Ariel Leader And Red Hunter Motorcycles Category

1. Ariel Leader
The Leader was an Ariel motorcycle made between 1958 and 1965. A radical design, the Leader was fully enclosed with an integral windscreen and was the first British motorcycle to have flashing indicators.Ariel could not compete against Japanese imports and the last Ariel Leader was produced when the company closed in 1965.

Development
Designed by Val Page and Bernard Knight, The Ariel Leader featured a 250 cc two-stroke engine suspended in a pressed 20 gauge steel 'backbone' frame, welded down the middle for strength. The fuel tank was hidden inside this structure and accessed by lifting the hinged dual seat. A dummy petrol tank was used for storage and was large enough to fit a spare crash helmet. It was the fully enclosed bodywork (first developed by Phil Vincent for the innovative Vincent Black Prince) that was most prominent, as none of the working parts of the motorcycle were visible. As well as a full body, the Leader had a permanent windscreen and specially designed integral luggage 'panniers'. As well as the first flashing indicators on a British motorcycle other 'firsts' established by the Ariel Leader were a parking light and a clock build into a 'dashboard'.
The machine's engine was a copy of the pre-war German Adler design which was seized after WWII as part of war reparations in a similar way that the pre-war German DKW was used for the BSA Bantam range.
Launch
First launched in the summer of 1958 the Leader claimed to offer the comfort of a scooter with the performance of a motorcycle. At first it sold well and it won the Motor Cycle News 'Motorcycle of the Year' in 1959. Ariel backed up the launch with a long list of options (unusual at the time) so few of the 22,000 Ariel Leaders produced were the same. Color scheme were also a break with tradition and included 'Oriental Blue' or 'Cherry Red' with 'Admiral Gray' accents.
Ariel Arrow
This was a cheaper, stripped Leader produced from 1959 and was developed as the Golden Arrow "sport" version in 1963. The capacity was reduced to 200 cc in 1967 to bring it into a lower tax band. In 1960, a prototype Arrow with a four-stroke 349 cc twin cylinder engine was made to sell alongside the Ariel Leader. The budget engine, designed by Val Page to do 75 mph (121 km/h), was canted to fit the Arrow frame. Although it was thought the initial 18 bhp (13 kW) power output could have been increased to 24 bhp (18 kW), development money ran out and the project was dropped.
2. Ariel Red Hunter

The Ariel Red Hunter was the name used for a range of Ariel single-cylinder motorcycles. They were designed by the firm's chief designer Val Page in 1932 around an overhead-valve single-cylinder engine he developed six years earlier. Originally a 'sports' version of the Ariel 500, 250 and 350cc versions were developed and became popular with grass track and trials riders.
All Red Hunters had a distinctive dark red petrol and oil tanks which were painted in the former Bournbrook cinema opposite the main Ariel factory in Dawlish road. The engines were all run for two hours on a test bench to maintain Ariel's record of reliability and quality control. The Red Hunter was a success and formed the backbone of the company, and made Ariel able to purchase Triumph.
On the 500cc, acceleration from 0-60mph could be made in 10.9 seconds, while stopping from 25mph could be made under 24 feet.
Edward Turner developed the design further with added chrome and it became a popular touring road bike. Handling was improved by the addition of rear suspension and telescopic forks and it gained an alloy cylinder head from the 1950s. Champion Sammy Miller had great success with a 500cc Red Hunter from 1955.