I was having a bit of a clear out over Christmas and I came across these Ariel crankcases which I purchased from an AOMCC committee member several years ago. At the time I was putting together a W/NG and I purchased the cases with the intention of putting a 500cc engine in the bike at a later date, these cases with the broad arrow seemed ideal rather than a later civilian 500cc lump or crank cases.
Anyway I was wondering if anyone on here has ever seen anything like these before. There are some odd stamps on the cases, I don’t recall the frame number being stamped to the engine on my other Ariels.
From memory a search of the Ariel Motorcycles ledgers revealed nothing of this engine or the bike it was fitted to – it was a bit of a mystery.
The engine number CH1287 ties in with the frame number XG9070 for the year 1940 and a 500 or 600cc rigid. Could this be from the Contract B7402, C8882 or C9258?
Thanks
Gerard
Gerard I can't furnish any more information than you have already come up with.
But XG is a W/NG frame number and looking through O&M I can see that there were a couple of test model W/NG's with CH 500 SV engines fitted.
With the frame number stamped on the engine, it's my guess that it's another experimental bike.
Never the less the inspectors stamp on your crank case proves it to be ex WD which give you Carte Blanche to fit it to a W/NG and blow off most other WD bikes
Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com