Your guide to: Ariel Arrow

Jo Shaw’s Ariel Arrow Super Sport was

bought by her dad, John, in 1975. Previously owned by John, he started to rebuild it in 1976. He had a strong affection for Ariel, having started his working life in the early 1960s at a Liverpool BSA and Ariel dealership, Cundles, as an apprentice. When he bought the bike, it was partly dismantled, and he restored it to the highest standard. John had a lot of motorcycles, but the Arrow was particularly special.

Jo said: “I remember it always being around, and he was always tottering around with it. We weren’t allowed to touch it, though. We could sit on his other bikes, but never the Arrow. Even today, it feels strange watching other people sit on it.”

Tragedy struck in 1990 when John died in a car crash that also left Jo badly hurt. The Arrow became part of John’s estate and was scheduled to go to auction, the intention being that the proceeds would be distributed between Jo and her three siblings. But the then 13-year-old Jo decided that the Arrow had to stay in the family. After a complex and long-running negotiation, Jo bought the bike back from her dad’s estate before it went under the hammer, paying £450.

The bike was handed into the care of John’s two brothers, who owned a garage in Southport. It was carefully stored there for many years until the retirement of one brother approached and the garage was put up for sale. Efforts were made to find a museum to show off the Arrow. Eventually, it was loaned to the motorcycle museum at Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, until that museum closed and it was returned to Jo’s family. After years of being on show, the Arrow ended up in a garden shed – until two years ago, when Jo went to visit the family.

The condition of the Arrow had deteriorated, and it was in a sorry state. “I couldn’t believe the condition it was in,” Jo said. “There were bits missing, like fuel caps and a speedometer. I was heartbroken.”

All was not lost. Jo’s partner, Jef, arranged to have the Ariel collected and taken to their home in South Shields. In the middle of the coronavirus lockdown, Jef, an engineer, set to work on restoring the Ariel to its former glory. Without any expert knowledge or experience of Arrows, Jef did the research that allowed him to cosmetically restore it, and he worked day and night to get the bike looking as good as it does today. The Super Sport Arrow has turned down bars, while the footrests remain in the same place as on the standard Arrow. The flyscreen is very neat, but Ariel fitted it a bit too far back, so the rider has the nerve-wracking experience of having the edge of a sharp plexiglass screen a few inches from their chin while they are hunched over the bars.

With the Arrow looking great but not running well, Jef suggested to Jo that they should go to the Stafford Show. It was there, in October 2021, that she met Keith Harding, from the Ariel Leader and Arrow club. Keith issued Jo a challenge: if the cosmetic restoration was finished in time for the 2022 spring show, he would put the Arrow on the club’s stand and then take it to his home in Chester to get it running properly and usable. He’d also help register it for the road while Jo passed her bike test – and it could finally take to the tarmac once more.

Ariel Arrow Words and photos by Oli Hulme This Super Sport Arrow has a special place in its owner’s heart... and should soon be back on the road where it belongs.

Unfortunately, the frame number, normally stamped onto a riveted plate on the beam frame, has disappeared. Without this plate, retaining the original registration number wasn’t possible, as the number had vanished from DVLA records, and an age-related plate needed to be used. Jo lives in hope of persuading the DVLA to sell her the original number.

By mid-June the Arrow was running as well as it looked; John’s work on restoring the Ariel back in 1975 has clearly stood the test of time, while Jef’s recovery of the neglected bike had made all the difference. And Keith’s work was done so rapidly that the bike was ready to show at Stafford in October this year.

Now all Jo and Jef need to do is pass their part two bike tests and take to the road… Ariel Arrow: A brief history

Back in the late 1950s and facing the end of the line for the venerable top-quality singles and twins, Val Page at Ariel threw away the rule book and, not for the first time, came up with something new – the 250cc Leader.

Everything about the Leader was outside the norm. The pressed steel construction of the frame was not something seen before on a British motorcycle, and Ariel expensively kitted out the Selly Oak factory with the dies to stamp out the two halves of the frame and the trailing link forks. The engine was suspended from this frame and the swingarm and centrestand were bolted to the engine casings. The engine could be dismantled without removing the crankcase from the frame. There is a persistent rumour that the engine was a copy of an Adler, but the Ariel’s design had little in common – except its cylinder dimensions and layout – with the German twin. The bike was almost completely enclosed with protective panels, leg shields and a windscreen.

The all-new parallel twin engine was made around a single casting that also contained the gearbox. There were two crankshafts; an alternator was bolted to the right-hand side with the points on the left. Two cast iron cylinders were topped with alloy heads

and the spark plugs on the early models pointing forwards, just where they could collect water from the front wheel. An extra flywheel was mounted on the far end of the primary drive chain sprocket. This drove a multiplate clutch which used corrugations in the drum rather than slots to provide drive to the clutch plates. There was a four-speed gearbox with a stubby kickstart lever mounted above it. A 7/8in Amal carburettor delivered a 20:1 petroil mix. The Arrow could be a little reluctant to start from cold, requiring plentiful prods on the starter to get it going and reducing the chance of a quick getaway.

The following year, another new Ariel came along – the Arrow. Check a picture of the Ace Café from the early 1960s and there is every chance you’ll see a shiny new Arrow with L-plates stuck on the flyscreen lurking behind the Bonnevilles and Gold Stars. The Arrow shared many parts with the Leader, including the ground-breaking frame. This frame, which became nicknamed ‘the tub’ by owners, was wide and strong. A pair of trailing-link pressed steel forks with the springs in the legs looked after the bumps at the front. There were big mudguards and a set of handlebars attached to a spline instead of a top yoke, 16in wheels, and a dummy tank that held a toolbox and tyre pump, while the actual petrol tank was a steel box fitted into the middle of the frame. This was filled through a cap under the seat, which, for some reason, Ariel built with a plywood base, so instead of rust eating into it, you might get woodworm instead.

The handling on the Arrow was excellent, with the very stiff beam frame and the unique forks. These, combined with a good pair of fully shrouded rear shocks that used car-type top mounts, all made for an excellent ride. Voted Machine of the Year in 1960, the Arrow was joined in 1961 by the Super Sports Arrow. This was nicknamed the Golden Arrow by owners because of the gilded paint job. This had whitewall tyres as an option, dropped handlebars, the prized red handlebar grips, and ball-ended levers. There was a short screen, a polished primary drive case, a chromed timing side engine casing, chromed covers for the trailing link fork mechanism and more chrome on the toolbox lid. A bigger 11/16 in carburettor pushed the Arrow’s power output to 20bhp and produced a bike with a top speed of 81mph and would cruise at 60 – more than acceptable for 1961. A frugal 70mpg was average, too. Initially finished

SPECIFICATION:

ENGINE: Two-stroke twin BORE AND STROKE: 54mm x 54mm CAPACITY: 247cc COMPRESSION RATIO: 10:1 CARB: 1 1/16 in/27mm Amal Monobloc POWER: 20bhp@6500rpm IGNITION: Coil and points ELECTRICAL: Lucas 50w RM18 alternator, 6v battery TRANSMISSION: Chain primary drive, four-speed Burman gearbox, wet multiplate clutch, enclosed chain final drive FRAME: Monocoque pressed steel SUSPENSION: Trailing link forks, swingarm, twin shock absorbers WEIGHT: 305lb/177kg WHEELBASE: 51in/1295mm SEAT HEIGHT: 28.5in/724mm BRAKES: 6in x 1 1/8 in wide sls drum front and rear WHEELS/TYRES: 3.25in x 16in front and rear

with the frame in battleship grey, this was replaced by an altogether more stylish ivory white finish in 1962. Both Arrows were given bigger petrol tanks and higher compression pistons, and the spark plugs were relocated to a more central position on the head, which protected them from the weather.

At this point, the dead hands of the bean-counters at Ariel’s parent company, BSA, made an appearance and in 1962 decided that the ageing Ariel factory at Selly Oak should close. Production of the Leader and the Arrow moved to the BSA factory at Small Heath. At the same time, the Super Sports or Golden Arrow was so successful that buyers had stopped purchasing the original Arrow, so that model was dropped in 1964.

That same year also saw the launch of a reduced capacity 199cc model to take advantage of the then ubiquitous Norwich Union ‘Rider’ insurance policy which graded machines by capacity rather than by model, and changed at 200cc, making 250s ruinously expensive for a young chap on an apprentice’s wage.

While the British market was initially buoyant, it was the all-important American buyers that BSA was concentrating on, and those buyers didn’t view the perky Arrow or the sensible Leader with such delight – the frame design was unpopular. At the same time, small British bikes found themselves competing with a constant flood of new Japanese two strokes and exotic Italians. Unlike the Arrow, the foreign rivals got annual updates... as all the while, motorcycles fell spectacularly out of favour in damp, miserable Britain. Young people moved to cheap scooters rather than exotic enclosed Ariel Leaders and family men moved to motor car ownership.

In a domestic motorcycle market languishing in the doldrums, BSA shut down Leader and Arrow production in 1965 after a relatively short production run. Whether this was down to a desire to sell more of the new BSA Starfire and Barracuda 250s is a moot point.

There are a few remarkable specials out there. One is dubbed the BSA Bleader, a 250cc Leader engine in a beefed-up BSA Bantam frame which shows what might have been.

The Super Sports Arrow is, too, one of the great what-might-have-beens. Had it been restyled for late-1960s eyes and fitted with a Posi-Lube-type oiling system and perhaps even an electric start, an updated Arrow could have been a worthy challenger for the top 250 crown.

OWNERS’ CLUB

Ariel Owners Motor Cycle Club arielownersmcc.com

Also join the Ariel Arrow and Leader Group which can be found on Facebook

SPECIALISTS

Draganfly draganfly.co.uk

Things to looks out for:

The frame of the Arrow might be made of pressed steel, but it is stiff and was an advanced design. Damaged frames can be repaired. They can rust around the engine mounts, but this is easily repairable. Ask a seller to remove the dummy tank to check for creasing or other damage.

The frame acts as an airbox. If you decide to repaint it, having it grit-blasted might be worth avoiding. Any sand lodged inside can find its way through the carb into the rebuilt engine and wreck it. Soda-blasting is a better option.

The Burman gearbox is a cassette-type design held in by seven set screws. Ariel specialist Draganfly still has brand-new gearboxes in stock. Cylinder heads get chipped fins. Modern ethanol-based unleaded fuel can burn away at the heads, so using a lead and ethanol treatment additive is a good idea. The crankshaft oil seals are also susceptible to damage from modern fuels, causing poor starting and cutting out. Viton seals should replace these. Care should be taken to release the primary chain tensioner before removing the chain case to avoid breaking the mounting point.

The cast iron barrels are strong, and although the original pistons are not available, for later models a set of new Suzuki 250 X7 pistons can be fitted.

Over the years, the slide will wear out the carb body because the two items are made from the same metal. A worn carb can be refurbished by having the slide bored out and a brass insert fitted. A Bakelite insulating gasket is essential to stop fuel evaporation.

Converting the Arrow to 12v means you can then use electronic ignition, which is a good thing as the points need adjusting every 500-600 miles. Those searching for originality should fit red HT leads and caps and red Doherty grips, if you can find them.

Colours are of variable shades. You may see people asking for paint code details for old British motorcycles, but things were different back then. The paint at the factory was mixed daily, so each day’s production had its own shade. Some of the gold tanks have the lacquer on the outside, while others have it mixed into the paint to give the bike a matt look.

Fans of originality should ensure the wires running to the alternator are inside a silver sleeve, and the cables should also be silver. Hard-to-find parts include the ball-ended control levers unique to the Arrow Super Sports, folding kickstarts, and the chrome cover for the gearbox casing. Inner rear mudguards can rust out. The plywood seats can rot and whitewall tyres are unavailable, but white trim can be fitted.

The cast brakes are not great but are better than the aluminium ones fitted to the early Leaders. Either swap the front one for a drum from a Japanese lightweight, fit softer shoes, or learn to anticipate stopping distances. The operation is affected by the stiffness of the trailing link forks, which don’t dive like telescopic items.

On the road, the handling will do nothing unpredictable, and the lightweight engine means the rider experiences just a little vibration. Rear shocks are not rebuildable, but Ariel did provide a ‘helper spring’ for riders wanting to take a pillion; fitting these can improve solo riding, too.