Some pics from Barber's

Jimmy

a few years ago

MarkT

Jimmy wrotea few years ago

JImmy-

I like that they have this Customer Racing and Allan Cathcart's Daytona Tesi positioned at the entrance to the museum. Do you have a picture of the plack in front of it. I think the plack says that this bike was sponsored by Barber and won in AHRMA at Daytona- which did not make sense to me but that is what I remember.

Great museum- a must visit if in Birmingham.

Just noticed we have the same pictures- I took mine with a phone camera- we must have been in the exact same positions

Mr.R

I assume it's Birmingham Alabama? 😏
Coincidentally the UK's "National Motorcycle Museum" is also in Birmingham...
Sadly most of this collection was destroyed by fire a few years ago, so now a lot of the famous race bikes like "Slippery Sam" etc, at best have only a few parts from the original machines.

"10 Points with a possible bonus of 15"* to the (saddest 😉) forum member who can tell how that famous bike got it's name and what else was it famous for?
*and another 10 points if you can also say where this quote came from?

Steve "Bamber" R...

mikesps

An oil leak?

surfking

Slippery sam

Mr.R wroteI assume it's Birmingham Alabama? 😏 Coincidentally the UK's "National Motorcycle Museum" is also in Birmingham... Sadly most of this collection was destroyed by fire a few years ago, so now a lot of the famous race bikes like "Slippery Sam" etc, at best have only a few parts from the original machines. "10 Points with a possible bonus of 15"* to the (saddest 😉) forum member who can tell how that famous bike got it's name and what else was it famous for? *and another 10 points if you can also say where this quote came from? Steve "Bamber" R...

Oil pump or some thing over the rider in the race or something similar ???

Nick

Mr.R

I thought that series of questions would get a stronger response...

Percy Tait the Triumph factory road tester/pro' racer lived on a poultry farm and would bring in eggs for sale to his workmates at the Meridan factory and later Umberslade Hall.
He was known as "Sam sam the Egg Man" (I haven't a clue why?), anyway whilst riding the famous (now) Trident at an endurance race the bike developed an air lock and spewed the contents of the oil tank (Castrol R) all over poor Percy, from then on the bike was known as "Slippery Sam" it went on to win 5 Production TT's, it was only retired because of the age rules for entry.
After that the factory built/fielded "Son of Sam" at the '76 TT based on a T160V, but it didn't produce anywhere near the power of the original Sam.
The official reason was that the gas flowing/porting on the new engine had been cocked up???

Steve R