Words: Trials Guru

Photos: Iain Lawrie; OffRoad Archive; Bob Dunwoody; Sammy Miller Museum.

In 1996 Sammy Miller MBE took over the run-down premises of an old farm at the Bashley Cross Roads, New Milton and converted the barns into a modern, prestigious building with picturesque surroundings. It is now accepted as housing one of the finest collections of fully restored motorcycles in the world, including factory racers and exotic prototypes.

At the end of 2004 permission was granted for an extension to the museum which now allows it to house over 500 exhibits. The museum was further expanded in 2021.

Sammy’s life has always been dedicated to motorcycling. As a young boy he followed motorcycle racing in Ulster and then went on to compete and win his first race meeting in 1953.

After a well documented period on the Road Racing Grand Prix circuits he switched to trials, at first building his own trials bike, the 197cc SHS (Samuel Hamilton Special) in 1954. He then went on to develop the world famous Ariel trials machine GOV 132 for the Ariel factory before moving on to Bultaco in 1964 , changing the face of trials in 1965 with the Bultaco Shera T, and then on to work for Honda Motor Company in 1970 to design the world championship winning trials machine. He is still active today, but in his beloved workshop where the sign above the door reads: ‘Another Day in Paradise’.

Unlike most other museums this is more than a static collection to be dusted and polished at regular intervals and displayed like butterflies with pins through them. This is a live museum, for whenever the opportunity presents itself these machines are run in classic bike events of one kind or another. There are many clubs which now organise open days and exhibitions at Sammy’s museum.

Many of the racing machines are still fully competitive and capable of giving a good account of themselves in high-speed parades. Like any good museum the contents are changing constantly. Virtually every new acquisition represents a full-scale renovation with the attendant difficulty in finding missing parts or replacements to exchange for those that are badly worn. Apart from the motorcycles on display you will also see many interesting artefacts, all of which represent a link with motorcycling of a bygone era.

The Off-Road section is extensive and captures the past. There are many unique and rare machines to behold, one of which is the Talon Mickmar trials machine which was a prototype. There are also Jawa ISDT machines from the mid-seventies, and even the long track championship winning machine of the late Simon Wigg.

History Preserved:

Sammy managed to locate the 1961 SSDT-winning AJS (187BLF) ridden by Gordon Jackson when he recorded the famous one dab victory on the Grey Mare’s Ridge section.

The machine was in poor condition and in boxes but Sammy restored it back to its original specification, much as it had been ridden by Gordon Jackson in 1961.

Sammy was both delighted and proud to exhibit both GOV132 and 187BLF at the Scottish Six Days Trial in 2011 to celebrate the events 100 years.

The museum houses the finest collection of fully restored motorcycles in Europe, including factory racers and exotic prototypes, plus memorabilia spanning seven decades of motorcycling for sport and for pleasure. There are over 400 rare and classic motorcycles on display in four galleries.

During all this he has still found the time to restore many rare and exotic machines to concourse condition and perfect working order. These he kept as a private collection until 1980 when he opened up a museum so that the public could have a chance to see and hear them. He even took some abroad to many locations, including Australia and New Zealand, so that they could be seen by as many people as possible. One of Sammy’s Museum exhibits is now on loan to the new FIM Museum in Switzerland.

Some years ago now, Sammy placed the entire collection into a ‘Trust’ to enable it to be kept together for future generations to experience and admire. There is no one more dedicated to motorcycling than Sam. He spends ten hours a day seven days a week working, promoting or restoring motorcycles.

And it’s much more than a museum, it houses Craft Shops, the Bashley Manor Tea Rooms and has Alpacas, Donkeys and Goats for the amusement of children of all ages!

The museum is open pretty much all year round and for me is a must to visit if you have not done so already. For more information please visit:  Web: www.sammymiller.co.uk – Mail: museum@sammymiller.co.uk – Tel: 01425 620777/ 01425 616644. Sammy Miller Museum Trust, Bashley Cross Roads, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 5SZ

Sammy Miller MBE – Motorcycling Achievements

• 11 times successive British Champion.
• Twice European Trials Champion – the forerunner to the World Championship.
• 13 times successive Hurst Cup winner.
• 18 times successive Walter Rusk Trial winner.
• 5 times winner of the famous Scottish Six Day Trial.
• 7 times winner of the World’s most arduous trial, the Scott Trial on the harsh and unforgiving Yorkshire moors.
• Winner of over 1482 Trials events.
• 9 Gold medals at International Six Day Trials.
• Irish Motocross Champion.
• Irish Sand Racing Champion.
• Winner of most Irish Road races, including winning the North West 200 and the Leinster 200 three years in succession.
• Third in the World Grand Prix Championships on a works Mondial
• Sponsor of the British Classic Trial Championships.
• 2007 inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in the USA.
• 2009 awarded the MBE for services to motorcycle heritage.
• 2014 – Named FIM Legend – 2025 inducted into the FIM Hall of Fame in Switzerland.

References:

Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum & Trust Catalogue – Obtainable from the Museum sales office. Sammy Miller Museum Trust.

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