Although Ariel dates back to 1947, they did not start to make motorcycles till 1902.
Before this, Ariel had produced bicycles and sewing machines.
The company dates back to 1847 when Ariel made an early pneumatic-tyred wheel for horse drawn carriages. The name was revived by James Starley and William Hillman in 1870 when they invented the wire-spoke wheel which allowed them to build a lighter weight bicycle and named it Ariel (the spirit of the air).
They put the name on the factory where they made penny-farthing bicycles and sewing machines. In 1885 Starley invented the Rover Safety Bicycle - a rear-wheel-drive, chain-driven bicycle with two similar-sized wheels, which is essentially the design still used on bicycles today.
Use of the name lapsed but in 1896 it appeared again, this time on motorised transport.
The first Ariel vehicle was a Tricycle that used a 2.25 hp De Dion engine mounted at the rear. More tricycles were produced and quadricycles were added in 1901 as Ariel then moved into car production.
Over the years, the company had financial difficulties including going into recievership in 1911 for a period.
During 1900 to 1915, and 1922 to 1925, they were also involved in producing cars.
The most well known bike produced by Ariel was the "Square Four", with production a run from 1937 to 1958.
The BSA group took control of Ariel in 1944.
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