CBG Workshop
1968, featuring the outgoing Atlas 750cc engine, as the planned twin-cam engine would not be ready in time. Now, if there was one feature that had dominated the Atlas experience, it was vibration. A 360-degree crank, big, heavy pistons and an ‘interesting’ approach by Associated Motorcycles (AMC) to the noble art of crank balancing resulted in many engines that shook – really badly. Mounting it in the simple, tubular and comparatively lightweight Featherbed frame, totally devoid of the nice, hefty lugs that might otherwise have dampened the resultant vibrations (apart from the swinging arm wheel-spindle ends of the later models) resulted in a bike with plenty of power and excellent handling thanks to its road-going version of the Manx chassis, but one that all too often failed to impress or delight. Many riders continued to opt for the 650SS’s nicer engine manners, or even the charming 88SS 500cc
