Ariel

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1870	CREATION	Créeation	Ariel began in 1870 with 48-inch wheeled bikes. The story begins in Birmingham with 2 men, James Starley and his partner William Hillman. They were the first to use steel spoke wheels. They then developed a new all-metal frame to replace the wood.
1897	RACHAT		Cycle Components Manufacturing, headed by Charles Sangster, acquired Ariel Cycle Company.
1898	DATE CLE		In 1898, the first motorized Ariel, a 2.25 hp De Dion motor tricycle, came out of the factories.
1901	DATE CLE		the first motorcycle fitted with a 211 cc Minerva engine.
1902	DATE CLE		Ariel began to use engines purchased from other manufacturers, such as MAG or JAP or licensed products.
1910	DATE CLE		In 1910, the engines were mainly based on the 482cc White and Poppe side valve. Subsequently, Ariel obtained the license and manufactured it until 1926.
1925	DATE CLE		Charles Sangster took over the management. He hires new specialists like Victor Mole, Edward Turner and Val Page, who worked at JAP. Val Page began by designing a more modern engine and the result was already felt at the Olympia Show in London in 1926, where Ariel presented two new models: 550 SV and 500 OHV. The power of these machines is 10.3 kW (14 hp), which makes it possible to reach the maximum speed of 150 km / h. But it was not until 1927 before a valid framework for these engines was finally drawn. This will be the Red Hunter series, which will last until 1959.
1931	DATE CLE		In 1931, another engineer, Edward Turner, created the 500cc Square 4, a square four-cylinder engine with side valves. The Square 4 saw its displacement increased to 600 cm3 in 1932. This model is innovative in its engine architecture, allowing great compactness. The problem with this construction was that the rear cylinders tended to heat up. This model will become emblematic of the brand, but in 1932 the company goes bankrupt, following the crisis of 1929.
1932	DATE CLE		Jack Sangster, son of Charles Sangster, bought Ariel from creditors and the company was renamed Ariel Motors (J.S.) Ltd. Production resumes with vertical single cylinders and the 600 cm3 Square 4. All these engines being mounted in more or less identical frames. At the end of the 1930s, the Square 4 received a tumbled engine of 600 cm3, then of 1000 cm3. In the early 1950s, the 1000cc cast iron engine of the Square 4 was replaced by an aluminum model, the MK1, which was itself replaced in 1953 by a version with one exhaust per cylinder, the MK2.
1944	RACHAT		In 1944, Ariel was incorporated by BSA.
1954	DATE CLE		All Ariel received a new swingarm suspension, except the Square 4 which would keep its sliding frame until the end of production in 1959. the 650 Huntmaster, whose engine was based on that of the BSA A10, made its appearance. The same year saw the release of the 4-stroke 200 Colt. 1958 saw the marketing of the first 2-stroke Ariel, the 250 Leader, the frame of which was fully bodied. In 1960, the Leader was assisted by a more stripped-down version, the 250 Arrow. In the field of competition, the brand will meet with success in trials with its 350 and 500 cm3 HT and in motocross with the 500 cm3 HS. To save weight, the HT models use an all-aluminum motor and a special lightweight frame. These models will achieve victories with riders like Sammy Miller or Ron Langston and the champions of trial in sidecar, Frank and Kay Wilkins.
1959	DATE CLE		In 1959, BSA decided to concentrate its production on popular 2-stroke motorcycles, such as the Leader and the Arrow.
1963	DATE CLE		The Ariel Pixie was released. For this model, BSA prefers to use the engine of the Beagle 50 cm3 whose displacement had been increased to 75 cm3, instead of the tumbled 4-stroke engine originally planned. This machine, expected to counter the new Honda, will not have the expected success. The last model to bear the Ariel name was the 50cc Ariel 3 released in 1969, ironically enough a tricycle, like the brand's first motorized model, from 1898.
1972	FERMETURE		Triumph closed the BSA factory
1999	RACHAT		Ariel Ldt to build cars.