Atlas Scrambler

Just want to know what an Atlas Scrambler makes it different to a Norton/Matchless N15/G15.
I just purchased a bike from the US, it was offered as an N15 but there is a different prefix on the engine. Engine is 20/1187xx and frame no.is matching.

I would be glad for any help

Cheers

Peter

In theory, a 20 prefix makes it Atlas or early Commando.
Without seeing it, or a pic of it, we are just guessing what you may have.
PO's are an inventive lot....

Not a lot, just that the “Atlas scrambler” didn’t come with a featherbed frame :!:

The N15 was the Atlas Scrambler, and would have the engine prefix N15CS/1xxxxx or G15CS/1xxxxx (since there was no difference between the Matchless and Norton versions except for the badge, these bikes could be titled as Norton or Matchless)

The N15 (Atlas Scrambler) came with the AMC frame (also used on the G80/G12/G15 and AJS 18/31/33) and the Atlas came with the slimline featherbed.

I think you must post a photo to have this question answered.

To me (and several others who posted above) those numbers say it is 1966/67 Norton Atlas street bike with a slimline featherbed frame.

johnm said:

I think you must post a photo to have this question answered.

To me (and several others who posted above) those numbers say it is 1966/67 Norton Atlas street bike with a slimline featherbed frame.

Click to expand...

i suggest you look again, this is NOT a featherbed frame, but more like a P11 with the Norton badge on :!:

" i suggest you look again, "

Look where ?

Is there a photo of the OPs bike posted some where? Where did you see a frame ?? (featherbed or not)

I saw " Engine is 20/1187xx and frame no.is matching "

Are you telling me that's a number you would see on an AMC frame ?

So, here we are.
What we have is AMC frame with folding footpegs, Norton forks, Lucas magneto on an Atlas engine.
The single carb is not stock but I have the 2 Amals with the bike. The P11A look a like mufflers don't look stock either.
The gearbox is marked: NA13458G
maybe that helps

OK. I 100% agree !

Definitely not a featherbed frame.


And if I understand you correctly that frame has 20/1187xx on it? Interesting.

No, not the frame.
Only the engine has got the 20/ prefix
frame number is the same without the prefix.

I have one of these, N15CS,with Matchless frame, the P11 has a different frame

You probably need to have a very close inspection of both the frame and engine numbers,
to check that they are clean and unaltered in any way.

It is not impossible that the factory guy was having an off day, and put the wrong numbers on there.
Or someone took an engine from the Atlas line and put it into the hybrids line of engines.

Members of the Norton Owners Club can have their machine's numbers verified by someone in the club.
Non members have to pay a small fee, I believe (?).
This may not say much, but it should say if that number left the factory as an Atlas or a Scrambler N15CS.

DoubleTrouble said:

No, not the frame.
Only the engine has got the 20/ prefix
frame number is the same without the prefix.

Click to expand...

Got it.

Now I understand. I read your sentence

" Engine is 20/1187xx and frame no.is matching"

as saying the engine was 20/1187XX and the frame number was the same 20/118XX.

mark99 said:

I have one of these, N15CS,with Matchless frame, the P11 has a different frame

Click to expand...

I know, P11's have got a Matchless G85 frame. There is a P11A in the background of my garage.

If the frame is stamped with the same 118xxx number, then what you may have is a factory mash-up. Tony Curzon would be the one to help you out with this anomaly.

As I understand it, when AMC went bankrupt in 1966, Manganese Bronze bought Norton (they already owned Villiers). They were enticed to also take Matchless, but let that company whither and die.

Berliner wanted scramblers, both P11 and N15, so the factory did what they could to fill orders, sometimes re-stamping engine cases. If you talk to Mike Partridge of Walridge Motors, He'll tell you about 2 N15s he has with re-stamped engine cases where one could just make out '33' under the N15. The factory had converted some AJS 33s to N15 spec and shipped them out. The Factory also sold a few CSRs (both Matchless and AJS) as Atlas 750SS.

Your bike falls into that time period when shortcuts were taken to fill orders.

My G15 is titled as a G15 and is stamped as such. However, it came with one Norton tank badge (no title), so may have originally sold as a Norton. Again, from the end of that same time period.