The brutal summer heat couldn’t stop one of the best British Bike Days ever at the Sammy Miller Museum last month. The beefy bark of prime British motorcycles cheered the lively crowd, as museum owner Miller started up some iconic machinery. Highlights included the 1931 AJS Record Breaker, which achieved 138mph at Arpajon, ridden by Captain Oliver Baldwin in a world land speed record run. Next was a 1932 vertical twin Velocette 700cc – only six of these first vertical British twins exist. Finally came the mighty supercharged 1939 AJS V-4, the first bike in the world to lap at over 100mph on the Ulster Grand Prix circuit with rider Walter Rusk.
The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust (BMCT) was also in attendance. Founded in 1979, the BMCT is dedicated to preserving Britain’s motorcycle engineering heritage and supporting museums nationwide. Spokesperson Andy Bufton said: “We’re here to promote the Trust, which offers members concessionary entry to affiliated museums across the country. We always enjoy coming to Sammy Miller’s; he is a great supporter of our charity and does fantastic work for the motorcycling community.”