British based automaker Ariel Motor Company, best known for the outrageously fast Atom track racer has made a comeback to making motorcycles once again after a period of 50 years with the all new and customizable Ace. Going back to its roots, the Ace is aimed at high-end superbike customers and is intended to be custom built, tailored to each customer’s individual order. The bike uses a tubular aluminium frame taking inspiration from the Atom and the bodywork comprises of composite and carbon-fibre.
The pictures posted by Ariel showcase the Ace in two possibilities of a power cruiser and an aggressive naked bike; while the company states that more examples with different configurations can be created, making it completely bespoke. The Ace comes with three different seat heights ranging from 745 to 825 mm, while the wheelbase is also customisable and ranges from 1541 to 1563 mm. Customers also get to choose from variants of the suspension, fuel tanks and bodywork. There are also handlebar and clip-on variants, adjustable footrest and control positions, wheels, tyres and a range of finishes, materials and colours. The headlights, turn indicators and tail lights, all comprise of LEDs.
The Ariel Ace uses a Honda sourced 1237cc 73-degree Unicam V4 engine from the VFR (also powers the Ariel Atom) that is tuned to produce 173 BHP of power and 129 Nm of torque. The bike uses throttle by wire technology combined with Ariel’s fuel mapping and intake system to give responsive power delivery throughout the rev range. The bike also uses the VFR1200 sourced gearbox and is available with either a 6-speed sequential manual or a Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), while the DCT can be used in fully auto, sport or push button manual mode. 0-100 km/hr comes up in 3.4 seconds, while the top speed is 265 km/hr.
The suspension setup on the Ariel Ace includes upside-down front forks from Ohlins and the rear gets a Pro Link single sided cast swing arm setup. Stopping power comes from Nissin 320 mm dual floating hydraulic discs with six piston callipers at the front and 276 mm disc with a two-piston calliper at the rear. The Ace comes with 5 or 7-spoke alloy wheels, while full-carbon wheels are also available that results in 50 percent weight reduction and improves performance and handling. The bike also gets electronic ABS with switchable traction control.
The Ariel Ace uses an LCD instrument display unit via Race Technologies and comes with the Honda Ignition Security System (HISS) with activated steering lock. Customers will get the option of further track upgrades for the bike, while additional Ariel accessories will also be on offer. The Ace will go into production in early 2015 with around 100-150 units set to be produced annually and will be manufactured alongside the Atom at the company’s facility in Somerset. Prices are expected to start at 20,000 Pounds (Rs. 20.48 lakhs excluding taxes in India).
