Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Upon popular demand (....?...) here is the start of a new thread about my SpAriel.
Not at all as deep like Adrie's Edwardian recreation, but just cobbling together some of the parts that I collected in 30 odd years of Arielling .

Idea behind this excersice is building a rigid framed telescopic early '50isch Ariel 500 single for -ahum- dayly use.
The kick off was summer last year when I bought a ex WD frame.
More pics to be added in due time.

Great stuff Vincent, looking forward to reading about it.
Brenton

Here a pic of the 1951 VH engine, bought in 1991 in Liverpool from Ben Lloyd (I think) a bike dealer.
Early 50is crankcases can be reconized by that the alloy below the front left hand crankcase mouth stud runs down all the way instead of ending in a scallop (if that's the right word....)
Cil. head will be a single port, head in pic actually belongs to my -other- 1951 VH.
No main bearings yet, I am getting to grips with the price of new Hoffmann ones from R&M, but I think I just have to do that.....
Steel crank has now been rebuild with new Alpha bigend and NOS drive side mainshaft from John Budgen. Piston via Pete Kemp.
Shortened Triumph Morgo plunger oil pump, done some years ago before they where making them for Ariel as now.
Single lobe cam.

Two images of the SpAriel all empty cases at the moment.
Front of gearbox comes from AJS/Matchless and brings the clutch cable in the right direction instead of making a 90 degree bend to get to the front (and through a akward hole in the engine plate.
This 'mod' is also used on the HT Trails models, no provision for a speedo cable (that on a GB leaks most of the time)
Gearbox case is the standard Ariel GB housing.
DellOrto fitted is the reason to get another oil tank, this one now graces Andy's RH.
Perhaps I fit the 1931 model tank I got from him, but plans are taking shape to make myself a 'wrap around' tank a la thirties Norton.
Petrol tank is the India made one as seen in another topic here, lining will be according to 1951 scheme but in Gold/light Blue like on a 1928 Black Ariel. (but not the short stripe visible after the knee grip)
Whole bike will be black, hubs, rims, guards etc, A poor man's Black Ariel !
Engine plates in aircraft alloy once liberated from the workshop of the KLM.....rear plates will be flat so spacers are made to connect to the rear of the crankcase.
Large rubber Dunlop 'Drilastic' sadlle , this is a new replica cover from John Budgen on a genuine thirties frame that I had lying around.

Its going to look great, you might want to consider welding on a side stand lug, if its going to be a round town daily use bike it would be much easier to use with a good side stand.

Good luck
Steve

It's looking very good, your working so nice and clean.

I think your building the "paella" way, ( using "left overs", according to Discovery cannel Arabic knowledge ).

Aha, so the Spanish paella dish is actually the left overs from earlier days, hmmmmm, I always thought so..... (just joking! but I always pick out the gamba's )

Sidestand; there is a hefty lug on it - for the fieldstand- I have seen replica fieldstands on Ebay .
Could be slightly over the top in regard to the user friendlyness ??
Somewhere in my 'Ariel Bin' I know there is a short sidestand that bolts to the frame, I think it's a fifties assescoire (or earlier?)

Oh , the exhaust pipe is a reworked -at the ex.port- HT lookalike that I scored for a fiver on a annual rally some years ago (Bishley -??- a militairy shooting camp I think )

Vincent

Bolt on side stands are fine but can "spin" if not tightened up good enough. Don't ask me how I know
You could get one part of side stand welded on to the frame whilst you have the chance, wont spin then.

Steve

The wheels in progress. Before stripping the wheels I made up strips of sheet metal to save the offset measurement of the rim to the hubs.
Makes life easier for the wheel builder.

Vincent

Ariel VH conrods from 'Da Bin' , second one is used in the '51 engine. From top to bottom :

# A7/473 4 prewar without stiffening ridge on bigend eye.

# A7/473 B4 postwar with ridge

# A7/473 same as the one above it but polished by me in the days when I had nothing better to do....
It has a oval bigend eye as a result of doing 140 Kpm (warp speed) on the straight at Zandvoort racing circuit in 1984, bronze cage broke up, rollers went sideways and stretcht the whole lot up, only thing I noticed was it felt like someone attached a rubber string to the back of my bike .)
Engine kept on running but eventually the bronze bits clogged up the return oil pump plunger, oil filled the engine up to the valves and everybody behind me got lost in a thick cloud......nevertheless I did not win.

*NOS drive side mainshaft from John Budgen.

To the left a A7/473 prewar type with a Norton (I think) bigend made to fit, both sides of the bigend have a steel ring added to make up for the width needed for a Ariel set up. (dunno who did that)

Crankshaft is now complete with new Alpha bigend and the NOS mainshaft, assembled & trued by Rob Schol (from the group that are going to do the Land's end and up tour in april .

Vincent