Chatroom - A Motorcycle History Lesson
A lot has been written about the post war bike production and the subsequent loss of the market to the Japanese. A side that is not appreciated is the state of the industrial fabric left over after the end of WW2.
The country was all but bankrupt, all industrial commodities were in short supply, especially steel. The slogan was then, “Export or Die”. The armaments factories had first choice of all skilled man-power, equipment, machine tools and steel, which was strictly rationed to non essential industry. Most of Europe was devastated and needed rebuilding. The pound sterling was no longer the world’s chief currency, the dollar had become that. Both Germany and Japan had dollars and influence poured into them to stem the march of communism. Their industries were all re-equipped with modern machines. GB had to soldier on with what ever it could afford. Not many people in Europe at that time wanted motorbikes, and being termed “Non Essential” there was not a lot of help to re-equip and modernise what was really a cottage industry. Never the less companies like Norton, BSA, and Triumph had a good attempt to get their products on the world markets in the nineteen-fifties and sixties, but they were expensive and not too reliable.
The Italians were the first to get a cheap, reliable package in the form of the Vespa and Lambretta scooters. Enter Mr Honda with his 125 & 250 Dream. The rest is history. One British company had a good stab at dropping the old bike format, Ariel Motors. Gone were the four stroke Red Hunter, the Square Four and others. In came a two stroke twin called “The Leader”. half bike, half scooter. Fully enclosed with tin fairing, (no plastic yet). Pressed steel monocoque frame, white wall tyres, indicators, (a first on a motorbike), built in panniers, fuel tank under the seat, storage in the false tank, two-tone paint work. A clock, pump, adjustable head light! “ Tomorrow’s Bike Today” was the sales advert. Ariel did a national survey to gauge what bikers wanted and the Leader was the result. Strangely, it did sell well. Many owners ditched the fairings and tall wind shield, making the bike lighter and more agile. No slouch on the road, it could out-strip most bikes away from the lights. Its top speed was only about seventy mph though. Eventually Ariel recognised this and came up with the Arrow, a factory strip down which was rather more successful. To the “Rockers” of the day this was still not what they wanted. Although accepted by them as a bike, a “Stink Wheel” (Two Stroke) had to ride at the rear of the pack, the Bullet, Goldie and the Bonnie boys did not like being smoked like a kipper in clouds of blue smoke.
Design meant ball bearings could not be a tight fit leaving the inner track to spin on its shaft, wearing away the steel and leaving the oil seals with double the work to do. Many engines did cover huge miles without overhaul, mine not being one of them. A worthy concept ? I do not think so. Brave attempt, yes. After all, all those, then radical things are on today’s grand tourers, difference being they all work and are reliable.
The basic bike and all its forms was produced for six years before “The House of The Horse,” ie Ariel Motors closed its doors for the last time. For all the 250s faults, I do not think that was bad going.
As for my Arrow, it stands resting in the garage. It gets a few starts during the year, but have to wait for a windy day to disperse the “Fog” or have the neighbours rushing to close windows and doors.
So all you modern bikers, when you don your leathers and helmet, throw a leg over “the saddle”, press the starter and away you go, think how it used to be if you can and all the fun we used to have. De-whiskering the plugs, adjusting the clutch, altering the advance and retard, getting puce-coloured kicking it over and getting kicked back ! When you eventually arrived at the girlfriend’s home, she had a headache.
The Good Old Days.?
(Thank heaven for my Blackbird and its 64,000 joyful miles.)
Ron Foreman