History
The first Ariel Square Four 4F was shown at the Olympia Motorcycle Show in 1930 in chain driven overhead-camshaft 500 cc form. Early Square Fours used a hand-change, four-speed Burman gearbox. I purchased this bike 5 years ago from a private museum in the Netherlands. This bike, in particular, is one of 927 ever made & is the only 4F 500cc in Australia at present. Not sure how many actually exist. The bike is in very original condition with matching frame & engine numbers, even down to the leather toolboxes on the sides. The speedometer is a Smith's & was produced in metric (Km/h) for the Dutch market. In addition, the advance/retard, on the left handlebar, rolls forward instead of backward (like a throttle) as the "ignition system" was taken directly from the 1931 Sloper model, as was the frame, & was placed on the left-hand side of the bike, opposed to the right in the Sloper models. This model in particular features an 8-day clock, opposed to the 5-day clock in the standard models.
The Square 4 had been my dream bike ever since I was 12 years old & saw a 1938, 1000cc at a display in Ballarat, Victoria. To find this one is something special.
Modifications
No modifications........I do use a bigger drip-tray than most (British bike).
