When it comes to historic British motorcycle brands, Ariel ranks as one of the top marquees in the business. Currently lending its name to the insane street-legal go-kart that is the Ariel Atom, which Jeremy Clarkson helped make famous with his big mouth..literally, Ariel boss Simon Saunders has tipped, in a press release about the latest Atom iteration, that the company’s next effort will be of the two-wheeled variety.
Caught testing by the lenses of MCN, the British moto-publication says that the new Ariel will be based around the 1,237cc V4 engine found on the Honda VFR1200F, and have a single-sided swingarm, along with a unconventional front-end — possibly of a girder or Hossack design.
“We’re just about to launch an all new Ariel motorcycle and we want our bikes and customers to be as safe as they possibly can be as well, so this message is important to us,” said Saunders after talking about the time and place to explore the speeds provide by the Ariel Atom. “There’s always one certain loser in a motorcycle collision and that’s the motorcyclist.”
This news is just one of many historic brands that have found their way back into the modern spotlight, as Matchless is also tipped to be making a revival. Add these two British brands to the already recently resurrected Bultaco, Horex, Indian, Saroléa, and Voxan motorcycle companies.
With Ariel’s motorcycle prototype looking like a muscular power cruiser, it will be interesting to see how the machine stacks up to the company’s Atom automobile, which carries some mighty shoes to fill in the extreme transportation category.
Hopefully the Ariel motorcycle design brings something new to the table, and does the historic brand some justice. The motorcycle economy may be slow to recover, but you wouldn’t know it with all the iconic names coming out of the woodwork. Interesting.
Comments