Monday 12th November 2018

Ariel launches 'Ace of Diamonds' special edition

Atom 4 not flamboyant enough for you? Ariel's bike division has you covered

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You don't have to be into bikes to appreciate the beauty of engineering packed into Ariel's new Ace of Diamonds motorcycle. Due to be unveiled at this week's Motorcycle Live at the NEC, just 10 examples of the gorgeous special edition model are due to be made, each priced from £19,982.

What does that money get you? A stunning single-part frame that's CNC machined from a single piece of aluminium and comes bolted to a curving bodyline and 1,237cc V4 Unicam Honda engine, that's what. The motor, sourced from Honda like Ariel's road car engines, produces 175hp at 10,000rpm and 97lb ft of torque at 8,750rpm. Power goes to the back wheel via a six-speed manual sequential gearbox and the manufacturer quotes its 0-60mph time as 2.9 seconds, along with a 165mph top speed.

However, what is likely to draw customers to the Ace of Diamonds over the standard bike is the additional development of its frame, which makes gains in rigidity and also features fewer machining lines. Company boss Simon Saunders said this change emphasises Ariel's "slightly obsessive" attention to detail. We'd agree with that. He said "To most people [the new machining lines are] not noticeable, but for us and our customers it's this sort of detail that is important."

Ariel's engineers have also given the Ace of Diamonds a new steering head angle of 23.5 degrees, although it can be altered during the build process to suit each customer's requirements. Buyers can also specify their own colours for the bike's bodywork and each comes with a unique plaque.

Since every bike will be made to order, there's a fair amount of customisation on offer. Tom Siebert, Ariel Ace production boss, said "Every bike is tailored to each customer and each of those customers becomes a friend and part of the Ariel family. When we build an Ace it is not a motorcycle, it's your motorcycle. The Ace of Diamonds is a celebration of both our and our customers' journey".

Production is due to begin in March with first deliveries due in March. Just in time for the warmer weather to return.

[B17NNS]

I'm not a bike person but god that's sexy!

[CharlieAlphaMike]

Bargain. Love it.

[crofty1984]

That's not half bad for the money! I'd have one if it was £18,000 cheaper and I had a bigger garage :-p

[Amirhussain]

B17NNS said:

I'm not a bike person but god that's sexy!

+1.

[redroadster]

Agree looks fab and reasonable price for limited build

[Butter Face]

Amirhussain said:

B17NNS said:

I'm not a bike person but god that's sexy!

+1.

+2, would buy if I had the cash, even if just to look at!

[Frimley111R]

Butter Face said:

Amirhussain said:

B17NNS said:

I'm not a bike person but god that's sexy!

+1.

+2, would buy if I had the cash, even if just to look at!

+3 I've never been into bikes but can at least recognise a decent one when I see one

[FN2TypeR]

gimme

[chickensoup]

that is not a single piece CNC frame, unless they milled in the welds

[LuS1fer]

I can imagine investors and flippers stepping in because that does look ...well, Ace.

[MarJay]

I AM a bike person, it's too expensive, too heavy and is just for looks. No thanks.

[gigglebug]

chickensoup said:

that is not a single piece CNC frame, unless they milled in the welds

I was thinking the same thing but to be fair isn't it just the vertical collar which has been welded to the presumably single piece frame? There must be a logical explanation for it being that way, different grade material maybe?

[Esceptico]

Is that price correct? I looked at Ariel a while back and I seem to recall the price for an Ace was closer to £30k.

[Esceptico]

MarJay said:

I AM a bike person, it's too expensive, too heavy and is just for looks. No thanks.

Road tests I’ve read have been pretty positive so not sure where you are getting that from. Personal experience?

[kambites]

gigglebug said:

chickensoup said:

that is not a single piece CNC frame, unless they milled in the welds

I was thinking the same thing but to be fair isn't it just the vertical collar which has been welded to the presumably single piece frame? There must be a logical explanation for it being that way, different grade material maybe?

You can see what look like small welding ridges on the frame itself too:



At the top of the nearest triangular section.

Edited by kambites on Monday 12th November 18:54

[AlmostUseful]

chickensoup said:

that is not a single piece CNC frame, unless they milled in the welds

That’s exactly what I was thinking. Imagine the cost of that billet and the time it would take to mill it from one piece!

[CoolHands]

“A single part frame that’s cnc’d from a solid piece of aluminium”

> looks at the weld marks all over it

[CoolHands]

Sorry, o hadn’t read the above comments when I posted

And anyway, so what if it was a single piece of aluminium? I love how that statement is somehow meant to convey something good. The forth bridge is not single piece, but is it strong enough?

[gigglebug]

kambites said:

You can see what look like small welding ridges on the frame itself too:



At the top of the nearest triangular section.

Edited by kambites on Monday 12th November 18:54

I couldn't quite make out whether it was weld in that spot or the effect of light catching what appears to be texturing on many of the surfaces? Has this been reported incorrectly then, I can't imagine Atom would claim something which was clearly incorrect.

The overall bike looks good either way.

[LuS1fer]

Esceptico said:

MarJay said:

I AM a bike person, it's too expensive, too heavy and is just for looks. No thanks.

Road tests I’ve read have been pretty positive so not sure where you are getting that from. Personal experience?

I must have been living under a rock as I'd never heard of it.
Seems to be a similar weight to a VFR whose engine it borrows.

Price does seem low, I was looking at old articles about "base" Ariel Aces being in excess of £20k and "specced up", over £30k.