What model Black Ariel frame do I have?

[paul.jameson]

As Nev says, the entry in the Ariel Despatch Book will probably read "Tozer, Kemsley and Milbourn" who were (and probably still are, as the company still operates) export agents dealing with Australia. They also dealt with New Zealand and presumably other countries but the only way we know their area of operation is by seeing where the bikes are now. You need to see a few to have confidence that the export agent in question worked with the country in question.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s a huge proportion of Ariel production was exported, particularly the 500cc singles. We are talking about up to something like 80% of production. Don't ask me for details yet though as this is work in progress and so far I have only got the figures for 1933 completed. What does seem to have happened though, both in 1933 and in 1930, for which I do not (yet) have accurate figures, is that from September through to March, very few machines came to UK dealers. From March to September, the UK dealers took a higher proportion of production.

[nevhunter]

Perhaps people don't think of buying a bike in winter, so much. I understood a lot of "Englishmen" used to part dismantle their steeds and put Vaselene on the chrome parts and store it under the stairs. You could get a part year registration. Is THAT so? Nev

[Roger Gwynn]

I am not sure that many dismantled their bikes, probably coating them in Vaseline to protect the chrome would be correct. Bear in mind that the majority bought bikes to use as daily transport in those days and are unlikely to have taken their bikes off the road in winter. Road tax was available to purchase quarterly or annually.
TKM were a huge importer to Australasia they included British Leyland at one time. I thought they went out of business some years ago when I looked into them. As Paul says it is difficult to know what areas these general exporters/importers/shippers covered, which is some cases varied over the years.