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Motorbike-Tours.co.uk
The Spanish
Motorcycle Tour Specialists
Ariel
Ariel
started life as a manufacturer of air inflated rubber tires for horse drawn
carriages around 1847. By 1885, Ariel, under the leadership of William
Hillman and James Starley changed gears, turning the factory toward the wave
of the future, the bicycle.
Ariel decided to ride with the design known as Rover Safety Bicycle, with
it's wire spoked wheels, chain driven propulsion and it's all metal
body....as opposed to the "penny-farthing" bicycle design of the times.
By 1900, Ariel being the progressive company and
thinkers of the day, had begun to shift their mechanical attentions toward
the motorcycle. It all started with their de Dion-Bouton powered vélocipède
tricycle in 1898.
Then in 1901 a motor
driven bicycle....Early Ariel models used 3rd-party engines manufactured by
J.A. Prestwich Industries Ltd. in Middlesex.
In 1927, Ariel put into production The Ariel Red Hunter. This bike was
designed by Val Page, who in 1925 became Ariel's cheif designer, according
to Wikipedia. Page had to wait until 1927 before a suitable frame and cycle
parts were designed. These formed the basis
for what was to be the Ariel Red Hunter, which continued successfully until
Ariel ceased production of four strokes in 1959.
The introduction of Edward Turners OHC Sq 4 500cc
occurred in 1931.
The Sq was enlarged to 600cc for sidecar use in 1932, but shortly after
this, the company went in to liquidation following the depression of the
early '30's. The phoenix that arose from these ashes went on to rationalize
the range back to upright singles and the
600 OHC Sq4, all installed in a more or less common frame.
Towards the end of the 30's the Sq4 became an OHV pushrod motor. First 600cc then the 1000cc Iron engine 4G of the Pre and Post-war era. Late in the 40's Ariel introduced a 500 OHV twin designated KH
At the beginning of the 50's the Iron engined Sq4 was
developed into an Alloy engined model, the MK1, which was itself superseded
in 1953 by the classic 4 pipe version, the M
k2.
For the next year the range of Ariels were produced in the Pivoted Rear Fork
frame option, except the Sq4 which remained in a plunger frame until
production ceased in 1959.
In 1954 Ariel produced the 650 Huntmaster, the engine
of which was based on the BSA 650 A10, with which it shares many internal
components, and also a small 200cc four stroke machine, the Ariel Colt. The
Ariel LH Colt model was built from 1954-59 and was essentially a copy of the
BSA C11G model.
The revolutionary 250cc Ariel Leader was produced from 1958 until 1966,
being joined by its undressed sibling, the Ariel Arrow, in 1960. A smaller
200cc engined version came on the scene in 1964.
By the early 1940s, British industrialist Sir Bernard D.F. Docker (1896-1978) became chairman of BSA. Docker was also chairman Daimler Motor Company during roughly the same period. Under Docker's leadership, BSA acquired Triumph Motorcycles in 1951, making them the largest producer of motorcycles in the world. He also acquired the motorcycle interests of British manufacturers' Ariel, New Hudson and Sunbeam.
Article kindly supplied by Chessie's Tales
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