WHY ARIELS? IT’S A PASSION
Owning one 1960 Ariel is fair enough if it floats your boat, having two on the road with another on the workbench could be classed as a little odd, so where does Don’s obsession with Ariel two-strokes stem from?
“It all started 50 years ago when me and a mate of mine bought a Leader,” he explained. “We junked pretty much everything off it and turned it into a race bike. We used to share it at race meetings as well as leathers as we only had one set, which was OK apart from he was a big bloke and 5in taller than me.” Don’s racing career lasted two years and netted some top 10 results in the early 1970s. First launched in 1958 the Ariel Leader, Arrow and Golden Arrow were all highly successful and acclaimed bikes. In 1959 Ariel won MCN’s machine of the year and in 1960 Mike O’Rourke finished seventh in the 250 Production TT on a Herman Meier tuned Arrow. But by 1965 the Birminghamoperation company had closed their doors, largely due to the arrival of the far superior machines from Japan, which were simply better in every way. Fast forward a few decades and Don bought and restored a Leader and then two years later bought the Arrow – the two bikes pictured. “I paid £200 for the Arrow, which is about what they cost new in the ’60s. It was seized and in a bit of a state, but I got it back to something close to original plus I put on the bigger carburettor that was on the sportier Golden Arrow, so it goes a bit better.
“I’m not entirely sure why I’ve got three of them! I do like riding them. They are really light and easy to manoeuvre and also really reliable. I’ve done lots of bits to them over the years like stiffen up the suspension and I love the challenge of keeping the revs up. They are just good fun to ride.”