Hello,
I begin with an apology as it has been so long since the last Newsletter in September.
We are now into March and we have been busy here preparing for the new Season which started officially for us two weeks ago, when the Museum reopened.
In October 2007 the men and women of the Hall of Fame Committees voted Sammy into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Roger Ansel, trial historian and formerly of the American Motorcyclist Association did a nice job of presenting Sammy’s induction at the Ceremony in Ohio.
Sammy has just got back from the Classic Motorcycle Festival in Pukekohe, New Zealand. He took with him the 4 Cylinder Gilera and the AJS Porcupine. Everything went really well out there, and the crowds, as always, gave him and the bikes a fantastic welcome.
This weekend (9 March) sees Sammy and Dave Bickers taking part in the World Famous Vintage and Veteran Rally. The 70th Pioneer Run runs from London to Brighton and Sammy is taking the 1914 Alldays Matchless and Dave will be riding his 1913 4 Cylinder FN with Sidecar.
On the 5 and 6 April the Trials World Championships in Bangor Northern Ireland - Thundersprint 2008 Races in Northwich on the 11th May. Sam will be taking his brand new Honda RC181, which has been built by Hungarian master engineer Roland Agostin.
We are also starting to gear ourselves up for the Season ahead. Our Annual Easter Steam Rally will be held from the 22nd to the 24th of March with various miniature and traction engines and a Green Woodworking Display with Rod Pointing and his Pole Lathe. We have our first Auto jumble on the 20 April and a Buell Day organised for the 25 May
We also recently hired out memorabilia and parts from the Museum to make up a scene for the forthcoming film Easy Virtue, which is an adaptation of the Noel Coward play, starring Colin Firth, Kristen Scott Thomas and Jessica Biel. The film will be out in 2009!
Additions to the Museum include the 1929 500cc OHV Blackburn Engine Sport Cotton. A famous bike which we have photographs of the late Les Hawthorne with the bike in Grass Track form. Les Hawthorne is the Father of the late Mike Hawthorne Formula II World Champion. This is a lovely bike with history.
The R.E.G Reg Geeson 250cc OHC Twin Cylinder 5 Speed Grand Prix Bike which had many famous riders including John Surtees, John Hartie and Derek Minter. We shall be parading this famous bike at the Festival of 1000 Bikes at Mallory Park.
The 1924 Ladies Model 201A (225cc T/S) Royal Enfield 2 ¼ HP 2 Speed. The price of this bike back in 1924 would have been £36.00. This is a great little bike and joins our other Ladies Models in the Museum. It is very well equipped with lights and leg shields and foot change. It is finished in black and gold lining.
The 1924 Grindley Peerless with a 1000cc V Twin, Sleeve Valve and Barr & Stroud Engine is a right gem. It is a super sport model of its day. This bike is a real classic which Sammy has never seen another like it on all his world travels. Although well documented this is the only one we know of. It joins our other Sleeve Valve 1926 Grindley Peerless 500cc in the Museum. What a pair of bikes! Well worth a visit to see them.
The AKD Abington King Dick, 1928, 174cc OHV Moser Twin Port Engine. This fantastic little bike has been in the Museum from the outset and needed to be smartened up, so it has now been repainted with new exhaust pipes and silencers. When Bob brought it out of the Museum to check it over he gave it some petrol and it started first kick. What a Gem!
The Workshop has also been busy with outside work for customers. This includes a complete restoration for a Triumph Cub and a BSA 40. A 1931 600cc V 4 OHC Matchless Silver Hawk arrived in about 5000 pieces for a complete rebuild. A real big job for us, but we have a perfect example in the Museum and many spares. This is the fifth one we have rebuilt so the Workshop are getting used to them, but never take on a rebuild – they are a nightmare!
The following is an up to date list of events planned so far for this year. Please see the calendar on the events page of Sammy Miller Museum website for further details:
Click on the following links to download past newsletters
Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum
Bashley Cross Rd, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 5SZ
TEL: 01425 616644, FAX: 01425 639407
Email: museum@sammymiller.co.uk