In 1898 Cycle Components purchased the Ariel bicycle company of Selly Oak,
Birmingham and applied the name to the de Dion powered trike they had developed.
From the start Ariel showed the ability to make practical improvements over
common designs by placing the engine ahead of the rear axle for improved
stability. They continued to produce quads and cars were added to
the range and the first two wheeler was introduced in 1901 using a Minerva
engine and belt drive.
Ariel had their first competition success in the Auto-Cycle cup race on the Isle of Man in 1905 with a machine powered by a JAP v-twin.
The production bikes continued with
single cylinder machines using White & Poppe from 1911 with a v-twin sidecar
machine added to the range in 1913. During WW1 civilian production ceased in
1916 though many machine and munitions were produced for military use. Civilian
production resumed in 1919 with the single and v-twin machines in solo and
sidecar forms which were produced with little alteration up till 1925. At this
time the car production failed and in financial difficulty Valentine Page,
formerly chief designer at JAP was hired to design new machines. Page quickly
designed the elegantly simple single cylinder 496cc ohv and 557cc sv engines
which were to continue in production with progressive modification until 1959.
Ariel adopted the slogan "Ariel, The Modern Motor Cycle" and the horse motif
which stayed with the company until the end.
With
the moving of the magneto behind the engine and the introduction of a saddle
tank made from steel pressings, a first for a British motorcycle, the machine
had a truly modern appearance for the day and sales rocketed, boosted by Vic
Mole's marketing genius, which included winning the Maudes endurance trophy in
1927 and 1929, first sidecar outfit to climb Snowden in 1926 and the first
motorcycle to cross the English Channel to France and back under its own power
in 1929.
In
1929 the 250cc Colt appeared in ohv and sv forms and Edward Turner joined Ariel
with ideas for a unique four cylinder engine. The trend for 1931 was sloping
engines, and Ariel introduced a sloper with more slope than anyone else and a
four-valve head. The splayed duplex downtubes of the sloper provided enough
space for Turner's 500cc Square Four (nicknamed Squariel) engine which appeared
in the same year. This unique design was effectively two 180 degree parallel
twins coupled together an running in opposite directions. The engine had
overhead cams and was compact for its capacity. The Square again won the Maudes
endurance trophy for Ariel in 1931.
As the depression began to impact business Ariel
diversified somewhat and introduced the Fleet 3 wheel delivery vehicle with two
front and one rear wheel using the 557cc sv engine. 
In
1932 the company liquidated, but Jack Sangster, the founder of the company was
able to cobble enough together to keep it going. Val page left to join Triumph
and Edward Turner became chief designer and the sporting singles gained the name
Red Hunter which was to stick with them until 1959. The 1933 range was trimmed
down to 250, 350 and 500 cc ohv de-luxe and Red Hunter models, 600cc sv sidecar
machines and the flagship Square Four, now with a 600cc ohc engine. This limited
lineup kept the company financially stable through the depression, well enough
to take over triumph motorcycle production when Triumph decided to concentrate
on their ailing car business. In the subsequent reshuffle Edward Turner moved to
Triumph and Frank Anstey moved from Triumph to become Ariel's chief designer.
Turner continued to contribute and a new pushrod 1000cc square was introduced in
1937 to replace the ohc model. The 1937 Earl's Court show
introduced enclosed rocker boxes for the singles for the 1938 season. In 1939 a
600cc version of the pushrod square was added to the line and Val Page returned
as chief designer.
WW2 saw the line reduced to the 350cc single cylinder military machine for the duration and Ariel was purchased by BSA in 1944. When civilian production restarted the 350 and 500cc machines were again available in de-luxe and Red Hunter garb, the 600cc sv sidecar machine and the 1000cc square. Telescopic forks were introduced in 1946, a design used throughout the BSA range until the late 1960s. A 500cc twin in de-luxe and Red Hunter forms was added in 1948. All of the de-luxe models were dropped for the 1951 season, though the Red Hunter single cylinder models continued alongside a number of competition models.1954 saw the introduction of a new swinging arm frame on the singles and twin and a new 650cc twin was added to the range with a modified BSA A10 engine, also the 200cc Colt. 4 stroke production ceased at the end of 1959 as a new generation of Modern Motorcycle was now on the production line.
Introduced in 1958, the Ariel Leader was ahead of its time in many ways. With a 250cc parallel twin motor, car-style pressed steel frame, trailing link forks, full enclosure, integral fairing, screen and storage compartments it created a sensation. In many ways it was a predecessor of today's touring machines, with many add-on accessories available. the sporting Arrow version was introduced in 1960 and production continued until 1965 when BSA axed Ariel production. A 50cc lightweight using a pressed steel frame called the Pixie was also produced from 1963 to 1965.
In 1970 BSA revived the name and applied it to a weird bendy 50cc trike they named the Ariel 3. The huge investment they put into it and the meager sales contributed greatly to the financial collapse of BSA in 1972.
.There was a small revival in the 70s when the Healey brothers, already experienced in Square Four improvements, started building their improved engines into modern frame complete with disk brakes.
Pictures on this page scanned from Ariel: The Postwar Models by Roy Bacon