The original company was established in 1870 by James Starley and William Hillman to make bicycles. The name came from the first penny farthing bicycle, which was so light they called it the Ariel "spirit of the air".It merged with Westwood Manufacturing in 1896 and made a powered tricycle in 1898 with a de Dion engine. Hillman left soon afterwards to found Premier Motorcycles.In 1902, Ariel produced its first motorcycle, which had a Kerry engine with an innovative magneto ignition and a float carburettor. In 1905, Ariel was taken over by Charles Sangster, who built a three-speed, two-stroke he marketed as the "Arielette", but his small factory closed on the outbreak of the First World War.In 1918, Sangster's son Jack took over and developed a motorcycle with a 4 hp White and Poppe engine that proved successful. Jack increased the range of motorcycles to include 586 cc and 992 cc machines and persuaded the designer Val Page to join the company. Ariel was merged with a company called Components Ltd. but this venture failed and in 1930, Jack was able to regain control and set up a new factory in Birmingham. One of their first bikes was the Ariel Square Four, designed by Edward Turner followed by the Ariel Red Hunter. The Red Hunter was a success, and made Ariel able to purchase Triumph.
The first Ariel to be fitted with an engine was a powered tricycle that appeared in 1898. In 1901 the first Ariel motorcycle proper was launched, powered by a 211 cc Minerva engine.A range of motorcycles was made with engines either bought in or assembled to other people's designs until 1926 when a new designer, Val Page, joined Ariel from JAP. That year Page created a pair of new engines which used many existing motorcycle parts, and then redesigned the motorcycle for 1927. These new Ariels are known as 'Black Ariels' (1926–1930) and were the basis on which all Ariel 4-stroke singles were based until their demise in 1959 (except the LH Colt of the mid-1950s). During the 'Black Ariel' period the Ariel horse logo came into being as did the slogan 'The Modern Motor Cycle'.
The Ariel Square Four with a 500 cc engine designed by Edward Turner first appeared for the 1931 season. Around this time the company went into receivership and then a new company was formed. The Square Four became a 600cc. The Square Fours had overheating problems with the rear cylinders which resulted in distorted heads throughout their history. A redesign in 1937 resulted in a 995 cc OHV version designated the 4G. In 1939 Anstey-link plunger rear suspension was an option. It was still available when production restarted in 1946, with telescopic forks replacing the girder forks. In 1949 the Mark 1 Square Four had cast aluminium barrels and heads, instead of cast iron. With the lower weight the bike was a 90 mph plus machine. In 1951 Ariel became part of the BSA group. In 1953 the Mark 2 Square Four had a redesigned cylinder head, and was capable of 100 mph. In 1959, to the dismay of some motorcyclists, Ariel dropped its four-stroke engines and produced basically two models, the 250cc twin-cylinder two-stroke-engined Arrow, and the Leader. There was also a 200cc Arrow version made for a short period. To give Ariel credit, the focus on the Arrow and Leader models was an attempt to bring the company up to date, having recognised the threat from the new Japanese imports. The Ariel Leader had a fully faired body from the headlamp aft. The Arrow was more open, though it kept the enclosed chain case and deep mudguards.
Ariel motorcycles ceased production in 1967. In 1970 BSA used the 'Ariel' name for the 'Ariel 3', a 3-wheel 50cc 2-stroke moped, different at the time because it was a tilting vehicle. The front half was hinged to the rear and could tilt into corners whilst keeping all three wheels on the ground. The design was licensed from G.L.Wallis & Son, who had patented it in 1966 (following the failure of the Ariel 3 the design was licensed to Honda who produced it as the Honda Gyro).Production of the Ariel 3 was short-lived and it was dropped, along with the Ariel name, shortly afterwards.
Famous models
| -Ariel Square Four-Ariel Red Hunter-Ariel W/NG 350-VB-Models A - G-Ariel Arrow-Leader-Fieldmaster-Pixie-VCH | -KHA-Huntmaster-Cyclone (model owned by Buddy Holly)-The Military Model WNG 350-Trials HT5-Trials HT3-Scrambles HS (Mk1,11,111) |
During the Second World War, the Ariel factory was turned over to military production, including the Ariel W/NG 350 army motorcycle based on the Red Hunter but with higher ground clearance.In 1944, the company was sold to BSA and the 500 cc KH model was produced, together with the more powerful Huntmaster, which had a modified BSA A10 650 cc engine. Reliable and capable of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), the Huntmaster proved popular with sidecar enthusiasts.The Red Hunter formed the basis for Sammy Miller's 1955 trials motorcycle which proved very successful in competition. In 1959, Ariel broke with tradition and produced the Ariel Leader, a fully enclosed 250 cc two-stroke that aimed to combine the benefits of the motorcycle with the advantages of a scooter.BSA decided to close the factory in 1963 and move production to Small Heath. In 1967, Ariel produced its last motorcycle, a reduced capacity Ariel Arrow. In 1970, BSA produced the Ariel 3, a 49 cc trike.
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