Ariel's new Ace to be showcased at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Just after having armed its star troop with more teeth in the form of the Ariel Atom 3.5R, Ariel is now planning to take the motorcycle segment by storm. Enter the new Ace. The showstopper is expected to be showcased at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Ariel will start production only in 2015.
The bike's design comprises of the exoskeleton frame inherited from the Atom, and which will be machined from six individual billets of aluminium. After 70 hours of toiling, the frame will be completely machined, ready to be welded. This will be a first for a production motorbike. Ariel's association with Honda continues as the Atom features a 2.0-litre Honda i-VTEC engine from the Civic Type R. The Ace will be powered by a four stroke, 1237cc water-cooled V4 motor cranking out 173PS and 129Nm of torque. This will propel the bike to a top speed of 265kmph. Throttle by wire tech combined with Ariel fuel mapping ensures that peak power is always on tap across the entire rev bandwidth.
The Ace will be offered in two versions, manual and dual clutch transmission. The DCT can be used in either auto or push button manual mode (Sport). The sport mode for the racetracks, auto mode when you intend to cruise on the highways and let the bike do the shifting. ABS is standard across the range. Carbon wheels are a new feature which shed 50 per cent more weight as compared to standard alloy wheels.
The Ace will be offered with quite a few customisable options. Exclusivity will be maintained as a single technician will build the bike from scratch till the finish. The company plans to build 100 to 150 units a year.
