Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Hi everyone

My dad recently bought an Ariel 350cc NH. he’s starting looking for parts and his first stumble is on the bearings for the headstock/yoke. He’s tried dragonfly with no luck could anyone advise? Thank you

They are available but only as taper roller, the chap who has been making them for years is slowing down and falling asleep. https://draganfly.co.uk/shop/68696/hawk ... oke/#HRA-A

If you have the old ones they can be revived !
See members area : Library > Document repository > How to guides > Regrind worn head bearing cups & cones

Probably a stupid question but how do the taper bearings fit in to the frame head cups? (for a pre-war ariel VG). I have the Drags taper bearing model HR-BEARING2 and they don't seem to fit at all. I've emailed Drags but awaiting reply so thought I'd hijack this thread in case it was quicker (sorry).

They don't fit into the frame cups but into the frame itself, the old cups must be removed. Forgive me if i have misunderstood your question. It also depends how pre-war it is, the taper rollers are only suitable for 1936 and later and will not replace the earlier spherical seating type.

Thanks for the quick reply Roger.

Ah, my frame is 1935 (I think actually it was manufactured late 1934) - a VG 500.

The frame has two cups (one upward and a downward facing cup) that are built onto the frame (I assume it's part of the frame anyway, it's all painted the same colour - I'll poke it and make sure later). I assumed when the headstock was put in there, those two cups were builtin the frame to take the bearing cups.

The housing in the frame does look like a frame cup but the cups are not pressed into the frame but just sit there. See the Draganfly web site or a parts book for the proper numbers. It is useful to always mention the year as models do vary over the years! After September it is next years model and it is always the model year that is important not the manufacturing year or the year of registration. The engine and frame numbers tell you which model year it is. I think you will have trouble finding those races, Singles Spares used to have them but all gone I think, see Vincent's post above about reclaiming old ones.

If the ones you are talking about are the same as the ones fitted in 1930, I had a conversation with Lee Mallabone about them a few weeks ago. I believe he has them in stock.

That would be the ones.

Thanks for the information, that all sounds promising. I've emailed Lee.

The parts in question (from my 1935 parts list) are:

4818-30: Ball race for head clip (x1)
4815-26: Ball race for fork crown (x1)
4820-26: Ball race (spherical seating) for head (x2)

I'm hoping these are all common to the earlier machines (?)