The Ariel 3 was a
tricycle
A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle.
Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...
moped
A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typic ...
produced by the
BSA factory in the UK. The Ariel 3 was a sales flop whose £2M development cost contributed significantly to the demise of BSA.
Even the Ariel 3's promotion was ill-conceived, the sales slogan being "Here it is - whatever it is!". Cohn Atkinson attributes its failure to a remote management at BSA who "didn't even like bikes" and who "made the most appalling decisions" on production and marketing.
Design
The engine was a Dutch Anker
2-stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
, situated between the rear wheels. The pressed-steel forward section of the frame, supported by torsion bars, could swivel to enable the rider to lean the vehicle into bends like a motorcycle.
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
item. There was a similar front drum brake. A true moped, the Ariel 3's engine was started by first pedalling and then releasing a decompressor trigger. The rider could assist the little motor on hills by pedalling. The six volt headlight was single beam, with no dip. There was no rear suspension.
See also
*List of Ariel motorcycles
This is a list of Ariel Motorcycles.
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Model
! Year
! Notes
, -
, Ariel
,
, 325 cc
, -
, Ariel 3.5 hp
, 1913
, 499 cc, single-cylinder side-valve four-stroke
, -
, Ariel V-twin
, 1915
, 700&nb ...
References
Mopeds
Ariel motorcycles
Motorcycles introduced in 1970
Two-stroke motorcycles
{{motorcycle-stub