Buddy Holly's Ariel

[Rocky]

I just read in the latest issue of The Classic Motorcycle magazine that Buddy Holly's Ariel Cyclone sold at auction on 5 October through Guernsey's Auction House in New York for $450,000.00 US (280,000.00 pounds).
It was part of the Waylon Jennings collection of items up for auction.
Not bad for a bike that originally probably only sold for around $1,200.00 in 1958.

 

[DaveM]

You wonder what people have this type of cash to fork out on a bike. At the end of the day the bike is just a normal bike so is the added fact that someone famous sat on it at one time worth that type of cash

 

[shanered6]

Dave if you stopped your forum activity for just one week you could buy 2 ?

 

[Rocky]

Dave if you stopped your forum activity for just one week you could buy 2 ?

Yes, it's obvious that there are people with too much money.
Oh well, I suppose it could be considered a piece of art as it's the only one in the world with this pedigree.

 

[DaveM]

Dave if you stopped your forum activity for just one week you could buy 2 ?

Then what would you lot do

 

[CarlS]

That is a lot of money for sure. But as Rocky said, it is one of a kind.

 

[DaveM]

I can get this one 1958 Ariel Square Four - Silverstone Auctions paint it red and I do have a vivid imagination

 

[hemibee]

The NADA lists the price for a 1958 Ariel Cyclone in excellent condition to be $9195 USD or 7342.61 Euro.

 

[Rocky]

Only 200 Cyclones were made and made entirely for and exported to the US market. Some sources say it was 300 or less, so it's hard to know what's right.
They were painted "Cherokee" red to appeal even more to the US buyers.
The engine is basically a BSA A10 engine with a slightly re-designed timing cover in an attempt to make it not look exactly like an A10 engine.
The Cyclone had high compression (some say 10:1) and a Spitfire camshaft which produced 40 bhp.
The standard 650 was called the Huntmaster and produced 35 bhp.
Other than different colours, they were identical in appearance.
But I don't know what Ariel was thinking with that brown/tan seat cover

A local Ariel fan and restorer in another club has several Huntmaster's in correct colours as seen in the bottom picture.
These were taken a few years ago at a BBQ gathering of our two clubs.

 

[DaveM]

Well it looks like he sure did a great job on that one, very nice.

I found this video


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSsiG8bSGkE

Here is a bit more about his bikes Buddy Holly & The Crickets.com - 1958 Motorbikes

 

[Rocky]

COOL

 

[Rocky]

This is the cover of the latest issue of The Classic Motorcycle magazine which has a feature story about the Ariel Huntmaster series of 650 twins.
The Buddy Holly Cyclone and that series of motorcycles is touched upon, but the article is not about the Cyclone.
It doesn't say anywhere in the article, but since there are so few Cyclone's, I think the cover bikes are Huntmaster's painted like a Cyclone.
The engines were 99% BSA A10 and they ran very well, and also looked good, but that tan seat...........

 

[Rocky]

This is a picture of the BSA A10 engine's very attractive "Y" shaped timing cover.
In the cover picture above you can see how the Ariel timing cover was slightly altered so as to not be an exact copy and give the Huntmaster somewhat of an identity of its own.

 

[DaveM]

Well they sure did not change it all that much, the BSA is a neat bike all round