Arter Wagonwheels

Anyone who followed motorcycle racing in the late Sixties and early Seventies will remember the great combination of skilled engineer and brilliant rider that was Peter Williams, and his innovative Arter Wagonwheels Matchless.

On the back of the success of the re-creation of the JPN Special, Peter and his team plan to revisit that hugely successful G50 Matchless special, as Peter explains: “We had some great times together, Wagonwheels and I. We were first acquainted at Tom Arter’s workshop at Barham in Kent when Tom and I decided to replace the Arter Special Mk.2 which had recently become a bit bent.

“The time had arrived when I needed a new bike, new frame, new wheels and a new gearbox, but with a Matchless G50 motor of well known good performance. I had given up on the Grand Prix Circus because all the ’works’ bikes had disappeared back to Japan and there was little money in it – and it was a life that was too hard for me. My decision was also influenced by becoming aware that, however much I loved racing motorcycles, I was as much interested, or nearly so, in making them better by improving the design of the cycle parts as well as just the power unit alone. The engine seemed to be the department that got all the attention.

Read more in the latest issue of Classic Racer