Real Classic

FINNISH FINGS

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Alan Cathcart commented that Ariel were very daring to launch their Sloper in the early 1930s. When we set up the Finnish branch of the Ariel Owners'club, I met an Arielist who for many years had been collecting Ariel Sloper parts with the intention of building one for himself. We spent a couple of fruitful hours with parts manuals sorting his huge collection of bits from 1931/32. It struck me at the time that Ariel must have been very brave to create similar motorcycle­s in that terrible depression with such different parts parts unique to a single year model! Our friend ended up building a 32 SG four valver, as the pile of 1932 parts was larger than the pile of bits for the '31.

The Ariel Alan was pictured enjoying had a BULB horn, however, not a'klaxon hooter: The latter is a mechanical device, worked with a plunger that causes a sort of cam profiled shaft to rotate and vibrate physically against a diaphragm. This produces a raucous, mechanical noise warning of approach very much more Mister Toad than the bulb horn on the machine Alan rode.

David Bullivant, member 1638

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