1928 500cc Ariel Model C

[BoschZEV]

It's cheating a little to start this thread here because my rebuild thread is at:

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbth...l-c#Post691207

but there's a lot of interest in the Cannonball among AMCA members. So, as the clock winds down to the start, some people might be interested in what I've been doing to prepare my 1928 Ariel, entry #123. If you check it out you will find I've been documenting the rebuild in a fair bit of detail.

I have plenty of photographs but you might know that six months ago Photobucket screwed up lots of sites by ceasing to host photos. The owner of the Britbike site finally seems close to figuring out how to allow them to be included in threads in a reasonable way, at which point I will add them to my past and future posts.

p.s. I know there are other photo hosting sites but, having been burned once, I'm waiting for a "permanent" solution.

[BoschZEV]

1928 500cc Ariel Model C for the Cannonball

This composite shows the Ariel as I received it last spring compared with the stock bike. The only changes are the seat had been moved back and higher handlebars installed to make it more comfortable for a taller rider. Also, it has the original bulb horn supplied with the bike (which I've since changed for a smaller, louder battery-powered horn).
Ariel002.jpg

Recently, my wife asked me why I was spending so much time working on the Ariel and I answered "I'm completely rebuilding it." She responded with "Why? It was running when you got it." There's a difference between running, and Cannonball-ready. Again, the link to my rebuild thread is:

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbth...l-c#Post691207

[BoschZEV]

British bikes don't get a lot of attention on the AMCA site, but for those who might be interested the Ariel is now back together, started on the first kick(!), and made a few laps of the driveway before going back up on the lift to take care of various details. One "detail" is I was unhappy with how the oil pump is working and, thanks to an Ariel owner in Australia who measured three of his oil pump plungers for me, I've now determined the internal clearance in mine is ~0.001" larger than when it left the factory. While that doesn't sound like much, it's ~5-10x larger than it should be. So, appropriate drill rod is on order for me to make a new plunger. Since I have other things to take care of (e.g. wiring the front light) this "setback" shouldn't cause an actual delay of more than a day or two.

p.s. I have ramps already loaded in the pickup, just in case I need my wife to rescue me on one of my shakedown rides. When I mentioned this to my wife she replied "Oh, jeez, why don't you ever plan a ride on a bike that doesn't need me to rescue you?"

[exeric]

Love your Ariel and very impressed that you have kept it so pure, and true to it's original configuration. I hope you have a great experience, and that you and your Ariel do well.