FOR SALE Black Ariel

[Dave.Barkshire]

One careful lady owner (vicar's wife). Just needs a rub with an oily rag...
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1061260

[simon.holyfield]

I'm just starting to pull my FH together - which means there will soon be storage space to collect bits for the next project...

Is £2500 reasonable for something like this? I think I'd rather buy something more or less complete but hunting for bits is always fun!

[Dave.Barkshire]

It depends upon how easy it is to get bits and how much of a spanner genius you are. In my case it would take 20 years and would never run again.

However, there are plenty of spanner gurus on this site who have shelves full of goodies and contacts who will swap from their squirrel department but I don't think that they would pay so much for so little.

[andyhughesflattankarielpre25]

Greetings chaps,this is a very nice project,it would be great if you had the bits for it,they may be hard to find though .To be honest I have considered it but alas I am trying to get rid of stuff not buy more if anybody is interested in it I may be able to help with some parts.Also the Slovac club make a few of the missing bits and Pat at the black ariel parts in the club.do your homework on it as it may not be quite as described, A 28.

[stevenbell]

Nice bit to start with but for an extra 1700 you could have my running 31 LF

[paul.wirdnam]

Is that a break/repair on the nearside rear down tube? Strange place if it is....

[simon.holyfield]

So what's the best way into black Ariels?

The FH is on the bench now, I might need a new project soon...

[paul.wirdnam]

So what's the best way into black Ariels?

The FH is on the bench now, I might need a new project soon...

Simon, the very first place to start is to buy a copy of Dave's book --- I have all editions apart from the first one. Invaluable in my opinion and a great read. Probably the next decision is to decide which year you want....that may sound strange but things were changing fast at the end of the 1920s, so a 1930 model is very different from a 1928 one. Having owned 5 or 6 Black Ariels in the past, 1930 is my favourite year for many reasons --- and I still have a 1930 Model F which I would never part with but have also recently bought a 1928 Model B from the Netherlands (waiting to be restored once I get the 4G out of the way). Some people argue that "Black Ariels" extended into the early 1930s, so if you're OK with a 1931 model, you can probably save some money by buying a post-vintage Black Ariel.

Restoring a Black Ariel today is not too difficult....mainly due to the Slovakia Ariel Klub who specialise in these models. There is not much you cannot buy from them whether it be an original part or an expertly re-made part ... and their prices and service are excellent.

Prices for Black Ariels definitely seem to be on the up. During a house move in 2015, I stupidly sold a very tidy 1930 Model F for £8K....today, I'd probably have to pay closer to £10K. Back to your original question: I would try and buy a complete bike project...as I did with the 1928 Model B that I bought last year. This was a contact made via the Ariel FB group. Bought via photographs only but from a well known Ariel man in the Dutch Club and shipped to me via Chas Mortimer. I wouldn't normally buy a bike unseen, and I haven't had time to see whats inside the engine (!), but sometimes you have to take risks and I'm very pleased with the bike that arrived which I got at what I consider a bargain price.

Good luck....PM if you want more info. Black Ariels are my favourite Ariels...they are fun bikes.

[tony.barnett]

Buy a sidevalve Never regretted buying my 1930 Model B - one of the most tractable engines I have ever encountered.

[andyhughesflattankarielpre25]

If you cant get hold of a copy of the black Ariel book you could get an idea of the looks of different models from the sales leaflets in the archives,good luck with the quest.