I have just bought a Beaten up 1972 AJS Stormer, but something looks not quite right (looks very low)
I was wondering if someone out there had one, and would be prepared to measure the length of the forks and rear shocks for me.
Thankyou in advance

chamber66 said:

AJS stormers were made specifically to move the old Villers engines: there were thousands werehoused, gathering dust, so the new owner of AJS, Norton-Villers, came up with the Stormer models.
Shocks are Girling, and are no longer available.

http://dirtbike.off-...l.jsp?id=332609

http://www.motorcycl...js-stormer.html

Thanks, I have seen these specs. It's just the bike appears to have a very low seat height, and ground clearence, and I was wondering if it had been altered/butchered in the past?

Krannie said:

As the British would say, this is a load of old crap.

Norton Villiers produced the Stormer because they wanted to get in on the American MX bike market, which was growing by leaps and bounds at the time. There are many detail differences between the "old Villiers engines" and the Stormer engine, as anyone who has worked on them knows. The Starmaker design was updated as much as N-V's finances allowed for the Stormer model and pushed into service. I doubt that engines were pulled out of dusty warehouses to have additional head bolts installed and cylinders ported. Also, the Stormer engine was available in 370-cc and 410-cc displacements, which the "old Villiers engines" never were. Though never plentiful here in the USA, the Starmakers were used on several British brands such as Cotton and DOT. I'm told Villiers did a reasonably good business with them.

I got a good laugh out of that motorcycle.com article as well. They should stick to writing about Hondas and such. I'm sure Mr. Fluff Brown would enjoy seeing himself referred to as a "motorcycle financier"-- (he built houses for a living before going to work as a development engineer for Cotton and later N-V). Also, Stormers did not come standard with either Betor or Ceriani forks and did not have Lucas-made electrics either. I could go on, but I would rather address the business at hand:

Your 250 Stormer most likely came with a shock measuring 13.25 inches, measured from the centers of the mounting bolt holes. Most current replacement catalogs will spec a 13-inch shock for the model, so it may have this shorter shock if they were replaced at some point. Any shorter and you will probably have tire to fender clearance problems. I prefer a 13.5-inch shock; it quickens up the steering a bit.
If your bike has the original Stormer forward axle forks, they should measure about 30-3/8 inches from the top triple crown to the axle centerline, with the fork fully extended. The fork springs may be sacked out; free length should be 22 inches.

Hope this helps,
Mike

Thankyou, that was a brilliant answer and just what I wanted.
Judging by your user name, and collection you are quite into these bikes?
Hope you don't mind but I may have a few more questions about these bikes in the future.

Re Fluff have you seen this?

http://www.ajsmotorc...S/docs/main.htm

I'll be happy to help as much as I can. I don't claim to be an expert but I have ridden and wrenched on these machines on and off since 1972.

Re AJS-UK website: I order parts from AJS-UK several times a year. Their prices are reasonable and the service is cordial and prompt. I can recommend them to anyone.

Mike

Any thoughts on upgrades would be greatley appreciated
John

At a minimum, I would get rid of the Amal Mark 1 concentric. This will solve most starting and loading-up problems. AJS-UK has a manifold to adapt a modern hose-mounted carb. I run the Amal Mark 2 "Square Barrel" from AJS-UK. It works about as well as anything I've used. Easy to tune and runs clean. Mikunis will fit the manifold also.

Other parts you should ditch are the original ignition stator and coil. AJS-UK has updated parts made with modern materials to give a more reliable spark. You can also get a CDI ignition system for it if you want. Myself, I like tinkering with points. The major problem with the original stator is the spade-type connections where the wiring harness plugs in. These tend to corrode over time and will cause misfire. If finances don't permit a new stator, at least solder the wiring harness direct to the stator.

Check to see if your clutch is retained on the transmission mainshaft by a snap ring (circlip). You have to pull the clutch apart. Get the special tool and service manual for the clutch removal procedure or it will fly apart and try to kill you. If your clutch has a snap ring, pull the transmission mainshaft and have it machined for an e-clip, or buy an updated mainshaft from AJS. This will keep your clutch from falling off. If you can't replace the mainshaft right away, and the groove for the circlip is machined deep enough, you can get away with replacing the circlip with a new good quality clip once in awhile.

Keep a fresh top end in it, keep it timed properly, and accept the fact that it is a mid-range torquer and will not scream bloody murder like the Japanese bikes and it will probably run well for you. Use a good quality 2-cycle oil, made for air cooled engines, preferably a castor oil, and mix it no leaner than 32:1. The engine has a bushing on the small end of the connecting rod instead of the more familiar needle bearing, and it is not well served by leaner oil ratios.

Keep a close eye on the chain tension and condition because if the chain comes off you will probably take out the inner chaincase.

AJS-UK has other upgrades to make the Stormer easier to live with, such as serrated footpegs, better fork seals, thicker seat foam and updated brake shoes for better stopping. I have found all of these products worthwhile.

Mike

Thanks again Mike, that's really helpfull. Been talking to Nick at AJS a bit this week, as i have discovered a problem with the bike. When i bought it there was some welding done on the frame, which didn't worry me to much. Anyway we can't locate an engine number(normally under the exhaust or timing case), and it appears that the welding might be to accomodate a different engine. The unit looks like a stormer, so we don't know what it is yet (don't you just love old bikes)
AAs a result i'm not sure how to progress with this project yet as my intention was to go racing.

Not sure if you saw this one, it went through Ebay last month.
http://cgi.ebay.com/...%3AIT&viewitem=

The Stormer frame is very robust and good handling. Some people did install various engines back in the day.
If you post a photo here I'm sure someone would know what kind of engine it is.
Mike

Well Mike i am still progressing with the bike, pretty much got the frame sorted, the dodgy welding seems to have been done in order to strengthen the frame? Parts are hard to locate over here (how ironic) am in the market for a good head and barrel. Mine have damage to the fins so it may be cheaper to source new/seconhand ones? so if anyone over there has some cheap parts they are willing to ship I may be interested.

I am not sure if this is the place to post this.. I have an AJS Stormer( was told origanaly it was a Norton/Villiers/Cotton)
First who made the tranny( bolt on and heavy like an old Norton Tranny)
second where do i find specs for said engine..
discription is...HUGE head and jugs..tranny is shaped like a figure eight sorta. the points cover is simi oval...any info would be great.( forgot..its a 2 stroke...and i think its a 250)

SteCatv56 said:

Although cool stuff! But,Kind of an old thread....might want to start a new one for this?

SteCatv56, on 25 May 2011 - 01:06 PM, said:

Sounds like the stock Villiers that it came with
Specs at ajs.com