1954‘ish VH
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 6:13 pm
I’ve been a bit hesitant to post anything regarding this new-to-me (March 2021) machine. I’m in complete awe of some of the work on view in the forum. I won’t be machining parts on a lathe, doing any home plating, elaborate leatherwork or such-like; but then the bike is already in a presentable state. Nevertheless it has a few issues that have prevented me just jumping on and riding it and I thought they might be of moderate interest… a bit of free time over the festive period, means I can put up a few posts on progress.
The dealer had got the bike on the road, but only just – more on this later… At some time it had been done-up, or more likely had been built up from parts.
The motor is a bit unusual in configuration, with an alloy head on the earlier barrel with chromed pushrod tubes. I’m hoping to receive a bit more info on this if anyone recognises it? As Will Curry has pointed out, a very similar motor featured on the cover of Cheval about 20 years ago (September 2002). Whether this is one-and-the-same is another question. John Mitchell has confirmed that former Ariel rider and member Howard Harty ran an identically configured engine. I guess at the end of the day it doesn’t matter too much, but the bike came with nearly zero history… It would be nice to know even a little bit about it’s past. If anyone knows anything about the motor, or better still, has a picture of Howards bike, I’d very much like to hear.
After asking a few questions on the forum, it emerged that the frame has been re-stamped with a different frame number presumably belonging to a defunct ’57 VH and registered it accordingly. The engine number doesn’t correspond etc. I’m sure it has been in use at some time previously, and covered miles, but then it has declined somewhat. I liked the look of it and took the plunge sight unseen, just on the basis of a few pics on eBay. What is it they say about fools and money?
After unloading it from the carriers van, it fired up second kick, and I took it for a spin along the lane. The first revelation was that although it would go… it wouldn’t stop. The brakes were almost non-existent. Anyway, having a working motor (and gearbox) seemed a promising start. The speedo needle was active, but ‘zeroed’ at around 27mph. I guess the temptation is not to bother too much with that, but I’m hoping to keep a bit of a log on what happens when, and wanted the trip counter (at least) to work.
The bike as it arrived:
Where it has resided since:
There was no centrestand, and the sidestand was barely adequate. While trying to do anything to it, I had the bike propped up on axle stands, but clearly needed to sort something out. A hydraulic lift would be nice, but not going to happen with the space available. Will Curry advised, and I contacted member Paul Jelbert, who supplied a very nicely made replica centre stand, which was duly painted in RAL3007 (which matches the rest almost perfectly) and mounted, with fittings from Acme Stainless.
More to follow…
The dealer had got the bike on the road, but only just – more on this later… At some time it had been done-up, or more likely had been built up from parts.
The motor is a bit unusual in configuration, with an alloy head on the earlier barrel with chromed pushrod tubes. I’m hoping to receive a bit more info on this if anyone recognises it? As Will Curry has pointed out, a very similar motor featured on the cover of Cheval about 20 years ago (September 2002). Whether this is one-and-the-same is another question. John Mitchell has confirmed that former Ariel rider and member Howard Harty ran an identically configured engine. I guess at the end of the day it doesn’t matter too much, but the bike came with nearly zero history… It would be nice to know even a little bit about it’s past. If anyone knows anything about the motor, or better still, has a picture of Howards bike, I’d very much like to hear.
After asking a few questions on the forum, it emerged that the frame has been re-stamped with a different frame number presumably belonging to a defunct ’57 VH and registered it accordingly. The engine number doesn’t correspond etc. I’m sure it has been in use at some time previously, and covered miles, but then it has declined somewhat. I liked the look of it and took the plunge sight unseen, just on the basis of a few pics on eBay. What is it they say about fools and money?
After unloading it from the carriers van, it fired up second kick, and I took it for a spin along the lane. The first revelation was that although it would go… it wouldn’t stop. The brakes were almost non-existent. Anyway, having a working motor (and gearbox) seemed a promising start. The speedo needle was active, but ‘zeroed’ at around 27mph. I guess the temptation is not to bother too much with that, but I’m hoping to keep a bit of a log on what happens when, and wanted the trip counter (at least) to work.
The bike as it arrived:
Where it has resided since:
There was no centrestand, and the sidestand was barely adequate. While trying to do anything to it, I had the bike propped up on axle stands, but clearly needed to sort something out. A hydraulic lift would be nice, but not going to happen with the space available. Will Curry advised, and I contacted member Paul Jelbert, who supplied a very nicely made replica centre stand, which was duly painted in RAL3007 (which matches the rest almost perfectly) and mounted, with fittings from Acme Stainless.
More to follow…