Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Hello,
A friend has recently bought a 1939 VB that we are recommissioning and I would love to know some history. I suspect it is mostly as built but it has a front wheel drive chronometric speedo, a very slim oil tank and a small headlight. Maybe it was an export?
Engine CE681
Frame XG5922
Gearbox X1BAPDH 55947

Thanks for the help!

It is a matching numbers 1939 VB delivered to a London dealer with s/car gearing and a FWD speedo, which was optional from 1938. Not listed on the register, so no other history I am afraid. The oil tank looks correct but there is something wrong as the toolbox and oil tank should be level with each other. The usual deviations at this time for export would be possibly green paintwork, air filter and colonial handlebars.
The headlamp is later, std fitment would be 8". Saddle springs & supports, rear number plate, front number plate, front brake rod, k/s lever & shaft, rear mudguard.

Thank you Roger! The gearbox is stamped BAPDH so does sidecar gearing mean that the gearbox has been changed or a smaller drive sprocket was fitted to the high range 'box?

Amazing you noticed the long kickstart shaft so quickly from the picture - I didn't until my friend complained about how floppy it was. Fortunately we have a correct shaft and lever for it.

Just a little bit more about the bike - the guy he bought it from says he got it as a rusty roller in 1974 in California and it still had a sidecar attached. He rebuilt it in the early 1980s.

The s/car gearing refer to the engine sprocket, which is the only sprocket that Ariel varied. Strangely I had the same problem on a MKI recently where the BA shaft had been changed for a GB one along with the wrong bush. From 1936-52 a gearbox strip down would be required to change the gearbox sprocket.BA=model, P=pivoted, D=speedo Drive, H=high ratio(wide). Do you know the previous owner's name so i can add him to the register?

will PM you.

You can insert a dummy Plain shaft to allow the Mainshaft to be removed without dismantling the rest of the gearbox when swapping sprockets. Nev