A bit of Ariel reconnaissance
JIM COLEMAN
Restoring just one 1930 Ariel LF250 would take time, but Jim Coleman wasn’t content to do that...
Although I’ve been doing bits and have got stuff done, I’ve not got as far as I expected with my Ariel. I have a good excuse, though – I’m doing three bikes the same, all at once.
The one that I entered in the Barn Find of the Year competition last year was the most complete. Work on it has been delayed as I’m using it to copy parts from for the other two; they’re in worse condition, especially the tin work. Chain guards were folded around galvanised pipe, and I cut-and-shut the curve. I just need to shape the ends and weld on the brackets. Then I used the pipe to make rear stands – it’s the same thickness. The bottom bar came from an old saw.
The rear frame section is missing from one bike – there’s a middle stay for the back wheel that mounts the oil tank and battery, and it’s had it. I need to copy the brake pedal, too, though first I need to put a curved fork on the top for the brake rod to repair it back to original. The primary chain covers will be fiddly to copy, too. All this takes time, as I’m doing it myself rather than sending stuff away.
I need to find a repairable tank. I bought a new reproduction one from India, but it’s complete rubbish. It’s too tall, so the handlebars would smash the speedometer, and the speedo hole and oil gauge hole were oval and too small. On top of that, there was only one fuel tap hole – I would have been better off making one myself, which is what I’ll do, by making a timber buck, if I can’t find an original.
There’s little to show progress, as I’ve not been painting parts in case I need to copy anything. But I have a plan for how things will go, and have rims, spokes and tyres ready to fit. Hopefully they’ll come together more quickly now ....