James had begun concentrating on the manufacture of two-stroke lightweights in the 1930s and continued the policy after WW2. In 1951 the company became part of the Associated Motor Cycles group, joining Francis-Barnett. Villiers engines were used at first, though from 1957 many models were powered by AMC's own engine. James first adopted the 'Colonel' name in 1953 for a new model, which was powered by the single-cylinder 225cc Villiers 1H engine and used the newly introduced swinging arm frame shared with the 197cc Captain. Full width hubs and an hydraulically damped front fork were introduced on both models for 1955, and in this form the Colonel ran on into 1957 before being discontinued. This particular James Colonel was purchased by the late owner in June 2010 and is believed to have already been restored at that time. The previous owner had kept the James for some 11 years. The presence of a tax disc expiring in November 2007 is an indication of approximately when 'XFO 860' was last used. Re-commissioning will be required before it returns to the road. The machine is offered with an old-style V5C Registration Certificate stating three former keepers since 1956.
James had begun concentrating on the manufacture of two-stroke lightweights in the 1930s and continued the policy after WW2. In 1951 the company became part of the Associated Motor Cycles group, joining Francis-Barnett. Villiers engines were used at first, though from 1957 many models were powered by AMC's own engine. James first adopted the 'Colonel' name in 1953 for a new model, which was powered by the single-cylinder 225cc Villiers 1H engine and used the newly introduced swinging arm frame shared with the 197cc Captain. Full width hubs and an hydraulically damped front fork were introduced on both models for 1955, and in this form the Colonel ran on into 1957 before being discontinued. This particular James Colonel was purchased by the late owner in June 2010 and is believed to have already been restored at that time. The previous owner had kept the James for some 11 years. The presence of a tax disc expiring in November 2007 is an indication of approximately when 'XFO 860' was last used. Re-commissioning will be required before it returns to the road. The machine is offered with an old-style V5C Registration Certificate stating three former keepers since 1956.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
