I thought this might be interesting reading taken from Motor Cycling 1961.ALTHOUGH ONLY ONE TT RACE REMAINS TO BE RUN,THE '61 MEETING HAS SHOWN THAT, UNLESS OUR MANUFACTURES ACT QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVLY,THE REPUTATION WHICH BRITISH MOTORCYCLES HAVE GAINED THROUGH RACING IS IN JEAPORDY.WITH THEIR FANTASTIC VARIETY OF MACHINERY, THE 125 AND 250CC LIGHTWEIGHTS ATTRACTED FAR MORE INTEREST THAN THE LARGER CLASSES ALL WEEK.YET APART FROM A FEW PRIVATLY PREPARED 'SPECIALS' AND THE DE HAVILLAND -BACKED EMC ALL THE MACHINERY IN THESE RACES WAS FOREIGH. AND THOUGH ARE MANUFACTURES JUSTLY CLAIM THAT THEY ALONE PRODUCE MOUNTS WHICH KEEP THE JUNIOR AND SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ALIVE, THESE CLASSES ARE CLEARLY DOOMED UNLESS INFUSED WITH NEW MODELS CAPABABLE OF JUSTYFYING THEIR EXTRA CC AS COMPARED WITH THE 'WORKS' LIGHWEIGHTS.

Alas, nolstagia is not what it used to be.
If only there was a six-speed conversion for the BSA Bantam, we may have had a chance.
Currently, most of the closest short circuit racing is in the smaller classes.

I think the Arial Arrow at the time was probably more advanced than most? in fact Mike O'rourke finished about 7th behind the works Hondas in the early 60's and Mike Hose currently races one very successfully.

The Ariel Arrow was a good proposition. Peter Inchley, Albert Moule and Pat Walsh all campaigned them with some help from Clive Elliot development engineer at Ariel and with a few special bits from Selly Oak.

If I remember correctly wandering sparks where the problem on a long distance race like the T.T.

Pat Walsh reckoned it was a brilliant handling bike at the T.T but ya gotta finish.

Just think what we could have done with electronic, digital advance ignition, reed valves, better big ends, etc.

If I remember right from my Bantam racing days, someone did a 5 or 6 speed Bantam with 2 gearboxes coupled together but it never really went all that well. Someone in the late 60's also did a rotary valve Bantam. Pity the factory never took any notice. Tony Jones finished 8th at just over 83mph in the 1974 125 TT race on a 3 speed Bantam, made to the Bantam racing clubs rules, against much faster opposition with twice as many gears. Then, of course, there was Mick Scutt and Dick Hunter who also rode Bantams in the TT very successfully as did lots of other riders.

If they had been able to fit Femsa ignition to the Ariel Arrow it could have been a winner in its day, Peter Inchley's was seriously rapid I think I am correct in saying that the late George Radcliffe of Villiers made his fly.

George did the motor on my T500 Crooks Suzuki production bike and it was consistently for a number of years and remains the fastest 500 production bike ever through the T.T speed traps, without looking through the old T.T Specials I think it's best was 134 MPH

A better jocky than me like Ian Richards would have been unbeatable on it.

Fred Launchbury rode the Todd BSA Bantam but only finished once in 20th.

Ariel Arrows started in 18 Lightweight races only three ever finished.

Mike O'Rourke 7th 1960
J.G Horne 16th 1961
Albert Moule 16th 1963

O'Rourkes performance was brilliant he was only beaten by by six works machines.

Hocking MV
Ubbiali MV
Provini Morini
and three works Honda's

Just shows how good the Arrow could be if you could keep it going. Don't forget those 250 races were six laps not like the Micky Mouse three and four lappers of today and O'Rourke averaged over 80 mph 45 years ago.

Hocking and Ubbiali did a race average of nearly 94 MPH.and the course was nothing like it is today

Was this the George Radcliffe who added 'finger ports'? I think he had a hand in the later development of the Peter Inchley Villers when ridden by Peter Courtney - is Peter out there anywhere, last I heard he was headed for Spain.

You've got him, George lived in Wheaton Aston, Staffordshire, I nearly threw a fit when he first did my T500 barrels, I thought he had completely fornicated them up and never believed they would work.

At an Easter Monday International at Oulton I beat Stan Woods on the works TR500 with it, Rex White threw a fit and was all over the bike like a bad smell, admitted it was lashing with rain and so I had the advantage with TT 100s.

You are correct George was responsible for the development of the Starmaker that the two Peter's rode.

Peter Inchley is not retired and living in spain, he sadly passed away a few years ago.

George also did a lot of work with Dr Gordon Blair of Queens University, Belfast on Ray McCulloughs 500 QUB, if you saw the motor the QUB primary chain case was identical to a villiers engine. Gordon Blair was the genius on expansion chambers and did a lot of work and design for Yamaha.

George was also a brilliant artist and did me a magnifent oil painting for my wife on our wedding anniversary, sadly George died many years ago very young.

Whoops sorry, I thought you were refering to Peter Inchley

Tom as you know i have never raced but if i had it would have been my Arrow, i have owned a few bikes but the Ariel for roadholding was in a word superb.I bought another one the Golden Arrow and at its time was voted m/cylcle of the year and a mate of mine raced his at Rhydymwyn with limited success but the Japs had arrived to spoil the show?

In the early 1960s, my little brother built a "racing" Bantam for use on the road, George Todd cylinder head, 3-speed close ratio gears, total loss ignition (flywheel removed, using points and battery), Noton fuel tank, clip-ons, etc. Great fun to ride (once you got above 30mph in first gear, using the clutch), used to give my 1934 KSS a good run.
I was the local village Guru for setting up Arrows (and Leaders) for imroved road performance.
The "Golden" Arrow had a 1.125" carb as opposed to the standard 0.875" so that was the first thing changed. The later models performed better than the earlier ones because that had the squish-band heads with the central plugs - another "must". These heads responded to the usual skimming. All this, plus the usual fine port polishing and precise ignition timing, gave these little bikes a respectable peformance.
I can't remember the finished compression ratios but then it was measured geometrically from the stroke, rather than from when the exhaust port was closed, as they do today. As I worked in a metallurgical laboratory at the time, much ahem, works time was spent on measuring the cylinder head capacities, with a burette, after skimming and polishing, to ensure balancing of the compressions.
Oh well happy days (daze).

My Golden Arrow was prone to seizing so i rode it down to Selly Oak were the factory fitted new barrels and pistons whilst i went for a cuppa, i dont know why it seized but the new barrels worked a treat. Afew years later i purchased a Aermachi from Len Williams i have to say it wasnt in the same league as the Arrows? happy days eh! Oh sorry Tom you hadnt a shop on the Wirral then otherwise a would have got DISCOUNT?