Ariel500Twinsrestorationguide

THE SPECIALIST

Draganfly Motorcycles has been trading in Ariel parts for most of its 45 years in business. As stocks of genuine parts have become exhausted, quality replacements have been commissioned. We are grateful to Roger Gwynn, one of the founders of Draganfly, for his deep knowledge of Ariel’s half-litre twin.

■ Draganfly Motorcycles: 01986 894798; draganfly.co.uk

MODEL HISTORY

It was Triumph’s prewar Speed Twin that convinced motorcyclists that two parallel cylinders might have merits different from the ubiquitous single. Designer Val Page had been involved in the Speed Twin’s gestation, but had long since returned to Ariel and his employer’s twin-cylinder challenger was at prototype stage in 1946.

Unfortunately, the huge potential market for motorcycles following the Second World War was often hampered by materials shortages and export priorities. The KG De Luxe and KH Red Hunter versions of the new 500cc twin finally appeared in 1948. With all the major manufacturers offering variations on the theme, the results were machines of broadly similar performance. As was usual for Ariel, Burman supplied the transmission and the power train was installed in similar cycle parts to the Red Hunter singles, which continued in production.

Initially, the twins sold well. The design was right from the start. Apart from gearbox updates, other changes were mainly cosmetic. The De Luxe KG was dropped at the end of 1951, the KH continued and, like most other Ariels, the 1954 KH (now simply ‘Hunter’) received the new frame with swinging-arm rear suspension.

The Fieldmaster name only appeared in 1956, but demand was falling and it was dropped from the catalogue at the end of 1957. By 1958, in a sensational announcement, Ariel declared its total commitment to two-stroke manufacture.