Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

having just acquired a 59 Leader I was hoping to find various threads of useful information here on the web site and am disappointed to discover nothing. so maybe I can start a topic off by asking a couple of what will be obvious questions to those familiar with the two stroke models but are a mystery to me.

Cables - the brake . clutch and more worryingly throttle cable all seem to snag / tug when bike is moved from lock to lock and I cannot establish whether they are routed correctly all pass through the grommet holes in the dummy tank clutch the leftmost and brake and throttle the right side grommet ....is this correct?

Took bike for it's first MOT in 6 years and tester gave an advisory stating slight play in swinging arm bearing - on examination with right side panel removed I discover the washer at the rear of the spindle bolt (Rt side) spins freely and yet the bolt it self is fully tight - is this normal ? any ideas.......Bike handles fine and I reckon the play is in fact flex along the swinging arm but I just don't know.

Finally and I guess the most obvious to all with these machines is can I / should I run the bike on the modern semi synthetic two stroke oil mix or try and stick with traditional mineral oil mix - if using semi synthetic what is the correct mix ratio.

Certainly the Leader is different to my four stroke classics but with a little luck and hopefully some help from the Club I will be able to keep her on the road.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Alan

P.S. Is there a two stroke spares list?

Alan, for all things two stroke you cannot do better than talk to John Ellis. (Page 2 Cheval).
You may be interested in a copy of his booklet "Two Stroke Development" published by the club and snip at £3 post paid. email me direct at vh500@btinternet. com and I can invoice you by paypal. Or send me a cheque made out to Ariel Motors if preferred.
regards
Editorjohn

Hi Allan
It would appear you have many problems, the clutch cable should pass under the handlebar cover and down the cable hole on the off side, the throttle cable use"es the same hole, the brake cable passes under the handlebar cover and down the near side cable hole, to stop the drag between cables and grommets use a light grease, I don"t use synthetic oil but run my leader on mineral oil at 40/1 with no problems and 8500 mls since building, Chainsaws run at 50/1 with out problems.

Cycle Magazine ran some tests on a 250 cc single, usung castor oil based lubricant at different fuel:oil ratios. As the amount of oil decreased, engine temperature increased, piston fouling increased, plug fouling decreased, and power output dropped from 29 HP to 26 HP (20:1 to 30:1 change un mixture, if I remember correctly), I suppose due to frictional losses. Their conclusion was to stick to the engine manufacturer's recommended ratio, not the oil manufacturer's. They didn't measure smoke output, though.

hi Alan
I see you are still haveing problems with your leader, with reference to the swinging arm loose washer on o/s, the washer has to fit on the spigot of the spindle and the spigot has to fit into the slot of the arm. as for the cable problem did you read my last answer to this. Feel free to phone me if you would like more imfo.