Search results
Weight. 500cc: 420 pounds (190 kg) [1] ( wet) The Ariel Red Hunter was the name used for a range of Ariel single-cylinder and twin-cylinder motorcycles. They were designed by the firm's chief designer Val Page in 1932 around an overhead-valve single-cylinder engine he developed six years earlier.
- 250cc, 350cc and 500cc OHV two valve singles
- 500cc: 87mph
- 1932 - 1959
- Val Page, Ariel, and The Red Hunter
- A Black Ariel Becomes The Red Hunter
- The Ariel Red Hunters of The 1930s
- The Wartime Ariels
- The Post-War Red Hunters
- Conclusion
The story of the Ariel Red Hunter began when motorcycle engineer Val Page joined Ariel in 1925, having previously served his apprenticeship with the renowned British engine maker J. A. Prestwich (i.e. J.A.P.). Page had designed the V-twin engines that had powered such iconic British motorcycles as the Brough Superior SS80 and SS100, famous as the m...
It was in 1928 that a freelance motorcycle designer named Edward Turner came knocking on Ariel’s door to see if they were interested in a new and innovative motorcycle engine he had designed. The engine was rather more complex than the single cylinder engines Ariel had been marketing up to that time, it was the “Square Four“, which consisted of two...
The engine of the Ariel Red Hunter featured a cast iron cylinder mated with an aluminum alloy vertically split dry sump crankcase. The crankshaft was supported by two large main bearings lubricated by a plunger type oil pump from the separate oil reservoir: Actual engine capacity was 30 cu. in. (497cc) and the Red Hunter could be ordered with singl...
Once World War 2 was underway Ariel was forced to cease production of motorcycles for the civilian market and instead devote all its energy into the manufacture of dispatch rider motorcycles. These were based on the 350cc Red Hunter but modified for military dispatch rider use. This model was the Ariel W/NG and production began in 1940. The W/NG wa...
By 1945 both the British people, and British industry, had suffered the double whammy of the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Second World War which had taken up the first half of the 1940s. The result was that most manufacturers had been unable to devote any attention to the creation of new models and that when Ariel managed to get back into ...
Ariel were purchased by rival motorcycle maker BSA during the war in 1944. The company entered the postwar era retaining its independence for a time but the BSA influence progressively reduced the Ariel motorcycle’s attractiveness. For example by 1954 the drop dead gorgeous chrome and red paintwork had been replaced with a dull maroon that made the...
Nov 8, 2011 · story and photography by Clement Salvadori. [This Retrospective: Ariel Red Hunter 500cc: 1932 – 1959 was originally published in the February 2011 issue of Rider magazine] Year/model: 1955...
Apr 13, 2018 · 1939 Ariel 250 Red Hunter. April 13, 2018 / in Featured Bike / by karla. Once described as “The Most Exclusive Motor Cycle in the World” the Ariel Red Hunter was indeed the precursor to the world’s most famous trials bike – 11-time successive British Trial’s Champion Sammy Miller’s 1962 Ariel HT5.
Jul 2, 2012 · 2 July 2012. by. Web Editor. 1934 Ariel Red Hunter VH. In the 1930s 250 (LH), 350 (NH) and 500cc (VH) versions followed, then after the cessation of the Second World War, the models returned, minus the 250. Actually, even the early postwar twins were called ‘Red Hunter twins’ such was the popularity of the name among those with a sporting interest.
Jun 12, 2014 · Ariel VH Red Hunter Claimed power: 26hp @ 5,600rpm (est.) Top speed: 85mph (est.) Engine: 497cc air-cooled OHV vertical single, 81.8mm x 95mm bore and stroke, 7.5:1 compression ratio (stock) Weight (w/half tank fuel): 1939; 370lb (168kg)/1947; 350lb (159kg)
Jul 14, 2021 · 500cc OHV single. 1957 ARIEL RED HUNTER. 250cc, 350cc & 500cc air-cooled OHV singles w/rigid frames & telescopic front forks. Check out these ARIEL BOOKS.
