THIS JUST DROPPED INTO MY LAP...

...well not quite into my lap but it was a great find!

My friend, Caroline, and I had arranged to go out for a “coffee catch up” as we hadn’t seen one another for quite sometime.  We had a lovely time at Jack’s and Caroline kindly picked me up to save me driving - in fact, I only drove for the first time in a couple of weeks last night - so I was very grateful for her kind thought.  We were talking so much - can you believe that - that I totally forgot about a photograph for my today’s Blip!

As Caroline had arrived, a motor bike and sidecar pulled up onto our neighbours’ drive.  When we got back after two hours, we could see why - Mike, one half of our lovely neighbours, was busy soldering something on this Ariel motorbike.  

Of course, I immediately had a blip thought - and asked Dave, the owner, if he would mind if I used it for my Blip today - having explained what I did.  He said that was fine, but it wouldn’t be completed for about another hour.  I told him I could wait and this was the result after they had finished.

You know how much I like to give as much information as possible, so I questioned Dave about his motorbike - he told me it was a 1955 Arial Square Four, originally designed in 1928 and it had been completely renovated to an "as new" standard. Dave said he bought it a year ago, with the intention of taking his wife out, because in their younger days they had been keen bikers.  However, sadly it wasn’t that reliable, and he didn’t know why, but his wife was then loathe to go out because she was afraid they would break down, which was the reason he was now with Mike and they were trying to find out what was wrong and rectify it.

I found out more from Mr. Google and he said “The Arial Square Four went through a major revision in 1953, with a new cylinder head and manifolds, prompting a new sub-model designation, Mark II, which ran from 1953 through Ariel’s final year, 1959. Prior to 1953, both cylinders on each side shared just one exhaust pipe, hence the nickname “2-pipes”. But new intake and exhaust manifolds and the new head gave each cylinder its own exhaust pipe, hence the term “4-pipe” bikes. This 1955 Ariel Square Four of course benefitted from these improvements, which yielded a bump in power to 40 horsepower, allowing a top speed of 100 mph.”  

If you want to read more about the Ariel, have a look here.  Dave did say I was welcome to sit on it and he would take my photograph, but with my legs the way they were today, I didn't think that was a good idea!

After we had finished our lunch, we went back out and they were nearly finished, so I hung around and took more photographs.  All seemed to go well and hopefully the fault has been rectified, then a smiling Dave rode off and a few minutes later, Mike, whose ears were obviously tuned to the sound of this lovely motorbike, heard Dave when he reached the roundabout just behind our houses, so he was smiling too.

A good job done - so thanks Dave and Mike - an enjoyable finish to my morning and a great Blip into the bargain!

“The older I get, the faster I was. 
     There are old bikers and 
          there are bold bikers, 
               but there are no old, bold bikers.”
Evel Knievel : American Stunt Performer and Entertainer