ariel G special

[george_the_second]

I am restauring a 1930 ariel G two port special 500 OHV
with lucas racing mageto KR 1 and Burman QDH close ratio gearbox and high compression piston.
Is there anybody else with another one for contact?
my picture shows mine waiting for some Chrome parts and finishing
regards Chris

[davebarkshire]

Chris,
That's a very nice looking G you've got there. I've just bought a G myself and am starting to research them. I won't take delivery of mine until December sometime and (bought it over the phone) although it is 'on the road' it isn't completely standard and is a bit ratty. Did you get your silencers from The Czech Replublic? I notice that you're not doing the tank in chrome. Was the tank too damaged? Mine has been converted to foot change but it does have the close gearbox and I've not yet had the engine and frame numbers checked out. When I do get it I'll be interested to see if it has the G head casting and the G roller main bearing cases. I've been looking at the catalogue shots on the AOMCC members library but it's not that easy to see exactly what finish should apply to all the parts. The AOMCC has quite a few knowledgeable people who should know most of the answers. How are you getting on with your restoration since you posted the message?
Regards - Dave

[george_the_second]

Hello Dave sorry that it took a while befoere aswering but hear I am.
I bought mine as a basket case in very bad condition so you are lucky I think, because I had to make a lot of things my own.
The exausts where included so I do not know where they were made but they look and fit nicely on the bike.
The tank was dented on unreachebale places and so I had no alternative but to let it spay.
I just found someone on the internet who claims that there is a proces of spaying in chrome with almost the same effect as chroming ,so maybe in the future I will have the tank redone.
Meanwhile I am so far that I could start the bike, but because of the high compressinpiston the magneto failed to spark strong enough so it is in repair and it will take a while  again for another attempt
I closeby a picture of my "basketcase".
keep me informed about your bike
regards Chris

[davebarkshire]

Chris
It looks like you have had a lot of work to do. I've never heard a bad word said about these machines so it will be worth it in the end. Mine will take me through the usual research channels and I'll probably not do anything dramatic with it until I have sorted out some of the other non runners in the garage which are so close and need that final push. The G is a road legal runner and has been modified (foot change) so I will need to get to know it first and then decide what direction to take. I also need to find out if it is a real G or a Gee'd up F. I know that chroming tanks costs a fortune nowadays but will cross that bridge when I come to it. I got a brand new tank for the 1937 Red Hunter from India which was chromed very well which was much cheaper than having my old tank sorted out. There are plenty of people in the AOMCC who know these machines inside out and they will be able to put me straight. I hope to have the Ariel by the end of December of mid Jan at the latest and will post some photos at that time.
Regs - Dave

[davebarkshire]

and here are a couple of photos...

[george_the_second]

Hello Dave it is a nice bike  as far as I can see on the pics.
You indeed have to work out if it is a G.
The special items of a G are the gearbox(must be QDH letters stamped in the burman shell) in close ratio trim which is difficult to see on the outside although I can see that you have a smaller chrome cover behind the kickstarter which I think is not a QDH.
The gearbox sprocket has to be 21 teeth for topspeed 85 mph, I donīt think I will ever have the nerves to do that but next year I would like to try it out on the spa/francochampscircuit during the centennial.
And the magneto should be a lucas racing one, the KR 1 ( they are almost impossible to find,I know one for sale but it costs 1200 euro, 800 pounds, so you can imagine that I am lucky that I have one.
The magnetochaincover is genuine with SPECIAL on it.
The engine was a no 10 and had G stamped on the side under the cylinderbase and on the other side a no starting with K.
The frame no should start with K as well but they did not match in that time with the engine
I have a list of engineno that should be a G special, got it from the arielclub england.
the metal toolbox looks from a later date, mine, I made myself from a picture, has a leather cover.
The rest of the bike is similar to the F.
It looks in good condition so what you maybe first must do before you start to restore is ride it.
Keep me informed and from Holland a merry christmas and a happy 2008
regards Chris

[davebarkshire]

Chris, Thanks for your comments. Since my last posting I've been speaking to quite a few people about Gs and am absorbing as much information as I can. According to the AOMCC there are 13 known to exist worldwide so they are very rare. I've been told that my G left the works as a proper G but since then as parts have needed replacing some of the G parts have gone. I'm sure that your G will do 80mph as there are a few AOMCC riders who ride their Black Ariels at high speeds and seem to get away with it. I have a 1926 model D which I have taken up to 65mpg and it was beginning to become a little skittish at that speed with the bumps in the road but the engine had much more to give. If you have the list of G serial numbers in electronic format could you email it to me? ( dave@barkshire.co.uk ).  Regards - Dave

[sprocket]

Hi guys', been reading your thread 'coz I'm trying to understand what the difference is between a special G and a square four Is the sq,four, as it's name suggests, a four cylinder model?  I have an old pic of my Grandad on a bike I am told is a sq, four.But it looks to me like the bike you have here,the specialG. Can you put me straight please.  (top photo)

[imgimg]

[cardan]

Your grandad's Ariel is not a Square Four (which not only has four cylinders, but they are arranged in a square!), but a single cylinder fitted with two high-level exhaust pipes. I think you'll find that it's a bit later than the Model G, but I'll leave more details to an Ariel expert.

The lower photo is a Francis Barnett two stroke, probably late 1920s. Their motto was "built like a bridge" because the frame was made from straight tubes bolted together, triangulated for strength. It is said that the frame would fit in a golf bag...

Leon

[davebarkshire]

Leon is right. Your Ariel is not a square 4 but it is a Red Hunter from about 1936 with twin exhausts. I can't see from the photo whether its a 350 or a 500cc but it could be either. You can see some photos of one of these at this url... http://www.barkshire.co.uk/bikes/ArielNH1937.htm

The square 4 machines came in for the 1931 season and had an engine configuration that is described by the words 'square four'.

The lower bike does look like a 'Built like a Bridge' Francis Barnet but I don't know anything about 'Franny Bs' so maybe there is an expert on the forum who can tell us.

--------------------

When we're talking about a gspecial or special g what we actually mean is a 'Model G' which was made by Ariel in 1930 only. The word 'special' was engraved in the timing chest cover as the engine was quite sporty and had a lot of special parts that were not found on any other models. This engine was known as the 'Type 10'. You can see more photos of my G here http://www.barkshire.co.uk/bikes/Ariel1930ModelG.htm

[sprocket]

Thanks, you've been very helpful. Just wish I had some better photo's.  Thank's for the links too.Interesting site.