classic motorcycle forum
Motorcycle Discussions => Identify these bikes! => Topic started by: DBT on October 15, 2009, 01:43:19 AM
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Can anyone help indentify this bike? The picture was taken 1952 in Wales. Thanks for any help
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Its a 500cc 'Sloper' Ariel from the early 1930's. Hard to find nowadays but one any Ariel fancier would give his eye teeth for.
The Ariel sloper range came and went very quickly and I suspect this was solely because of the dreadful economic conditions of the time. The depths of the Great Depression was not the time to introduce a new range of machines. Like everyone else Ariel had to make and sell only those bikes they were absolutely sure the public would buy. There was no room for error. The new Sqare Four stayed but the sloper range didn't.
Thanks for letting us see such a happy family photo.
Cheers,
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I am pretty sure your bike is a 1931 Ariel SF31 499cc 2 valve sloper. The instrument panel on the tank looks 1931 (sticks out of the tank more than a 1932 model), & I think the 2 valve model was discontinued for 1932. Also the rocker box suggests the 2 valves as opposed to the 4 valves. These slopers (45 degrees I believe) were only made for the 1931/2 seasons (autumn 1929 to autumn 1932) & had the cylinder finning running up/down the cylinder.
The LG registration number is a Cheshire issue & was issued from Dec. 1928 through to Nov. 1932.
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Thank you all for the help. That was me sitting on the bike with my grandad. Here is a picture of another one of his bikes probably taken in the 1930's any guesses?