Hello, and help!

[Richard Kal]

Hi all,
This is my first post.

I am in Perth, Western Australia.

There are many motorcycles in my life, including some Ariels.

I have a 1927 Model A, which I will be restoring over the next year, and will be looking forsome advice (and parts.



I also have a '56 Red hunter frame, with a '47 350cc engine in it, and a 500 engine in bits.

Would like to track down an alloy 500 engine of the same year, to suit the frame.

Also, I have the opportunity to buy an Ariel 500 single, as follows:

All alloy engine
Serial no MN228 (I think the bottom end is 1950)
Plunger frame SF 156 (1949)





Supposed to be one of three to come into Australia, but I think it is a bitsa; the head and barrel are alloy, and the barrel base is round with two (spare) stud holes.

The carby is a racing type 101/9

It has been ridden in competition from first purchase; currently sports knobbly tyres, no headlight or front guard, has magdyno (without dyno), and is not running because of "slipped timing".

What is a reasonable value for it please?

Richard

[adrie.degraaff]

Hi Richard,
the roundfoot 6 stud head and barrel are VCH, a factory competition model, it belongs to a magnesium crankcase nr. CO 1xx, and a special frame nr. COM 1xx, only 60 ? are made.
The cooling is bad due to the small fin's.
The value is difficult, head and barrel 500 pound, the rest 1000 - 2000 pound.

[john.whiting]

Richard, I think it would be a good candidate for "A Bad Thing Happened To My Ariel".To me it looks like the compy barrel and head are rare, but the rest wouldnt fetch $1500 as bits on ebay.John.

[nevhunter]

Looks like an early VCH top on a standard case. Strange about the "one of three" factory bikes that came to Australia with a team of Brit .riders story. I feel that head is one of the early ones the same as the bike I have.
I got the story 40 years ago when I took a fuel tank off mine to be repainted by a gentleman named Vic Bogner. I saw a picture of my bike (or one like it) on the wall of his paint shop and said to him that I had one like it. He completely rubbished that idea and told me the story of the 5 factory VCH's that came to australia and that 2 (or 3), returned to England and the remainder stayed here, and they were extremely RARE. He said he was acting as a mechanic for the team, and that is how he knew of the situation. I showed him the tank and he ended up repainting it for me.
I gave that bike a real pasting in the earlier days, ( i've got more sense now), and clocked 93 mph on it.on one occasion. (about right for a non hotted up engine)./
The original crankcase is made of electron, (an alloy of magnesium predominantly) and there were a few later ones purchased and raced here in Australia. They were renowned for having the main bearing races turn in the cases due to the expansion rate of the magnesium, and the later ones, ( they were made till 1953) had some very serous "blow-ups" because they were fitted with the iron "qualcast " flywheels fitted to the later road models. ( not the steel earlier VH type).. My son posted a picture of it on the VMX ( Vintage Motorcross).website a couple of weeks ago Think he calls himself Mustang Grahame. It's an extremely good website with a lot of information on technical aspects etc.Nev

[john.deeth]

G'day Richard,

I own a "REAL" Ariel also - 1927 Model C that is!
I'm in Brisbane. Email me on: jdeeth1@hotmail.com.au and we can talk black ariels.
Cheers,

John.

[tony.barnett]

G'day Richard,

I own a "REAL" Ariel also - 1927 Model C that is!
I'm in Brisbane. Email me on: jdeeth1@hotmail.com.au and we can talk black ariels.
Cheers,

John.

You wouldn't be related to Barry Deeth would you John?

[john.deeth]

Yes Tony. I'm his eldest and favourite son!

[Richard Kal]

Hi John,
I have been unable to email you; my messages are bouncing back.
Richard

[john.deeth]

My apologies Richard. Correct email address is: jdeeth1@optusnet.com.au

[ben.mitchell]

Hi Richard
I agree with the various responses to identify the bike for which you posted a couple of photos. I think I recall correctly that a couple of the 1949 magniesium alloy crank cased VCH machines went to Aus in Anstey Link frames and one maybe in the national motorcycle museum there but it is not on their published list of machines. Here in UK I have a couple of these 1949 VCH machines, one of which is fairly original and the other I am currently building into a road machine with Anstey Link frame for my wife. I already have a spare 'round mouth' barrel but am short of the correct head, before I set to with an angle grinder to 'carefully' convert a later VCH head into the lesser finned round mouth type do you want to do a swap, I can let you have the correct VCH barrel and head to suit the square mouth crank cases on your machine in exchange for the incorrect round mouth ones current in place, email me off group if interested bmitchell@peterbrett.com.
Ben