Barry’s Matchless 350 G3L

Barry had decided his Matchless needed indicators to be safe in modern traffic. But fitting them was quite a convoluted job.

The bike runs a dynamo, so LEDs are a good idea as they take very little current. You can get 6V LEDs, but 12V electrics are always the best option, so we decided to convert the whole bike to 12V. This isn’t too tricky: just replace all the bulbs, change to a 12V regulator, find a suitably sized 12V battery, and reflash the dynamo. It needs slightly higher revs than before to start charging, but the benefit is brighter lights.

The next problem was finding some indicators to suit the 1950s styling. After a lot of consideration Barry settled on a set sold by Paul Goff’s electrical website. They come in chrome, which is no good on this bike, or satin black, which would do at a pinch. We painted them gloss black to match the bike as closely as possible.

At the front, removing the bike’s original running lights left an ideal space for the new indicators. At the back, the lower mounting for the rack was the best place. Fitting them takes a while: the front ones needed special hollow bolts making. The rear is just very awkward to access. With all four in place, it was a case of making up a loom, mounting a flasher unit, hooking up a suitable switch and voila! An old bike with indicators that almost look like standard equipment.