At last! A labour of love which started more than 20 years ago is finally in print...
The Ariel Book tells the complete story of an outstanding marque in British motorcycling history. Written in the main by the man considered to be THE Ariel expert, Roger Gwynn, and illustrated throughout with colour photos, TAB is the definitive guide to the machines from the famous Selly Oak factory.
Photographer Marcus Nikot initially had the idea to produce a journal of every model of Ariel motorbike. As Markus is a primarily a photographer rather than a writer, he asked his fellow Ariel owners for help with the text. Roger, who had been considering writing a book for many years, offered his help.
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‘People often ask me what will happen to my Ariel knowledge when I die,’ said Roger, ‘so it was about time I put it all together in one place.’
Roger founded Ariel spares specialists Draganfly Motorcycles back in the 1970s, after buying an Ariel 650 twin and finding no dedicated place to source the components which are unique to the marque. He spotted a niche in the market and, having always wanted to work for himself, opened a shop. Over the years he has researched everything there is to know about these machines, collating and recording mountains of data and making note of each and every change as the models progressed over the years.
TAB is designed to be a complete and accurate history, with authentic pictorial references for each model. There have been other books written on the subject, but some contained inaccuracies, very few images or only covered a certain stretch of production. TAB is an exhaustive history of the factory and its key players. More importantly, this high-quality volume offers a complete account of every change, no matter how small, to each model.
While Roger acknowledges that there’s no technical data for settings or servicing included (that may come in a second book), TAB is an invaluable resource for restorers keen to know more about their own Ariel motorcycle.
So after 20 plus years of work, to collect and publish the knowledge accumulated over last fifty years of being the expert in Ariels, what does Roger think of the final production?
‘I’m pretty pleased with it.’
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The Ariel Book by Roger Gwynn is published in hardback, 368 pages, with hundreds of colour and mono photos and archive images. Price £44.99 from Draganfly
