‘04 Ariel

[Dave.Thomas]

This wonderful old beast was on the Bonhams stand at Banbury ( apologies if already featured but I haven’t seen it before

[adrie.degraaff]

This is the most original pre 1910 Ariel you will find, only the frontforks are 1906-7.
In a museum in France is the second wich is missing the make and brake pointshousing and drive.

The 1904 Ariel has a long story before i collected it in England, the first owner mr John Greig of Leith and his family had it until 1972? standing in a room, than it was sold to a VMCC man who used it to ride to the pub, (you will find this story in one of the 4 History mags).
He swapped it for a expensive pocketwatch wit a Scottish docter, who took it apart and sold the parts to friends becouse he only wanted the number for his illigaly imported colonial Rolls.
When he wanted to sell a Bentley, that buyer saw the bare frame and only wanted to buy the car if he could also buy the complete Ariel.
So all parts where bought back from the friends and went with the buyer.
He applied for a new number and so the taxman got wind of the illigal import of the doctor ending in his bankruptsy and giving the number back to the Ariel for free.
The buyer took the number off again for his car and sold the Ariel to German member called Straub who'm couldn't get the money at first so we agreed i would buy it first, at the last minute he got the money so i never owned it but did collect it with Straub, he sold it to a Dutch Triumph dealer and he swapped it to a man in Hull.
This is in very short what happened, remaining that the 1904-1910 log off all riding experians and broken parts are still with the doctor.

[nevhunter]

All very interesting.. Only 114 years ago. Nev.

[adrie.degraaff]

For the purists the original number was S 292.
I can see from my first pictures that the tankpaint is damaged maybe from degreasing to solder a leak.

[Dave.Thomas]

Missed this one out

[rein.heerkens]

Interesting story and bike, do you also know the name of the man in Hull

[rein.heerkens]

There are two 1904 Ariels for auction in the Bonhams Autumn Stafford sale.

[adrie.degraaff]

It was Adrian Reed, he had a second bad home built Ariel.

[adrie.degraaff]

If the second 1904 Ariel is also mr. Reeds than it's a 2.1/4 engine in a (not even) look a like frame, there are 4 of these engines in the world, they need a surface carb. tank of wich there is only one in the world and is extremely difficult to make.

[john.whiting]

Is this the bike that was in the First(or Second) Vintage Road Test Journals by C.E.Allan.?