Daily Fixing and Riding Diary on an Ariel 2021

[Leslie.Ore]

That is a cracking number.. original?

[Mike Nash]

Gosh, you work so fast, Steve!
Can you tell the clearance you have for the piston?
Envious regards from MikeN.

[Steven.Carter]

That is a cracking number.. original?

Yep, it was my first Ariel, as a catholic it appealed to me

[Steven.Carter]

Gosh, you work so fast, Steve!
Can you tell the clearance you have for the piston?
Envious regards from MikeN.

It seemed to have enough wobble in it.

[Steven.Carter]

Rode uphill to the M3 and back home a few times this evening. Any problem and it's down hill back home but I got a bit prematurely confident with a ride into Eastleigh, waiting in trafic the alternator fell off, forgot to put the strap on. Also didn't sound too good, I hadn't locked the tappet nuts. All good now.

[Keith.owen]

Hi Steve,
I'm curious to know how well a sidevalve goes.........

A lot of people changed out the engines, but, they must have been good else Ariel wouldn't have kept making them for so long. I guess they must pull like tanks!

Went to Loomies yesterday (got the afternoon off of work) and went with a friend who rode his modern triumph twin. Betsy behaved well, but I did have a bad moment when the engine conked out; I think I pulled in the exhuast lifter by mistake instead of the ignition timing. so, I immediately pulled in the clutch and coasted to a halt. I kicked her over (to see what had happened) and off she went. Duh!!

Betsy got a lot of attention; although some of the riders there were as old as if not older than her, she was the oldest of the bikes which were pretty much all with a few exceptions modern. Still, good fun.

Keith

[dave.owen]

Keith, the SV will plod all day at 50mph.but more available.

Dave

[Steven.Carter]

I had a couple of Jobs today and realy wanted to take the sludge pump one up near you Keith in Reading and the other in Farnborough, Took the moderrn Huntmaster instead.

I'm curious too, haven't got abover 40mph, as I'm still a bit nervous. I'm struggling to believe I've managed to get it working.
I used a 930 that was attached to the VH engine but wouldn't run very well but I suspect 3 year old dried out petrol probably gummed it up.
I had another one in the shed that refused to work on one of my Huntmasters but seems happy in the side valve.
I can't ever make any sense of the things, after many years struggling with carburettors I've now a big box of bits. So now its the scatter gun approach to tuning. Keep trying different stuff till it works.
Currently it has a no3 cutàway on the slide. Needle clip in the middle groove and a 250 main jet.
The rain has stopped so I'll try another ride but first I must make a new gasket for the timing cover.

[Steven.Carter]

Keith, the SV will plod all day at 50mph.but more available.

Dave

I get the feeling a fifth fear would make her go quicker

[dave.owen]

But Steve you have the sport type with the alloy head, alleged 2 extra HP