Ariel Motors

Ariel Motors Ltd.
legal form	Limited Company
founding	1847
Seat	Birmingham , UK
Branch	Carriage construction , bicycle manufacturer , motor vehicle manufacturer

Ariel Red Hunter

Ariel Motors Ltd. was a British manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars based in Birmingham . Today, the brand name is the Ariel Motor Company used.

history

Motor tricycle from Ariel

Ariel's Car (1924)

The company was founded in 1847. Initially, pneumatic tires for carriages were made . In 1870 a particularly light pennywheel was made and named Ariel . In 1885 the production of low wheels began .

In 1896 the first motorized tricycle with a 2.25 HP engine was manufactured by De Dion-Bouton , in 1901 four-wheeled vehicles were added. In 1902 Components Ltd. bought from Charles Sangster the company and began manufacturing motorcycles. In 1932 the company had to file for bankruptcy, but Charles Sangster's son, Jack Sangster , bought the bankruptcy estate and continued production of the motorcycles. Bicycles were no longer made.

Vehicle production initially ended in 1915 and was briefly resumed between 1922 and 1925.

Ariel Square Four

The motorcycles were initially equipped with engines from White & Poppe , which were manufactured under license from 1904. In 1914 the production program consisted of a 348 cc two-stroke motorcycle and machines with lateral control of 498 and 670 cc.

In 1925 Val Page was hired to design a new engine. Edward Turner also joined Ariel at this time as an additional designer and Vic Mole as sales manager. With the introduction of the Red Hunter series, the company began to prosper. In November 1930, a four-cylinder four-stroke motorcycle, the "Square Four", was one of the most extraordinary motorcycles of that time. The motorcycle with initially 500 cm³ has two crankshafts; the cylinders are arranged in a square.

Ariel model VB

The VB model was delivered with the old side-controlled 598 cc single cylinder engine . With a 86.4 mm bore and 102 mm stroke, the engine was designed with a long stroke . It made 13 KW / 18 HP at 4400 rpm. This enabled a top speed of 105 km / h. The unsprung rear axle in connection with the telescopic fork actually did not fit into the time with the outdated side-controlled motor, as the 500 series VH motors with overhead valves had been around since 1933 . Nevertheless, this engine was built in VB from 1933 until the end of the company in 1958. The “gearbox” version BA was used for this type. Common with these English classics is the gear shift on the right, which also has the first gear up. Today the side-controlled VBs are almost completely extinct, the NH and VH with spring-loaded rear swing arm and OHV engine can still be found everywhere. The larger number of fans today can be found with the Square Four four-cylinder engines, which gave the brand its premium character. The model on the left is largely original with the exception of the rear light, and there are also fishtail designs for the muffler. The only 20 mm wide drum brakes front and rear have sufficient function thanks to their diameter. Single engines were offered with 350 cc OHV in the NH and Red Hunter models. 500 cc OHVs came as VH, VHA, VCH and Red Hunter. 600 cm³ SV only as a VB model. The parts supply seems to only exist in the United Kingdom, a reliable source is Draganfly.co.uk from Bungay, in the east of the island between Ipswich and Norwich. Documentation exists almost exclusively in English. The following years of construction are communicated: NH 350cc ohv singles 1933–58 VH 500cc ohv singles 1933–58 VB Side valve singles 1933–58 KH 500 twins, Fieldmaster 1948–57 FH 650 twins, Huntmaster 1954–58 All singles 1933–58 4F ohc SQ 4 1931–36 4G Iron engine 1000cc SQ 4 1937–48 MK I Alloy engine 2 pipe SQ 4 1949–51 SQ 4 All ohv SQ 4 1937–58 RG

Ariel VB 600 1953

In 1936 Jack Sangsters took over the Triumph works, where Turner became managing director. In 1951 Sangster sold both companies to BSA and became a member of the supervisory board.

In 1959 the entire model range was replaced. Only two-stroke motorcycles based on developments by Adler were produced. However, these models could not last against the Japanese motorcycles. Production stopped in 1967. In 1970, a three-wheel moped with a Laura two-stroke engine was presented, a curve tilting device, which, however, was unsuccessful.

Ariel veterans

There are several Ariels among the oldest roadworthy motorcycles. For example, Ariel motorcycles regularly make a rendezvous at the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run , the oldest continuously held race in the world, in which only motor vehicles that are verifiably more than a hundred years old are allowed.

Ariel Motors

contents

history

Ariel model VB

Ariel veterans

Motorcycle models

literature

Web links