Ariels at Chas Cope

[paul.jameson]

Bruce,
I no longer have the Club's list of issue dates of registration numbers which is rightfully with the Machine Registrar, Bennet Longman. But I can confirm that of the registration letters CHA it is the HA bit which governs where the registration was issued. After they ran out of numbers for CHA they would move on to DHA, then EHA, etc. So if your 1937 registered bike was originally a DHA prefix, again this ties up with the photos being taken late in 1936. Remember that the Ariel model year started in September or October of the previous year so that the new models were available in time for the autumn motorcycle shows. The earliest 1937 model year 500cc single went out on 2nd September 1936, at a quick check of the Despatch Book.
Paul

[ABMartin]

Hi Paul,

Mine starts with DOB which I believe is a Birmingham registration. As I have the bike's logbook I can confirm that this was the original plate number. I have no idea how it ended up in Canada complete with this documentation but am glad I have it. If memory serves it was originally sold in Sparkbrook, Birmingham.

Bruce

[alan.moore]

As you say DOB was issued in Birmingham, March 1937 to Feb 1938

Cheers
Alan

[Dave.Thomas]

Most of the reg’s with O in the middle were Birmingham, I have the list somewhere. A lot of the press bikes in road tests , and works bikes from various Birmingham factories, had ‘O’ plates - Millers GOV132 for instance, and SOX 631 - the Velocette 24 hr/100mph bike
Threw a few random ‘DHA’s into DVLA reg check, and DHA 134 came back as an Austin reg’d in March ‘37

[wade.edwards]

Looking at pics on my phone it is a little hard to tell but I detect what looks like a tool box on the drive side, under the pillion of some of the bikes. Haven’t seen that before.

[paul.jameson]

I think you will find that these are indeed toolboxes, but are on inferior makes of bike, not Ariels.