An expert view

We asked Roger Gwynn, of Draganfly Motorcycles, for his take on the VB600:

“The side valves are gaining in popularity and they are lovely bikes if you ‘aint in a hurry! I have done a few long trips on my 1940 VA, a 500cc version of the VB, and my 1926 model B, the original Val Page one that culminated in the 1958 one that had some parts that were unchanged from 1926, one of the major advantages of Ariel.

“They do tend to blow head gaskets occasionally, but the upside is they can be replaced in about 10 minutes or 15 if the engine is hot. This is much better than a Square Four that can easily take all day. The usual problem with all side valves is that they tend to run rather hot, causing distortion of cylinder head, especially if it’s the later alloy head and even the cylinder. A friend of mine says that they are running correctly if on a dark night you can see the ghost of the piston moving up and down through the red glow of the cylinder.

“The other problem likely to occur is piston seizures, stemming from the same cause, of course. If this happens, just hone perhaps half a thou out of the cylinder.

“They are robust and simple bikes, much like their owners. Another friend I travelled with from Suffolk to Caernarvon for the club’s long-distance run lost top gear halfway there, so finished the journey, the run and return trip without top gear. He was able to keep up to our 55mph cruising speed. The transmission and cycle parts are of course the same as the other singles, only the engine is different, and then only flywheels, conrod, a fat cam and the top end differentiate it.”