 349&nbsp;cc K7 and the 498&nbsp;cc K10. Jimmy Simpson rode a 350 to third place in the Junior TT and won races in Europe but in 1928 AJS used the overhead-valve engine in the TT. In 1929 there were again two machines with an overhead cam, this time the 349&nbsp;cc M7 and the 498&nbsp;cc M10. [[Wal Handley]] came second in the 1929 Junior TT for AJS. The following year [[Jimmie Guthrie]] won the 1930 Lightweight TT on a 250&nbsp;cc AJS.<ref name="wolver"/> The R7,350 ohc, won 8 of the 9 Grand Prix and established at Montlhery, near Paris, a number of world records, including 1 hour at an average of 104.5 miles per hour and 2 hours at an average of 99.5

In 1931, the [[AJS S3 V-twin]] was released, a 496&nbsp;cc transverse V-twin tourer with shaft ''primary'' drive<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicissues.com/bidetail.asp?AutoNo%3D178 |title=Classic Issues - Mortons Media Group Ltd |access-date=2006-11-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301230651/http://www.classicissues.com/bidetail.asp?AutoNo=178 |archive-date=2007-03-01 }} ClassicIssues ''The Classic MotorCycle, December, 1985, Feature List'' . Retrieved 28 November 2006.</ref> and alloy cylinder heads.<ref>[http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/mchistory/mchistory6_98_b.htm] Motorbyte ''Uncle Paul and his 1931 AJS S3'' . Retrieved 28 November.</ref> It had been expensive to develop and was slow to sell. Even though it held 117 world records, the AJS company was now in financial trouble.

The 1935 film ''[[No Limit (1935 film)|No Limit]]'' was set at the [[Isle of Man TT]]. The film starred [[George Formby]] as an aspiring racer who travels to the Isle of Man with his modified and [[streamlined]] 1928 ''"Rainbow"'' motorcycle, which he has christened a ''Shuttleworth Snap,'' in order to compete at the races. In the film fictitious motorcycle companies were used, and the ''Shuttleworth Snap'' was in fact a 1928 AJS H5.