Difference between revisions of "Ariel"
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Revision as of 15:25, 2 July 2010
Ariel began in 1847 in Bournbrook, England as a manufacturer of pneumatic-tired wheels for horse drawn carriages. In 1885 Ariel moved into bicycle production under the leadership of James Starley ("Father of the Bicycle Industry") and William Hillman.
History
Ariel is one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers. Before starting to build motorcycles around the turn of the century, they were well known for their bicycles. The first Ariel vehicle was a Tricycle that used a 2.25 hp De Dion engine mounted at the rear. More tricycles were produced and quadricycles were added in 1901 as Ariel then moved into car production. Over the years, the company had financial difficulties including going into receivership in 1911 for a period. Based in Selly Oak in the Midlands, by the 1930s they had became one of Britain's most influential manufacturers. They employed Edward Turner, Val Page and Bert Hopwood - who would later become known as three of the British bike industry's greatest designers. In the 1930s Ariel closed down due to financial problems, but was restarted when Jack Sangster son of Ariel's founder Charles, bought the firm and restarted production of bikes such as the VH500 Red Hunter. The BSA group took control of Ariel in 1944.
Huntmaster
In 1944 the firm was sold to BSA. After the sale, Ariel built two types of twins, the softly-tuned 500cc KH, which debuted in 1949 selling poorly, and the more powerful and successful Huntmaster which was powered by a modified version of the 650cc engine from BSA's A10. The Huntmaster however was it's own bike with a completely different frame from the A10. The Huntmaster was particularly popular with sidecar fanatics in the late 1950s.
