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Discovered - Sammy Millers Original Bultaco Sherpa 669Nho


gasgas249uk
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Yes Bezaboy. He has some nice old bikes.

Yes old trials F. Slowly but surely the World is moving on .I don't know anything about British 4 bangers and the time will come when the little niche I love so much had been forgotten also (Not for a long while yet though) ... sob sob. .... Look what you've made me do !!!. I've got all soppy lol.

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Fantastic news.That makes a lot of sense. Someone asserted on this forum before that SHM's original 669NHO was an M4 not an M10.

 

Does anybody else notice in the article how much lower the front of the engine sits in that frame compared to a prod'n M10? The engine is tilted noticeably downwards at the front.

Edited by jc2
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Hi,

 

To add some detail in the 669NHO story.  Sammy was actually contracted to the Rickmans in 1964, in a deal designed to guarantee the supply of Bultaco scrambles motors for the new Petite Metisse.  

 

Sam was contracted to ride his Ariel until the end of 1964, the final contracted event being the British Experts.

 

Sam had been in Barcelona in late October/early November where he collected his first Sherpa and on his way back to New Milton, with his Ariel and the Sherpa in his pick-up, arrived in Paris to ride on Remembrance Sunday in the St Cucufa trial, where I was an assistant C of C, and asked permission for a machine change to the Sherpa - to which we happily agreed and he promptly took his first Bultaco win - but the machine on which he won was conveniently forgotten in my reports for the press.....

 

I am attaching an image, taken by Gordon Francis of Sammy on 669NHO in April 1965 on his way to winning the the Wye Valley Traders.  Already differences can be seen with the photograph, which was also by Gordon Francis, of Sammy in his workshop.  There will shortly be a feature in my digital magazine 'ORRe' with further pictures of Sam's days on his various Bultacos.

 

Enjoy

post-19290-0-90676600-1448010546_thumb.jpg

Edited by laird387
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Hi Guy's.

 

You know the story now?

 

Well just a recap.

 

Before Sam decided to do anything about the approach from Bultaco, he came along to a back alley in Banbury to try the machine below.

 

This was Dan Shorey's play toy for the winter months to help him keep fit.

 

We did a lot on this Sherpa N to try and and make it better has  a one day trials machine.

 

However there were a lot of faults with the bike and the gears that have been mentioned were a pain at braking and I seem to remember a special set was sent to try and solve the problem.

Wheel clearance and mud blocking was a problem as were the forks.

 

But the silencer was the biggest pain, in the end we cut it in half and removed most of the internals.

 

Anyway Sam must have thought that the machine had potential because he signed on the dotted. and the rest is history.

 

Charlie. 

 

post-2608-0-84551200-1448016019_thumb.jpg

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Thank you Derek and Charlie for that information. Ive read your posts about 30 times trying to glean as much as possible :). Its very interesting and adds meat to the bone , from people right there.

 

So a sneaky Bulto first competitive ride out for Sammy. Impossible today ..but these were different times.

 

"This was Dan Shorey's play toy for the winter months to help him keep fit.

 

We did a lot on this Sherpa N to try and and make it better has  a one day trials machine.

 

However there were a lot of faults with the bike and the gears that have been mentioned were a pain at braking and I seem to remember a special set was sent to try and solve the problem."

 

Was Dan a Bultaco sponsored rider then to get these parts ?

Was he predominantly a motocross riders or .... ?

Were many others of these Sherpa N's imported ?

 

Im guessing Sammy got a big head start on modding ideas with Dan's bike then

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