The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Ariel Motorcycles Coming Back?

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New Ariel motorcycle concept drawings
New Ariel motorcycle concept drawings

Simon Saunders is bringing back the Ariel motorcycle, or, more accurately, launching a new motorcycle with the Ariel name. He brought us the now well known Ariel Atom as a track day car something like six or seven years ago. They’ve been thoroughly used and abused, especially those on the high end of the power offerings with 300hp or better in a 1300 pound car with a very basic bit of bodywork to cover the tube frame. Dennis Palatov even made one with a Hartley V8, the 400hp engine based on twin Hayabusa top ends, though the standard car uses a Honda inline 4. But Simon rides motorcyles, too, and he’s planning to build a new run of very limited production motorcycles with the Ariel name.

The £20,000 ($32,800) special, probably Honda powered, will be built to order with various options for handlebars, seat and footpeg placement and, according to Simon, isn’t going to be a superbike, but something much more useful. Like a Motus maybe?

With Saunders’ record of building the Ariel Atom as well as having the financial wherewithal to carry out this project, there’s every reason to believe the Ariel motorcycle will be built. Those drawings are pretty vague so it remains to be seen what the final bike will actually look like and how it will perform, but you can add this to your list of upcoming low production specials.

Link: Pistonheads

Comments

  1. Very interesting.
    It would be very cool if they continued their design philosophy from the Atom over to this proposed bike.
    Minimum weight, medium power and a bare bones approach to creature comforts. Maybe even a return of the superbike killer, like the Atom is to supercars. Though I doubt there would be as big a gain in performance as they managed with the Atom.
    Regardless, there is no shortage of motorcycle design expertise in Britain. Harris, Nitron, Dymag, Lotus to name but a few.
    Who knows…maybe we’ll see the return of the Square 4

    • I was thinking about that, especially since he made the comment about being more useful than a superbike. Maybe he was looking at the Motus “comfortable sportbikes” and thought it was a good idea. We may soon know.

  4. The Atom was a great starting point for our electric car (0-60 in less than 3 seconds), maybe we can do something with the bike too…

    Actually, a V-4 would be more fun and would sound better. I think these days the only thing needed to make any bike more usable is a tubular handlebar. There aren’t any bikes that I know of that aren’t otherwise easy to ride – if that’s the goal. The ability to use the full potential of the bike can not be designed into the bike, that’s almost entirely down to the skill of the rider.

    -todd

  5. MCN reckons that the engines will be Honda sourced, as they are the same as those used in their cars. Not got the copy in front of me, but would be interested to know what Honda engines people fancy?

  7. I hope the conceptual drawings are not indicative of the styling.

    The last thing this world needs is another 2-wheeled insectoid transformer from the planet Zarkon.

  8. There is a company producing motorcycles under the Ariel name in China. These are available in Europe (and maybe the US as well) and according to the website at least, this business is part British owned and managed. The bikes are singles and twins in custom, enduro and super motard styles with some models featuring engines derived from Honda’s four stroke pushrod single CG125. I’m curious what the ownershp of the brand name is and who has rights to it and how that relates to this new project.

    • Interesting. Do you have any more details or a link of some sort?