54 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2017
pressure” to stop from 70mph. Adding a passenger “was
definitely too much for them.” An upgrade to a 7-inch
brake was recommended. In spite of that, the Arrow still
won Motor Cycle News’ “Machine of the Year” for 1960.
For 1961, both the Leader and Arrow got new squish-
band cylinder heads, and new iron brake hubs (though
still only 6-inch diameter) that included a new lever/
cam for improved efficiency. And that same year, a Super
Sports version of the Arrow was announced, with a larger
carburetor (a 1-1/16-inch Amal 376 Monobloc), 10:1 com-
pression and 20 horsepower at 6,600rpm. The extra power
pushed top speed to 75mph but still returned 68mpg dur-
ing a 500-mile test.
With the dummy “gas tank” finished in gold, and with
red handgrips, the Super Sports quickly became known as
the “Golden Arrow,” and won Machine of the Year for 1961
— three years in a row for Ariel.
The Leader and Arrow continued with minor changes
through 1964, when a 200cc Arrow joined the range to take
advantage of a cheaper insurance bracket. When produc-
tion ceased in 1965, just 36,000 Leaders and Arrows had
been produced over seven years. For comparison, Vespa
produced 350,000 units of just one model (the 150/150GL)
in roughly the same period. More ominously, in 1964 an
Ariel Leader cost around £225 ($628), while a new Mini
was less than £500 ($1,400) ...What might have been
Valentine Page’s last design for Ariel showed his radical
thinking and anticipation of future trends. It was intended
as a replacement for the Square Four, a luxury tourer with
an under-stressed engine designed for production effi-
ciency and easy maintenance.
In place of the Leader’s 2-stroke twin, Page’s new design
called for a fan-cooled 700cc inline 4-cylinder engine
mounted along the frame and laid flat, with the cylinder
heads on the left. Power fed through an engine-speed
clutch to a car-type gearbox with shaft drive to the rear
wheel. Electric starting was included. Page had effectively
anticipated BMW’s K100 by 20 years!
One prototype was built, which now resides in the
National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, England.Joe Li’s Ariel Arrow
Joe Li of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a
British bike fan with a fondness for the café racing days
of the 1960s. As well as the Arrow here, Joe rides a BSA
A65 Lightning café racer. So why did he set out to find an
Ariel Arrow?
“I’ve been wanting to get a 2-stroke motorcycle, but I
didn’t want Japanese,” Li says. “I watched a 1964 movie,
The Leather Boys, and in it was an Arrow. It really gained my
attention. It just looked so different.
After deciding he wanted one, Li spent months scour-
ing U.K. motorcycle magazines and searching eBay. He
eventually found an Arrow in Wisconsin, but there wasThe fuel filler and the battery are
under the seat. The fuel tank actually
sits inside the pressed steel frame.