New to Ariels - Huntmaster

[Davidmeachen]

Hi there, I too am new to Ariels having just purchased a fully restored 1955 Huntmaster 650. It has been turned into a "Chopper" by the previous owner and is just what I was looking for, however before I take it out for a maiden run I need some info which I think can only be supplied by some of the more experienced Ariel enthusiasts. Firstly is the gearbox lubricated independently to the crank case and what oil should I use? Secondly: is the rear brake self adjusting or does it need manual adjustment? I would appreciate any help or advice

[brenton.roy]

Hi David, welcome to the group. I'm sure you will find lots of help here.
I've moved your topic to a new spot, so people can see it easily. Post and ask whatever you need to.
Is this a blue Huntmaster?

Re the gearbox, it is a sealed item and uses oil. The book suggests SAE 50 or 60 - so a light gear oil would do. There is oil in the primary chaincase (separate to the motor and gearbox).
The brake is manually adjusted.

The club library has manuals / parts books etc., as well as lots of other resources. Membership is quite cheap.
Brenton

[Davidmeachen]

Hi Brenton
Thank you for the info. I've managed to source an original huntmaster "Owners Guide" which, hopefully, will be delivered this week. Yes this is a blue Huntmaster which I managed to buy off e-bay a couple of weeks ago. At the moment I'm waiting for the DVLA to re-issue the original number plate which I am told will take up to 6 weeks. When I went to get the bike re-registered via the frame number DVLA found that it was still listed as being in the possession of the registered keeper who sold it to the guy who re-built it as a "Chopper" so DVLA must check that the bike was not stolen. Once that has been established then the original number plate will be issued.
Although the "chopped" bike looks great there were a few problems; no steering stop (handlebars turn until they hit the tank; rear brake totally ineffectual (mainly because of the cable set-up which all had to be replaced); no front mudguard; no return spring on centre stand; no oil in gearbox(!!). A new rear brake cable has been fitted but as yet have not made the necessary adjustments until I had info or an owners guide. Plus have not put oil in gearbox (again, was waiting on info). I haven't checked the primary chain case for oil as I didn't know about that so I will be checking that out this week.
The bike also has considerable vibration when engine running; which is something else that will have to be sorted before any riding can be done.
Once again, thanks for the info
Regards
Dave

[brenton.roy]

Hi David, there are some posts about your bike on this forum. Yes, it looks great.
Re the primary case, just a little oil is Ok. Enough to have the chain just running in oil.
The Huntmaster motors do vibrate a bit - and originally had a head steady tubes to the frame. http://www.draganfly.co.uk/shop/pd-9787 ... goryId=146
There are always engineering and tuning issues with one off bikes. Hopefully, that's part of the fun. Yours is not exactly what most of us ride, but a bit of history none the less.
Brenton

[Davidmeachen]

Hi Brenton, thanks for the info about the chain oil and the vibration. The Owners Guide I was expecting arrived this morning so its heads down to read it thoroughly before making adjustments to brake and topping up with the correct oils. I hope the DVLA can sort the number plate quickly so that I can get the bike out on the road for its first good run.
Dave

[keith.hodgenia]

Hi Dave. I'm not sure what is inside your gearbox, but, EP (hypoid) oils eat phosphor bronze bushes! Keith.

[Davidmeachen]

Hi Keith and thanks for the info. There's no oil in the gearbox at present and member Brenton.roy has also advised on the oil to be used in the gearbox. Although the rebuild of the bike was completed a short time before i bought it (as supposedly ready to ride) I have found some errors in the re-build; loose nuts and bolts; lack of oil in gearbox and chain casing; totally useless rear brake and that's just some of the lack in attention to detail that will have to be checked before the bike is taken for its first road run
Dave

[Davidmeachen]

The guy who rebuilt this Huntmaster as a chopper did such a good job on many aspects of the build but the more I check it over the more little faults I find. It was sold as being ready for MOT. Well if I had ridden it any distance then the results could have been catastrophic! No oil in gearbox, no oil in primary chain case, spark plugs only finger tight, oil feed pipe to rocker box not tightened at rocker-box inlet so leaking oil, electrical cable from battery to coil rubbing on drive chain, non existent rear brake (cable replaced and now fully adjusted on adjustment cam), loose foot pegs and forward controls, bolt missing from crank-case side cover, it's as though he rushed the final stages to get it finished in a hurry. Maybe , he was as impatient as I now am to get this beauty up and running and on the road! Thanks to the arrival of an original Owners Guide and various other related literature, the bike is now beginning to become 'roadworthy'. Plus, doing all the fault finding and repairs myself means I am learning a lot quite quickly about the joys of owning a 57 yr old bike and the challenges that it brings (plus saving myslf some money).
This bike ticks all the boxes for me even if it's not everyones cup of tea. The only real changes I intend to make are: replace handlebars for apehangers, add pillion seat and foot-pegs, move speedo to eye-level, and add a rear view mirror; then, for me, this chop will be perfect. Can't fault the guy who had vision enough to try something totally "Out of the box" when building it.
Also, there is so much on this site in the way of help and advice that I feel confidant that I shall soon be riding one of the oldest "Chopped" Ariels on the road; possibly the only Chopped Ariel in the country! Can hardly contain myself but must wait for the original number plate to complete the whole project.
A label on the side of the oil tank reads:" Anyone can renovate an old bike but it takes a real man to chop one to bits". I thought it was rather funny.
Tried to upload a couple of pics but Can't figure out how to do it
Thanks to John Nash who uploaded a photo of the Chopped Huntmaster (on my behalf) for members' perusal or condemnation

[john.nash]

posted for dave.