More from Sammy's

www.london-motorcycle-museum.org

More from Sammy’s

Thumbing through some magazines I stumbled upon the Guzzi Vee twin racer. Sammy Millers has one and is well displayed. It was story told by Vic Willoughby “The Galloping Guzzi” in Classic Motorcycle Legends of spring 1991. Even Stanley Woods had a ride on one and Ernie Lyons of Triumph GP fame rode one at the TT in 1948.

It seems many people loved this 500cc 120 degree Vee Twin. Other bits of interest at Sammy’s was a sectioned Wooler beam crank engine, EMC and Puch split singles. Looking around and trying not to notice the 1300 trophies along one wall it makes our Derick Minter collection look quite small other bits of engines keep me occupied. There is an example of a desmodromic engine, Bradshaw’s oil boiler and the Italian Capriolo face cam engine of 1955.

I spent all day there taking pictures of all the bikes and bits I found interesting nearly 360 photos for the record to add to my already large collection from other museums. It is a never ending quest to find out more about the bikes I know about and the list keeps getting bigger!

Some of the bikes I know about like the Guzzi Vee Eight and the earlier Vee twin that Sammy had brought to Brooklands and fired it up a few years ago. We have a 1925 Beardmore Precision at the LMM Sammy has a 1923 model and what about a Duzmo of 1923. Bert L Vack raced one in the 1920 TT that had a top speed of 80mph! 

There is a 1925 Grigg not that significant other than it was made in Twickenham. Obtaining more information about things I had seen, at the last Off Road Bike Show at Kempton I saw an interesting moped that had an in-line crank. 

It had no name that I recognised on it but now I know what it is- a Cyc Auto made by Wallington Butt in 1934 and later produced by Scot in 1938 at their Shipley works.

I have now seen another Douglas DV60 and also the very rare single cylinder 150cc two stoke made for the 1938 Motorcycle Show the CL38. 

The Ascot Pullin was a master of enclosure for 1929. I think it must be more to the colour blue but is was a very technically innovation machine for its day. 

I have seen a number four cylinder machines like the 1935 Indian, 1909 FN , 1916 Henderson, 1911 Pierce but there are some British four cyders out there too. How about Mr Wooler and his flat four of 1955 and of course Ariel with the square fours I prefer the earlier OHC model to the later push rod engine that Edward Turner came up with and then there is the Haythorn of 1939, the in-line four AJS of 1929 or the 1930 OEC using the Matchless Silver Hawk engine, the Villiers two stroke four of 1962 and I know its racing but what about the AJS water cooled Vee Four of 1939 and the 1947 Porcupine.

Sammy has an amazing collection and a single visit was not enough. I did speak with the man himself in the workshops more bikes are being put back together and I am now aware of a new cleaning process that takes all the muck off aluminium and makes it look freshly cast. The finish is amazing.