Sammy - The Legend

After receiving a Villiers motor for his birthday, Sammy built his first ever motorcycle at 17 years of age.

He dubbed it the ’S.H.S’ (Samuel Hamilton Special) and began winning local trials events in the surrounding Belfast area.

Sammy on his passion for motorcycles: 

“I remember when we were kids at Templepatrick, seeing the guys testing bikes up and down the Antrim Mile. We have so many great races like the Ulster GP and the North West 200. It was the ultimate. I started getting a passion for it at about 10 years old, and here I am, still playing with motorbikes.”

At 20 years of age, Sammy marked his first notable racing victory at the Cookstown 100, riding an AJS 7R to victory at 73.97 mph – one of the fastest times ever recorded in the series at the time.

Sammy’s father, Alexander Miller is pictured to his right.

Watch Sammy tell the whole story in this video.

After signing for Ariel’s works trial team, Sammy moved to Birmingham, nearer to the factory at Selly Oak.

It was there that he would develop and tune the trials machine that he would grow to be associated with for many years to come – a 500cc Ariel HT5 with the registration GOV 132.

For years, Sammy was racing in Grand Prix competitions, whilst competing at the highest level in off-road trials during the off-season.

One of Sammy’s proudest victories came in the 1962 Scott Trial, a year where the course was reckoned to be in the worst condition in its history, due to a week of heavy rain which caused trials reporters to describe the terrain as ‘porridge’.

Miller finished 40 marks ahead of his nearest rival, marking one of his 7 wins in arguably the most arduous trial event in the calendar.

With the British motorcycle industry on its knees, Sammy understood that the writing was on the wall. He was introduced to Francisco Bulto, of the Spanish trials marque, Bultaco, and the pair set about developing a new trials machine.

After 12 days working together in Spain, they had created the Bultaco Sherpa T, a bike that changed the sport of trials forever.

Sammy’s success on this machine in the 1965 SSDT effectively signalled the end of heavyweight four-stroke trials machines, and paved the way for the ’Spanish Armada’, of lighter two-strokes.

Victory in the inaugural European Trials Championship, a forerunner to the FIM Trial World Championship.

Sammy would win the event again in 1970. 

A journalist once wrote: “his sheer mastery on sections which had hitherto defeated the whole of a top-class entry would sometimes produce a roar from spectators like a goal at a football match, such was the level of excitement his efforts aroused.”

Sammy won gold in the 1971 International Six Days Trial, held in the Isle of Man.

The ISDT, hailed as the ‘Olympic Games’ of motorcycling, was a series of annual events in which countries pitted their best riders against each other in a gruelling six-day enduro-style race against the clock.

Riders were responsible for maintaining their machines throughout the six days, highlighting the necessity for mechanical nouse, as well as reliability from motorcycle manufacturers.

Sammy managed to win 9 gold medals for Great Britain.

Watch our video on the ISDT here.

After retiring from international trials events, Sammy joined Honda to oversee development of their trials machines, as well as managing their trials competition team.

Following a trip to Japan, he designed Honda’s first trials machine, the TL 250, which featured his signature ‘Hi-Boy’ frame.

During this time, Sammy travelled to far-flung corners of the globe, promoting and teaching the sport of motorcycle trials.

Less than a month before his 50th birthday, Sammy chalked up an historic 1000th trials victory riding a 310cc Armstrong.

Several years previously, Sammy had built a prototype trials bike with a friend, Andrea Mosconi, who had supplied the Hiro engine.

Watch our video on the ‘Miller’ here. (Skip to 9 mins)

After Sammy decided not to go into production, Mosconi teamed up with Armstrong, who produced a machine largely based on the ‘Miller’ original.

A journalist once wrote: “during the peak years of his trials career, Miller gained a reputation for being unapproachable. At sections he would have a grim look on his face and see and hear nobody, so intent was he on what he was doing.”