The Arrival

I don't place much stock in omens, but it was absolutely pouring down with rain when I got the call the from Matthew the Truckie that he would be dropping the bikes off today. It was Monday, 9th of June at about 8am and I was on the bus to work, so I jumped off at the next stop into a veritable thunderstorm, got absolutely drenched and caught the next bus home. Matthew said he would be there at 10am and he damn well arrived spot on the dot. It was big rig and the bikes were packed in the middle so it took a lot of shuffling and reshuffling by his packing crew to unload the bikes. Well, not exactly bikes, more boxes of bits and things really. One of the guys asked me, "what the hell are you gonna do with all this junk?" (sounds a lot like something my wife would say). "I'm planning on restoring them.", I replied. He looked dubious. I guess I looked dubious too.

The Heinkel and boxes - rain-spatted and fresh from the truck assembled on the porch

The Heinkel came in 8 boxes (including the chassis and panels). Of course I knew what I was getting when I bought it, but it was still a bit of a shock to see it right there in pieces on my front lawn. The Troll was shipped whole of course, and Matthew hopped on it and coasted it down the ramp. I was really excited as I wheeled it down the driveway but it wasn't long before the full realization of what was ahead caught up with me. A quick once over of the Troll revealed numerous "challenges" to be resolved before it has any chance of getting on the road. While parts of the body are in very good nick, other parts are very badly worn. It needs a damn good panel beating. The body however is the least of the bike's problems. The throttle was broken, it's missing its indicators, the front brake is partly seized I think and new cables are required. I suddenly felt completely daunted by the prospect of all the work ahead.

Fortunately, the thunderstorm had passed just long enough to unload the bikes. The Heinkel boxes were packed under my porch and the Troll was parked in the driveway. I took a couple of photos and then I headed off to work. My wife messaged me on the way to hear how it all went. I sent her a couple of photos. I was expecting Shelly to be extremely dubious, but she said the Troll looked really cool - whether it was running or not. That was a relief.


After the rush was over I began to think clearly again began planning out all the activities that I needed to do. I had originally hoped to have the Heinkel ready by November - six months! Clearly that was unrealistic. I now don't expect to have the Heinkel ready before the middle of 2009. The Troll will be priority for now.

Unfortunately rain and work commitments during the week prevented me from carrying out a proper appraisal of the Troll, nevertheless, I spent the rest of the week searching the internet for IWL parts. There seems to be is a surprising amount of spares available from German scooter/motorcycle retailers. I ordered a complete set of new cables, new wiring, indicators and rubber seals (the seals on the engine covers are perished in several places. It will be two or three weeks before they arrive.



Saturday turned out to be a stunning autumn day - sunshine, blue skies and pleasant warm humidity so I began my first official survey of the bikes. Firstly the Troll:- apart from the problems with the front end, the vehicle seems to be in fairly good condition. The engine seems clean (not really a gauge of how well it runs I know). Some of the wiring looks a bit old and frayed, but I'm going to get all that replaced.

I unpacked all of the Heinkel boxes and - just to get a picture of what is and isn't there - did a bit of a dry reassemble on the lawn. When the Heinkel was delivered I was surprised not to see any wheels. There was only one single wheel packed among the boxes and that turned out to be the Troll's spare. I couldn't see how the Heinkel's wheels could have fitted into the boxes. But they did. Two 8inch wheels and four tyres. They look so diminutive and it immediately made me wonder. Was this really a 103A?? Turns out no. It's actually a 102A-1, confirmed by the ID plate - chassis no 134084 built in Stuttgart in 1955. 17,500 102A-1's were built between 1953 and 1955. Mine was obviously built towards the end of the run. The main difference between the 102 and 103 was the move to 10inch wheels to improve road handling.

As promised, there were two engines in the boxes, both dismantled. Some of the parts looked quite new, others were frighteningly bad condition - the clutch for example. There is a lot of work to do. Things I've identified as missing so far - exhaust, rear shock absorbers, suspension, axle and mudguard, gear change and throttle controls and probably a lot more. After the review I packed all the boxes up again and have stored the Heinkel for now. I've sent my membership off to the Heinkel Club Deutschland and am awaiting the parts and price list. Once I have that I'll begin sourcing the parts.

It's clear the old Heinkel has had quite a varied life. It was originally black but was hand-painted it's current gaudy red and blue. Its original seat has gone and been replaced by a sheet foam glued to marine ply. That'll need to go too.

The Work Begins

I haven't had much opportunity to work on the bikes over the past couple of weeks so I haven't really had much to report.

The Heinkel

While I'm concentrating on the Troll, I haven't really done very much with the Heinkel. It is currently wrapped and boxed up on my veranda. I have however been busily scouring the Internet for parts, which is both challenging and interesting.

Last week my membership to the Heinkel Club Deutschland came through. Membership costs E60 per annum and members are allowed to purchase spare parts directly through the club. Link: http://www.heinkel-shop.de/

The Troll

The Troll has been my priority since it arrived and I must admit I'm quite enamored with it. I'm amazed at the amount of spare parts available on the Internet. Here's a summary of all the parts I've sourced so far:

From Sausewind @ http://www.sausewind-shop.com/

Sausewind supply a wide range of parts for old East German vehicles. There website does not cater easily for non-European orders, however, I contacted them directly by email and they were prepared to ship parts overseas, although they did take quite a long time to respond, but more on that later. They are shipping:

1 set of ox-eye indicators (for handlebar ends)

A full set of brake, clutch and accelerator bowden cables, etc;

A set of hood rubber piping (new).

Total cost = E93

From TKM Racing @ http://www.tkm-racing.com/index.htm

TKM Racing supply a wide range of new and old scooter and motorcycle parts, including East German vehicles. They are shipping:

1 full set of electrical cabling for a Troll (they have kits for all IWL models)

Total cost = E45

From MT Superbikes (aka EMWService) @ http://www.ebay.de/

Selling a variety of East German new and used bike parts through German eBay. They are shipping:

1 x set of ox-eye indicators (a spare set)

1 x throttle kit

Total cost = E36

I've also managed to source several other parts, such as keys and lock mechanism for the glove box (currently broken).

None of the German vendors I've dealt with appear to get very much overseas business. Only one business accepted credit card for payment, which has meant it's a little difficult to send them the money. I'm currently sending it electronically direct to their bank accounts (seems a preferred method in Germany). So far the process has not been too difficult or expensive, but I've only transferred funds this way twice so far.

The general response to date to my queries has been incredulity. People just don't believe that there are IWL vehicles overseas - at least not in Australia. On one occasion the vendor refused to believe there were any Trolls in Australia, so I sent him a picture (not that he would be able to tell it was in Australia). This got me thinking - how many Trolls were in Australia? I spoke to Klaus and he knew of at least six. He owns two, he's sold two (one to me) and there were two imported in Adelaide. Although it's not conclusive, it certainly seems that the Troll is a rare machine in Australia. One of the sellers on eBay I had contacted asked me whether I'd bought the bike from him as he'd sold one to an Australian and he was very interested to find out how she was going.

Fun with Petrol

When I bought the Troll Klaus had warned that the petrol tank and carburetor needed to be thoroughly cleaned. On Saturday I added a little petrol tank and opened the petrol tap and sure enough nothing moved. So I removed and dismantled the fuel tap. It seemed every space within it was encrusted with lead and sludge.

After a damned good soaking I finally cleared the petrol tap. Underneath the tap (pictured above) is a rubber seal with three nipples through which the petrol flows. When I first viewed the seal I thought it was simply a flat seal as the nipples were completely filled with very solid black aggregate. I had to lever out the gunk with a very small screwdriver - carefully so as not to damage the rubber, which was in surprisingly good condition. The tap is now cleaned and fully functional. The Saturday I'll see if we can actually get the petrol to flow into the carburetor.

I installed the battery and tested the flow through the wiring. Despite the dodgy appearance of the wiring almost everything electrical seems to work, except of course the indicators, because they've been removed. The brake light too had been severed. All this wiring will be replaced when the wiring kit arrives.

1964 IWL Troll TR1 brochure

Whenever I tell people my scooter is called a Troll they look at me like I'm a little crazy. But no, it is called a Troll. It's actually a very Germanic contraction of two words - Touring Roller, or as we would say in English, touring scooter. T-Roll 1. All very simple. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2019/09/east-german-iwl-scooters.html

Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride 2023 Photos

The Distinguished Gentlemen's charity ride was held around the world on Sunday 21st May 2023. There was a ride in Perth from Wireless Hill in Applecross and members of my club, the KBG, decided to attend. Here are a few photos from our pre-ride coffee meet.

A stunning BMW with original German Steib sidecar.

Steib!

Durkopp Diana scooter

Lambretta LD and my DKW RT250-H

BMW

IWL Berlin scooter from East Germany

Some dapper gents and ladies gather around the machinery

The IWL is a beautiful machine. Behind is a Jawa 350 from Czechoslovakia

Jawas were a popular export around the world. 

IWL Berlin. This is the predecessor model to my IWL Troll. It is powered by the same 149cc MZ motorcycle engine.

I opted to drink my coffee and bid the team adieu.

And out on the road. Peter on his BMW

Dusan on his Jawa

Richard on the Durkopp with Jon on another BMW

Jim is loving the Berlin

Lenny in the BMW outfit.

Troll - On the road

The Troll overlooking Perth

Having sorted out the starting problem with help from members of the IWL Stadroller forum I've been keen to take the Beast out at every opportunity. I've got a very busy schedule over the next couple of weeks which will seriously eat into my aimless scootering time and any week now the weather is likely to turn and the scootering season will be over for another year. I'm not a fan of riding in the wet. Apart from the discomfort factor, my only real motorcycle accident happened while riding in the rain and, well, once bitten, twice shy. Today I took the Beast on a 50km ride from Fremantle, up the coast to Cottesloe Beach, then along the northern side of the Swan River to Kings Park overlooking the city, then back to Fremantle via the southern side of the River.

The Troll's biggest handling problem remains its lack of stability in the wind and today was particularly windy. It can be a struggle keeping the Troll under control in a crosswind, which meant very cautious handling, especially along the coast. Nevertheless, apart from almost being run off the road twice by impatient car drivers it was a pleasant trip. For comfortable riding the Troll is light years ahead of the Vespa.

Here's a couple of videos of the Troll in action.

Troll Update - So close... Electronic Ignition

Well, last week it turned out all things weren't quite as equal as I'd hoped. Two problems had arisen that prevented Ivo and Roberto finishing the Troll -
a) the stator was no good, and:
b) the foot brake bowden cable didn't fit.

Fortunately neither of these are insurmountable problems. Powerdynamo in Germany manufacture replacement ignition / generator systems for many German vintage vehicles. It only took a day to turn around the order and they are shipping a new 12 volt generator system directly to the Vespa shop. All up this is something of a blessing. IWL and MZ had to make do with rather weak and unreliable 6 volt electrical systems that only got worse with age so Powerdynamo's 12 volt conversion kit comes highly recommended by other IWL and MZ riders. The kit basically replaces the entire original "lichtmachine" and regulator and comes with all the necessary wiring. The kit is being airfreighted so I'm expecting it to arrive late this week.

The bowden cable however is something of a problem. The new replacement is 112 cms while the original is 100 cms. The original is in pretty bad condition so we're not really keen to use it. Attempts to contact the suppliers in Germany haven't been so successful, but (in desperation) I have managed to secure a second hand bowden from another Troll. It too is being airfreighted and hopefully it will solve the problem, but then again it is second hand and there is no guarantee that it won't be in any better condition than my original. Gotta take the chance though.

So, if all things go well (crossed fingers) and both the generator and the bowden arrive on time as expected... we could ... COULD be looking at completion by the end of March!

A Quick Update
Having only ordered the new generator on Thursday evening you can imagine my surprise when I logged into my emails at work on Monday and found a status update from UPS advising me that my package had been unexpectedly delayed at Perth Airport due to a quarantine inspection. Excuse me? Already? Definitely. The package had already travelled from Berlin to Cologne to Mumbai to Bangkok to Singapore and was now here in Perth. At 8.41am Monday morning it had just been released from quarantine inspection and would shortly be dispatched from the UPS office. Talk about speedy delivery. Although it turns out this is the normal service Powerdynamo use I can't help but be impressed. Some parts I've ordered have taken over three months to reach me from Germany so even in the best case scenario I was expecting it to be week.

And the bowden cable? Turns out I was sent the replacement bowden for a Berlin which is 15 cms longer than that of the Troll. It wouldn't be the first time I was sent Berlin parts that didn't fit. These include a tacho bowden and a whole Berlin exhaust system, which, given that it completely doesn't fit a Troll was something of a disaster for me. It was too expensive to ship back to Germany for a refund so I've ended up keeping it. If you're in Australia and you need a new Berlin exhaust, I've got one for you - it hasn't even been unwrapped.

So, I've managed to find the correct bowden and I've ordered from a different vendor this time. Only problem is I couldn't complete the order online so it's back to polite, poor German emails. I hope they respond quickly....

Three on the road

Happy days! I have now have three of my four bikes on the road. In April I took the Ariel over the pits, but as I reported back then it didn't go well. The first thing I did after that debacle was to order a Pazon ignition system from New Zealand (link http://www.pazon.com/) and some replacement pistons and rings. When we got into the engine however, the current pistons, rings and barrels, proved to be in great condition so we didn't replace them. The Pazon system immediately improved performance and made for reliable starting.

I decided that I would go with a concessional license and booked an inspection through the Vintage Motorcycle Club. It was a bit of a nerve wracking exercise because it was quite a ride out to the club in Forrestfield and I'd had almost no practice riding her on the road. I took it really slow, which certainly p*ssed off some drivers. My greatest concern was braking. The front brake is almost useless, barely able to slow the bike, but when used in combination with the footbrake it works okay. But only just okay.

The engine ran well but the gear change was sloppy, crunching in first and second, but third and fourth felt soft and it was often hard to tell which gear I was in. It will take a bit of practice to get the changes right. That all said, the Leader is a smooth ride. Its low centre of gravity makes it feel very stable on the road. It also corners well, although I didn't take any at speed.
The inspection was relatively quick and painless. I was a little more confident on the ride home and pushed her up to 50 miles per hour. Pleasingly she didn't lose speed running up the hill near my house, unlike the Troll and Vespa, which always struggle. Now I'm just waiting on the registration process. I'm crossing my fingers there aren't any more 'bureaucratic' challenges!

Update - 3 August 2010. My paperwork from the Department if Infrastructure and Transport stating, as we already knew, that there is no record of the Ariel being imported since the introduction of import restrictions in 1989. So, here we go. Let's hope this is the last hurdle.

The Troll

And the Troll is now back after six months off the road. The last time I'd ridden the Troll was before New Years Day, when she broke down. Because the kick starter had jammed and would not budge I suspected the piston had seized. Fortunately that proved not to be the case. Both the clutch arm and kick starter had come out of alignment and it only took a bit of pushing and pulling to set them right. A few fixing bolts and washers should keep them together. The leaking petrol tap was replaced, the carburetter cleaned and the old IWL air filter was disconnected and replaced by a new modern one (below). The transformation in performance has been incredible. She fires up on the first or second kick every time now. Amazing!

And finally.. FINALLY.. I was able to secure an IWL badge for the headstock. It's a trivial thing really and a bit battered up, but it these things are very hard to find. So now she is complete.

So it looks like I'm going to have lots of riding choices this summer to do things like this..

And this...

Beginning at the Beginning

Perhaps it wasn't the most well thought through idea, but a couple of drinks certainly added to my sense of enthusiasm. I don't remember who mentioned it first as I wasn't involved in the initial discussion, but I did overhear the word "scooter" and my interest was sparked. Apparently we were all going to buy scooters - the retro looking Vmoto Milan in fact, because it looked so cool. "I'll be in that.", I said. There were six of us and someone said they could get us a deal for a bulk purchase. We all drank to the idea, but the plans never really made it past that night. Sober heads prevailed.

I was quite disappointed at the time. I had really wanted the scooter, but almost a year later, at another party with the same crew a new opportunity presented itself. One of our entrepreneurial friends, who seemed to have his fingers in many different pies, announced he would be importing nine restored Vespas from Indonesia. At this time, there were few Indonesian scooter restorations on Australian roads and the underlying problems with the vehicles were largely unknown. Deals were struck, money was exchanged, and a vehicle was purchased.

It took a lot longer than anticipated for the scooters to arrive. Two months became three, then became six. As I'd committed to pay only when the bike had passed pit inspection and been certified roadworthy, my bike had already received an extensive overhaul after it arrived in Perth. It inevitably however, it broke down shortly after I took possession, but our friend fulfilled his promise and had it repaired at his own expense. Now, almost a year after the bikes first arrived, only three (including mine) are actually on the road. Three are still in the shop but almost ready to go and the remaining three haven't even been looked over yet.

My bike is a beautiful vehicle. It is a cream 1963 Vespa VBB. I bought it as a local runabout- a means of getting up to the shops or down to the beach - not as a daily commuter vehicle. Unfortunately, due its initial mechanical unreliability I haven't had enough time to become familiar with the peculiar idiosyncrasies it shares with all vintage machines. In March, through rider error, I had a little accident with the bike, forcing a return to the shop for more work. Initially the diagnosis was minor - a sheared bolt on the front shock. It was fixed in matter of hours, but the fix highlighted a number of other problems. It was ironic actually as I would have taken it back to the mechanic to have the steering re-examined anyway, as the front end tended to shudder disturbingly as soon as the bike reached 60 kph - not a very comforting feeling! In the last four weeks the entire front end of the bike has been taken apart and put back together, and then taken apart again. The interior workings of the steering column has revealed some dubious Indonesian makeshift repairs, including inserts of tin can shims. Sam from The Scooter Centre (ph -93710812, 82 Beechboro Road, Bayswater) has been very patient.

A New Opportunity

When I bought the Vespa, I must admit that Piaggio and Lambretta were the only classic scooter manufacturers I knew, but my eyes were soon opened to the variety of interesting machines out there. From the moment I saw my first Heinkel, with its unusual fixed nose-wheel faring I thought, that is my dream scooter. But there seemed to be few if any available in Australia, although clearly there were plenty in Germany, where many were still used as daily commuters. They were not especially expensive in Germany, but the cost of shipping one over, untested, seemed a little extravagant. So I parked the Heinkel dream and concentrated on the Vespa. And then....

In Melbourne, Klaus Wolf of the Retro Scooter Palace, needed to clear some space in his garage and posted some fifteen rare and unusual scooters on eBay. All were restoration projects in various states of repair. Among them was the 1954 Heinkel 103A-0. It was described as being complete, but in pieces. The price was cheap but also indicative of the amount of work that the new owner would be required to do. My immediate thought was that this would be too difficult for me, a novice scooter enthusiast, so I let it go. But every day I checked into eBay to watch the progress of the auction. There were some truly exceptional scooters on offer, but interest seemed slow. I also continued my research into the Heinkel, the availability of spares, the complexity of its engineering, and the relative costs of transporting the scooter to Perth. On the last day of the auction there were still no bids for the Heinkel. I was in a quandary. Should I do it?? I went for a long kayak on the Swan River, weighing up the pros and cons. I decided if no one else was interested I would bid and later that night, with still no other bidders, I placed the minimum bid. The next day the Heinkel was mine.

It was a daunting prospect! It was now time to put my money where my mouth was. I hadn't mentioned any of this to my wife, and I know exactly what she would say. Hmmm. It was gonna take some special pleading to convince her. Which is why I'm also at a loss to explain what I did next. Klaus and I exchanged a lot of emails and messages to arrange the transport of the Heinkel, but my initial quote fell through when the transport company refused to pick up the bike. This was a spanner in the works! Klaus thought he could find me a better deal if the consignment was bigger. Did I know of anyone else in Perth who would be interested in one of his bikes. We could share transport costs. I asked him to sent me the inventory of the remaining bikes he was selling and before the week was out - against all better judgement - I'd bought a second rare bike - an East German IWL Troll. At least the Troll was intact and supposedly running.

So, in the space of four weeks my scooter plans have completely changed. Next week I should have the Vespa after it's extended convalescence. I am hoping that the steering will now be completely fixed and it will be safe to drive on the roads. It will still be my local runabout. When the German bikes arrive, I'm intending to quickly go over the Troll, install its new battery, clean the fuel system and get it running.

The Heinkel will be my restoration project. I intend to fully strip the bike back and rebuild it. I'd like to get it finished by November for my 40th birthday, but I'm not entirely certain that's possible. I love vintage vehicles - my great uncle, Percy Markham, had a large collection of vintage cars that he donated to the WA Museum - but I am not such a purist that I'll be trying to restore the Heinkel to factory condition. I'll play it by ear. If it make sense to use replacement parts in the restoration, I'll do so. I want the bike to functional and safe, not a museum piece. When the Heinkel is finished then I'll undertake a proper restoration of the Troll.

The history of my 1958 Ariel Leader

Some settings in Blogger changed recently which has required me to go back through the posts and adjust the photo settings. It has been something of a trip down memory lane. I started this blog way back in 2008 in order to document the restoration of my Heinkel Tourist scooter. Ironically, I never completed that project and the Heinkel was sold off many years ago, replaced by many other projects I could never have envisaged at the time.

The story of my 1958 Ariel Leader was scattered across a dozen or so posts but I've never consolidated the posts into a single story - until now. 

My journey started with the purchase of a vintage Vespa scooter in 2007. The Vespa led to an excursion into the world of German scooters with the Heinkel Tourist and IWL Troll. After the Troll was restored and while I waited for parts for the Heinkel, it was inevitable that I began looking at motorcycles. My interest had been drawn to unusual English vintage bikes and I found myself increasingly enamored of the unique styling of the Ariel Leader, but it was quite a rare bike in Australia.  Several came up for sale around the $6-$7K, most languishing for many months.

In the back of the Motorcycle Trader there was an advert for an Ariel Leader at $4000. It had come from a deceased estate. The bike was in rural Victoria. The advert had been running for almost twelve months before I decided to reach out to the seller. The seller, Barry, from the Vintage Motorcycle Swap Shop, sent me a letter with details about the bike and provenance and this photograph, because that was the way things were done in the days before everything became internet based. Being the impulsive buyer I am, I sat on the information for a couple of months while I considered my options.

After many months of considering whether I should or should not go ahead with this purchase, I ended up calling Barry and we talked for some time. He said the bike was running but would need some tidying up to get back on the road. He sent me a recording of the bike running and it sounded good. I still demurred. The money I would be spending on this was earmarked for the Heinkel restoration. A month or so later Barry called me again to tell me he'd just turned away a potential buyer for the bike because 'he knew' I was the right person for this machine. When I told him I didn't have the money spare at the moment, he was alright with that. Just pay me over a couple of months, he said. That decided me. We 'shook hands' on the deal.

So I paid him off over a couple of months. Barry organized transport and boxed up the bike. It arrived while I was on holiday overseas so my brother kindly collected it for me. I forgot to tell him that the packing frame was only to protect the bike while in transport and the bike could be removed from it. Instead he and his girlfriend manhandled the bike in its frame onto the back of his ute! It was not a pleasant experience.



After we got back from holidays it took several weeks of cajoling to convince my brother to bring the bike around. It wasn't until he arrived with the bike, still in its transport frame that I realized what he'd done. Sorry Craig! So we jumped up with a couple of spanners, removed the frame and wheeled the bike off the ute. He agreed that was a much easier way to move the bike.

Of course, when I saw the bike in the flesh it was its condition was worse than I had expected. However, a good wash and polish wiped away several decades of filth and dirt and then she began to look a little better. Nevertheless, the upper surfaces of all the grey panels had surface rust. I did not want to lose the bike's patina, especially the custom pin striping, but I eventually had several of the badly rusted side panels and the front mudguard resprayed. The rest I left 'as is.'

After cleaning her up I popped in a six volt battery, connected the terminals and switched on the ignition. The ammeter on the dash immediately sprung into life. I turned on the headlight and it worked perfectly. Great! Deep down I wanted to immediately pour in some petrol and give her a crank, but I restrained myself and saved that for another day.

After I had cleaned the bike down I checked under the seat to confirm the engine and chassis number. When I bought the bike I was informed that the chassis number was T286A and the bike had been built in 1961. When I sent these details to the Ariel Club in the UK they advised I was missing at least two digits. I sent them a photo to confirm the number and they replied with the surprising news that my bike is one of the very first batch of Leaders built in 1958. The first 100 bikes were prototypes and test and demos, with proper production starting in July 1958 with bike number 101. This means that my bike is the 185th production Leader ever made, making it one of the oldest surviving Leader's known. I know of two earlier numbers. Unfortunately, the Ariel dispatch records for the period 1958 to 1960 have been lost so I can't confirm who the original owner was and when it was purchased. As two other very early Leaders have also turned up in Australia, I suspect that that a dealer in Melbourne had placed a pre-order with the factory and these were dispatched before the bikes formally went on sale in the UK. Of course, without the records, it's impossible to know for sure, but it makes sense as a working theory.

Over the next couple of weekends I went over the engine, cleaned and re-lubricated, checked the clutch and gearbox, check over the brakes, flushed the fuel tank, cleaned the carburetor and airfilter and rewired the stop light.

To get to the engine and 'guts' of the Leader, you need to remove the side panels. This is actually not that difficult on the left side. There are six large screws holding the panel in place. These can easily be removed with a 20c piece, in lieu of a screwdriver. Maneuvering the panel around the footrests is a little tricky. The right hand side requires removing the clutch pedal. The rear body can be lifted up easily after the braces attached to the rear of the exhaust is removed.


After a weekend of fettling produced no result I contacted Barry for more advice. Barry gave me a couple of tips to try and I tried again the following weekend. So on Saturday I started again.
Instructions for new owners said the Ariel should only require two priming kicks before starting on the first 'live' kick. I wasn't expecting anything like that but thought I would try it anyway, so before each 'live' kick I did two soft prime kicks. Initially it made no real difference. For the first 10 minutes I sweated over the kickstarter and the engine sounded as lifeless as ever. But then it began to cough. It spluttered out after one or two revolutions for probably the next 10 minutes so I replaced the spark plugs and then ... Bang! She started. I was surprised at how smooth the engine sounded after twenty years, but boy did she generate smoke!

Once the engine was running I took her for a few short test runs. The gearbox was glugged up with oil but degreaser and then fresh oil got it moving again. A few more things were necessary to get the bike on the road. The bikes 1970s tyres were replaced with new whitewalls. the Leader came with whitewalls as standard. The guys at the Vespa Shop in O'Connor fitted the tyres. I also wanted indicators fitted so purchased a set of Lucas replacement indicators. These were not original type but the Leader indicators are impossible to find these days and they looked good enough. Unfortunately, the Leader's electrical system is reverse polarity to modern motorcycles, so the flasher unit I had bought would not work. 

The Vespa Shop gave her the once over and everything seemed good. The indicators were removed as they would not have passed inspection. I planned to reinstall them once I'm found a new flasher unit. I took the morning off work to take her over the pits. The bike started up easily and ran well, but I was very nervous riding her. I struggled with the right hand gear change and almost constantly knocked myself out of gear every time I tried to brake. Without indicators I felt very unsafe.

Despite this, the bike was pleasant to ride. Despite her weighty appearance she is light and sprightly and can maneuver tightly. I can fully understand why the Leader was voted Best New Motorcycle in 1959. All of the contemporary reviews I've read have expressed surprise and delight at her handling. It was just a matter of time to acclimatize to the controls.

So I queued at the inspection centre where there was a lot of interest in the bike. Several old guys came over and we all had a long conversation about Ariel Square Fours. Then the inspection got underway and I had to remove the side panels, which was time consuming. The bike had been sitting almost an hour when we tested the electrics and there was immediately a problem. The headlight, so bright earlier in the morning, faded out. I suggested we run her and get the charge back up, but she just wouldn't start. After two hours exhausting myself trying to get her started I called Ivo and he and Roberto drove around to the centre. I did get her running eventually and rode her around the yard for half an hour to warm up, but she died again as soon as I stopped (Update - I now know that the proble was failing to turn off the petrol tap, resulting in the engine flooding. There was also a voltage leak somewhere in the system). We fiddled around with it for another half an hour but the spark was gone. We thought it was a problem with a coil as one cylinder would spark but not the other, so then it was back to the shop. As soon as a new battery went in the Ariel jumped back to life so I rode it back to the inspection centre. Things then took a problematic turn.

I'd bought the bike from a dealer, who picked it up from a deceased estate, where it had been sitting for decades in a shed. It had not been licensed since the 1970's. But I was now told that unless there is record in the national database, they could not register the bike. The national database goes back to 1990, so unless I could get the original registration papers, they would not inspect the bike. All of this later proved to be untrue; it was just the inspector being a bastard, as some of them are wont to be. But it sure did cause me a lot of problems and angst. I had spent the best part of an entire day at the inspection centre debating with people who only wanted to present problems, not solutions.

On the ride home things didn't get better. I took the backstreets as I didn't want to ride in peak hour traffic but as I reached the main roads near my house the engine started backfiring and smoking like a steam train again. People were pointing at me as I rode past, probably assuming the bike was on fire.  I began to suspect that my decision not to rebuild the engine was a little foolish, but in the end it proved to be okay. The engine was actually fine, I was just burning off decades of old oil residue. But I did decide that the electrical/ignition problems needed to be sorted out and I purchased a Pazon electronic ignition. Pazon in New Zealand manufacture electronic ignition sets for many popular vintage motorbikes. Their website is here: http://www.pazon.com/


After the licensing debacle I was forced to change tack. I was denied the ability to license the bike on full registration, leaving the only option as concessional licensing through a club. I joined the Vintage Motorcycle Club of WA and went through their inspection process. They accepted all the paperwork and passed the bike, although suggesting I get the front brakes improved. The front brakes on the Ariel Leader had been reported as weak since the bike was unveiled in 1958. Enthusiasts have tried and recommended numerous enhancements and improvements ever since, none being entirely reliable. The guys at the Vespa Shop machined the front brake shoes.

Once the bike was licensed and on the road I enjoyed riding it for several years. Once the electronic ignition was installed it regularly started on first or second kick, something it still does. I had the replacement indicators reinstalled after I obtained the reverse polarity flasher unit.

While the front indicators were pretty good, the rear indicators, which are located quite low, proved hard to see, especially in daylight. In the end I replaced the traditional festoon bulbs with LEDs supplied by Auto Lumination. To my great joy they had 4.4cm 6 volt festoon globes that slotted straight into my repro Lucas indicators. Their website is here: http://www.autolumination.com/



On New Year's Eve 2012 while riding on very, very hot day on the freeway at about 70 mph, the engine spluttered and smelt of burning. I slowed down and the engine settled enough to get me home. The Leader continued to run without any ill effects for several months until February 2013 when the engine began stuttering and stalling.

I initially thought it was a petrol issue. The original petrol tap was beginning to fail, progressively unwinding when the engine was running. I replaced the tap with a modern pull/push tap.

I also replaced the petrol pipe, which was beginning to perish. The carburetor and air filter were also cleaned, but this not solve the problem. In fact, this type of push/pull fuel tap proved to be a poor quality replacement. It snapped off completely after about six months and I had to get the damned thread professionally removed from the tank. Please be aware that these type of eBay parts are not particularly reliable. I have never been able to find an entirely suitable petrol tap.

After working through the obvious issues, I checked the compression and confirmed there was virtually none. Ariel pistons are no longer available so Suzuki pistons are the standard substitute. Several years earlier I had purchased a set of Suzuki pistons so I dropped the bike over to the boys at The Vespa Shop for fitting.  http://www.vespashop.net.au/

They found that only one ring had actually blown and the barrels had not been damaged or scratched. Interestingly they discovered that one of the original pistons had been installed the wrong way around. No wonder occasionally the bike felt like it was running on one cylinder!

One thing to note when fitting Suzuki pistons - the Suzuki rings are much thinner than the original Ariel rings and two sets broke when being installed, requiring re-orders from Draganfly in the UK. Nevertheless, the new pistons proved to be good, giving the bike a little more power. The bike has continued to run almost flawlessly despite regular neglect. I only ride the bike once or twice a year.  Maybe this year I'll get it out more.