Ariel bike using VFR1200 engine

Ariel launches two-wheeled Ace | Wheels24

Customisability direct from the factory seems to be the new black. Could Honda's NC platform with its variants have started a trend with other manufacturers?

I have a number of "bees in my bonnet" of late and this is an example of one of them. A number of very famous old marques have been purchased by various entrepreneurs who then re-launch them using something like this. This is not an Ariel , full stop. It bears no resemblance to anything that Ariel ever put on the market.



The shot below is what an original Ariel looked like.



I do not expect the modern entrepreneurs to copy this bike but at least they should have some family resemblance evident. As examples of people who have remained true to the marque, I offer Norton who have produced a bike that is most definitely recognisable. Then of course there is Triumph with their triples and twins. I believe the new Indians are fine examples of staying true also. However making a fancy chassis and then sticking a Honda engine in it is not Ariel.

I believe there are a number of other old marques about to come on the market also in some guise or other. Hopefully they will represent the makes properly. I have seen a shot of what is about to hit the market in the new form of "Hesketh". Regrettably it is not too much different to the original wretched motorcycle with totally out dated styling and another manufacturers vee twin engine in the chassis.

Thank you to Saxeus for giving me the opportunity to vent my spleen here. Hopefully we will now go on to debate the subject. The other "bee in my bonnet" is Electric bikes. I will get to that later.

Well, the new Ariel has one round headlight, two wheels, and is red. Seems like a legit copy of the old bike to me
It's also my understanding that the current Ariel Motor Company, founded in 1991, has nothing to do with the previous Ariel Motorcycles that was sold to BSA other than using the old name.

The only engine the Ariel has built for themselves is the V8 they used in the Atom, and even then it had Hayabusa heads. They just built the bottom end. Every other engine they've put in the car has been a Civic type R engine, or a GM Ecotec. It's nice to see them sticking with Honda for their engines. More or less.

OK, point taken on the Ariel, but I assume y'all know what I am getting at ?

Grump said:

OK, point taken on the Ariel, but I assume y'all know what I am getting at ?

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Let me see if I understood what you said. Shame on Ariel for not staying "true" to the brand and shame on Hesketh for staying "true" to the brand.

Correct on the first one. With regard to the Hesketh, it is a brand that was tried and failed. Now it is being resurrected again with a vee twin engine taken from a Morgan car and poor styling, but horrendously expensive. I suppose I will have to admit that the Hesketh was the plaything of an English aristocrat and does not really deserve to be listed among the great motorcycling names.

Grump said:

Correct on the first one. With regard to the Hesketh, it is a brand that was tried and failed. Now it is being resurrected again with a vee twin engine taken from a Morgan car and poor styling, but horrendously expensive. I suppose I will have to admit that the Hesketh was the plaything of an English aristocrat and does not really deserve to be listed among the great motorcycling names.

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Ah now Hesketh kept going for many a year and they eventually solved all the problems that were inherent in the original design. Lord Hesketh lost interest, but the bikes were then produced by Mick Broom engineering. The only reason they gave up is because when the factory was in the process of being moved a lot of the tooling was stolen. That's how I understand it.

buckshot said:

Well, the new Ariel has one round headlight, two wheels, and is red. Seems like a legit copy of the old bike to me
It's also my understanding that the current Ariel Motor Company, founded in 1991, has nothing to do with the previous Ariel Motorcycles that was sold to BSA other than using the old name.

The only engine the Ariel has built for themselves is the V8 they used in the Atom, and even then it had Hayabusa heads. They just built the bottom end. Every other engine they've put in the car has been a Civic type R engine, or a GM Ecotec. It's nice to see them sticking with Honda for their engines. More or less.

Click to expand...

Yes they were founded in 1991 and we're called Solocrest Ltd, but in 2001 they purchased the rights to the old Ariel name. Ariel in their history actually did produce cars as well. So the link is there although a little on the tenuous side.
Likewise you could same the same for Indian. Yes they might look the same upto a point, but in reality it'll never be a true Indian as the original company as we all know is long defunct.