Post Listing Update: This Cyclone was relisted but bidding did not get above $8,880 with 16 bids on eBay.
A couple of years ago, I featured Bike-urious reader Dan Dutra’s Ariel Cyclone in a video when he brought it out to the Quail Motorcycle Gathering. Well, after four years as a caretaker, Dan’s letting this Cyclone go so he can put an Ariel Square Four in his garage.
The Cyclone was a 650cc high-compression variant of the Huntmaster, and it was a very rare bike – it seems that the list of documented Cyclones is just 174 over two years of production. Ariel called it their “Super Sports Twin”, thanks to a 40 horsepower engine that was an option on the Huntmaster. A 1959 Ariel ad described it as: “Powerful, fast, unsurpassed for blazing acceleration and honest dependability. The 1959 Cyclone Twin is a beautiful motorcycle, superbly finished. Two-tone red and black tank, chrome plated fenders, polished alloy hubs, and many other parts in bright chrome present a really sparkling appearance in a world-famous 40 cubic inch Sports Twin.” For more on the Cyclone – check out this article on Motorcycle Classics. Or, let Dan tell you about his bike himself:
This example (VIN: CAPR12451) has 13,636 miles and it’s had p lenty of work, including a redone motor with new bearings, SRM oil pump, Thunder Engineering billet conrods, and a SRM sump plate. The gas tank was galvanized on the inside and repainted on the outside. It’s also got a new carb, LED bulbs, and electronic ignition (original magneto included, though it does need to be rewound). Dan details a few additional issues (small nick in the gas tank, minor oil leak, stain on the exhaust pipe which came from his forearm – ouch), but this looks like a nice example rare of a classic Britbike.
Find this Cyclone for sale in Redwood City, California with bidding up to $1,026 and the reserve not yet met or a BIN of $14,225
Photos by Charlie Sweeny