A quirky bike that really caught our eye at last year’s Motorcycle Live, the AJS Imber 125, won’t be hitting UK roads any time soon after the manufacturer admitted it’s unable to get the rugged little machine through the latest type approval regulations.
The Imber is/was an interpretation of the legendary Honda CT110, the fabled ‘Postie Bike’ famously used by Australian Post Office workers. Priced at just £2349, and named after the abandoned Wiltshire village which was turned into a military training camp, the Imber drew a lot of attention at Motorcycle Live from motorcyclists looking for a utilitarian runaround.
The learner legal machine, which promised around 13bhp, featured a basic air-cooled two-valve 125cc engine mated to a four-speed gearbox with a centrifugal clutch (just like the Honda upon which it is based), but in a statement AJS has confirmed that the project has been abandoned.
“After exhaustive efforts to bring this motorcycle to market, a decision was made to announce this news,” they said. “The AJS Imber 125 will no longer be made available to purchase. During our standard pre-launch quality control checks, it has come to our attention that the factory is unable to meet the Conformity of Production standards set out under European Whole Vehicle Type Approval during production and this matter cannot be resolved.
This conflicts with information we had been previously provided with. We sincerely apologise to our dealers, and to customers who were eagerly awaiting delivery. If you have placed a deposit, please contact your dealer, who will arrange a full refund.”
AJS was one of the most famous names in motorcycling’s pioneering days. Deriving its name from the initials of Albert John Stevens, who founded the company along with his family members. Proving their products in racing, AJS developed a number of innovative engine designs, from early V-twins and parallel twins to a staggering 495cc supercharged V4 which was unable to fulfil its potential due to the intervention of World War II. When racing resumed, Les Graham won the inaugural 500cc Grand Prix World Championship in 1949, on board a twin cylinder AJS called the Porcupine.
Despite the racing success, AJS was unable to establish itself as one of the big players in the way that BSA, Norton and Triumph would, and they were among the many early motorcycle companies to fade into obscurity.
Today, Andover based AJS sells small capacity machines made in China, but reworked and rebadged for the UK market. It would appear that the latest, and arguably most anticipated model, the Imber 125, is unable to meet the Euro5+ regulations all new motorcycles need to conform to if they are to go on sale in Europe.
With Honda not bringing the cult CT125 into Europe, the Imber appeared well placed to cater for demand from potential buyers. Despite the demise of the Imber, AJS continues with a range of eight small capacity motorcycles and six scooters, and hopefully one day the concept of the Imber will be reengineered significantly enough to get it through the latest regulations.
