Footrests

For brakes, cable adjuster lugs and brake fittings click here; brake cables and adjusters click here; for brake light switches and springs click here; for clevis pins click here.

The design of the rider’s footrests on Ariels was settled by 1929 and only minor changes occurred until the arrival of the swinging arm frame. Although the changes are minor they came thick and fast during the early 1950’s, not all of which had the benefit of being allocated part numbers. From 1929 until the introduction of the GB gearbox there was really only one footrest support and this had a notch machined in it that prevented movement by engaging with a peg on the engine plate. The KH used a shorter version of the same and the right hand Square Four one was totally different. The right hand support was shortened to fit with the new GB gearbox in 1952 and in 1953 a peg was fitted to the support instead of to the engine plate. Most of these versions can be adapted from the one support that we make (5375-29) and if you tell us which one you want we will turn one down for you.

The swinging arm frame footrests are attached to the frame by splines, the right hand one being a little longer than the left or is it the other way round I can’t remember. Read the listing, I am sure it is in there somewhere, it’s called research. For 1954-55 each footrest is in one piece but in 1956 a left and right support was made with a universal footrest bar retained by a castle nut.

Brake pedals seem to be one of those parts that seem to change every 5 minutes, but are all very similar. Frequently the incorrect one can be modified to suit using a bit of heat.

Pillion footrests were optional until 1954 when they became a standard fitment and in common with similar items they would frequently be fitted by the selling dealer and could just as easily be pattern rather than Ariel’s own.

“Motor bicycling, though it is the cheapest form of locomotion, and one of the finest forms of sport, has one drawback, namely, that it is a selfish mode of enjoyment. As soon as a man has become an expert motorcyclist, and has properly realised the capabilities of the machine and its enormous advantages, he will, if he is not so selfish as the ladies say the average man is, long for a companion to partake of the pleasures of motor cycling with him.“
             Motor Cycles and How to Manage Them, 11th edition 1907

The following parts are not illustrated above but are listed below