Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Roger Gwynn wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2025 11:46 am Welcome to the forum and the world of Ariels.
I am the keeper of the club's machine register that records details and the history of all extant Ariels. I would love to add yours to the register if it isn't already on there. No current record under the registration or any of the names you mention but I may only have the engine and frame numbers listed, which are the main identifying features, owners and registrations change and are not always supplied.
The bike looks very nice although a somewhat unconventional colour, I hope you manage to put more miles on it and enjoy riding it.

Roger Gwynn wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2025 11:27 am Thank you for the additional information, your Leader has now been added to the register. The bike was originally destined for J E Green, & Co., of Newton Abbot in Devon and is listed as despatched to them on 13th November 1964 and returned 31st May 1965, it was then despatched to Abraham's of Market Drayton on 16th June 1965. It would have been built at the BSA factory of Small Heath as all production had been moved there by then and is listed as being in green. I had forgotten that a few 1965 Leaders were supposedly painted in a metallic red or green, I have never seen one and the metallic bit has not been confirmed, I don't suppose that there is any original paint left on your bike. DUJ is a Shropshire number first issued in April 1965. There were only approximately 195 Leaders built in 1965 out of a total of approximately 915 2 strokes. My researches have the date that the last Leader to leave the factory was on the 4th of June, yours has that beaten by 12 days, but I missed yours because its' despatch was delayed and the entry is 18 pages before the end of the book. The last despatched is not the same as the last one built, in fact there are roughly 700 bikes with a higher number then yours. The last 2 stroke was a 200 Arrow on the 11th of August.

keith.mettam wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2025 11:28 am Hi Tracey,
Your Leader is still shown on the UK DVLA system as follows :-
DUJ 39C
✓ SORN
Vehicle Details
Vehicle make ARIEL
Date of first registration June 1965
Year of manufacture 1965
Cylinder capacity 250 cc
CO₂ emissions Not available
Fuel type PETROL
Euro status Not available
Real Driving Emissions (RDE) Not available
Export marker Yes
Vehicle status SORN
Vehicle colour GREEN
Vehicle type approval Not available
Wheelplan 2 WHEEL
Revenue weight Not available
Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 17 October 2011
View the tax rates for this vehicle
If you have the latest 11 digit reference number from the V5C registration certificate (logbook) you can view the tax rates for this vehicle.

Best wishes and a Happy New Year,
Keith.