Once known for building some amazing British bikes, the Ariel Motor Company name sadly all but disappeared nearly 50 years ago until they released the car-motorcycle hybrid Aerial Atom just a few years ago to rave reviews from the likes of Top Gear.
In many countries the Atom is considered a motorcycle from a legal standpoint due to it’s lack of windscreen and doors which mean that you need to wear a helmet to operate one in many places around the world. At some point between then and now it looks like Ariel have had a thought, why not ditch a couple of wheels and get back in to two-wheel performance?
Based on a Honda VFR1200 engine and swingarm, the Ariel Ace will be available from 2015 in small production batches of around 100 to 150 and can be customised to order with plenty of options. One thing that will come as standard is the fitment of Dunlop motorcycle tyres, and at present the two companies who started their relationship right back in 1895 are testing GP Racer D211 and Qualifier II tyres on the prototype bikes.
Mark Sears, Motorcycle Product Support Manager said: “This is a project that we’re really excited to be involved with, as it’s the latest project from such a renowned British brand.
The fact that the new bike will be launched at Goodwood Festival of Speed is completely in line with our Race to Road philosophy – where we take our experience in motorsport and filter the technology in to our road going products.
Going forward we’re really looking forward to testing with Ariel, making sure that our products complement the bike’s performance and so the setup can be optimised for those tyres.”
Those who attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed at the end of June may have even seen the bike taking part in the iconic Hillclimb where it drew plenty of attention, we’d love to see one up close when they are released too!
