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Gov 132 Is Lost.


charlie prescott
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I can confirm it is 786 GON, I owned the bike and still have a photocopy of the brown log book with Mr Miller listed as an owner.

Don't understand why it is not listed on the DVLA computer the bike was sold in 2000 with log book at the time.

Mind you it was never registered for a good number of years, it sat in one of the bedrooms at home for 7 years.

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Hi Big John

I thought all the bedrooms you had were already full of bikes!

By the way where is that list of Scottish trails history you were going to send me?

How come you did not feature in the over 40's Scottish Championships, were you just giving everybody else a chance as usual!

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Hi guys,

Summing up then, we think GOV 132 is in Sammy's Museum. And it looks like 786 GON is also in the country,down south somewhere.

There was never a 788 GON Ariel, although Don Morely quoted it five or six times in Classic British Trials Bikes. I'm still puzzled though on some of the quotes on Sammy's Ariel's.

One from Peter Fraser in "Motor Cycle Magazine" 9th Feb 1967. While testing the Comerfords Victor trials bike with "Jock" Wilson, decribed it as, "On a ex-Sammy Miller Ariel". And not on the other. Was there more than Two?

I think my opening phrase "GOV 132 Is Lost" still applies. Only Sammy can give us the answer.

Regards Charlie.

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Charlie

Comerfords bought both of the bikes from Ariel, the man that really knows about both bikes after the Miller era is Jock Wilson and dearly departed Reg May.

There are both myths and legends attached to both bikes, Deryck Wylde was involved in the restoration of 786 GON, he was able to give me a very good history on that bike and his opinion was that 786 GON was in fact GOV 132 apart from the camshaft was different in the engine.

The story goes that Jock Wilson asked Comefords if he could buy GOV, they told him how much for and he declined, meanwhile legend has it that Jock and Reg over the weeks swapped bits from GOV to GON. He then asked Comefords how much did they want for GON this was a lower price than GOV and he bought it.

Deryck made a fair point that would conclude this legend and it was a test on GOV carried out by Don Smith, the bike was then owned by Colin Dommett. If you look at GOV it had the wrong hubs and sprocket carrier fitted to the bike and a few other bits, the parts that were on the bike were from GON!

I have lots of pictures that back this legend / myth up of GON when I had the bike, such as the billet rear sprocket carrier, front and rear hubs and various other parts that were not known to have been on GON but were on GOV.

If you look at pitures of the two bikes in reports or articles of the time you will see some differences between the bikes.

Some even suggest that Sammy switched number plates over on the bikes because each bike was set up differently for different event.

Due to the switch of number plates some people have even suggested that GON was the bike that Sammy won some of his Scottish and Scott victories, only he would confirm these point, but why would he want to when GOV is the legendary bike!

I say that both bikes are one in the same, it's just a different number plate ridden by a great trials rider at a great time in trials history, these are the things that should be remember, and they are never lost.

I will try and get around to scanning some of the images and posting them for you to look at shortly.

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Hi Guys.

Thank's for the pictures Roy. I've never seen a trials bike so clean, I could never have sold her,if she had have been mine. But needs must I expect.

I'm not picking faults with a superb bike but just noticing the differences between her and GOV?

The rear sub frame rails, position.

Rear shock mounts.

Snail-cam adjusters.

Water exclusion rim, on rear hub.

Chain case not Glass-Fibre.(I would have fitted an alloy one to get the finish you achieved).

Rear chain guard different shape.

How about some of you Guys posting pictures of your GOV look-alikes and giving there spec.

Thanks again Guys for a superb forum.

Regards Charlie.

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Hi Charlie

From what I know when the bike was restored a lot of the original stuff did not survive due to wear and tear.

The seat unit, chain guard and a few other parts were all hand crafted and replaced by Deryk Wylde to bring the bike back to a restored state.

Not being the one to restore the bike you would really have to ask Jock Wilson what happened to the bits.

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Hi Charlie

A good find, I have most of the books that are mentioned on the site, I have all the Sammy Miller books by the way which has some good shots of both bikes.

I have a pile of information on all both bikes which I was gifted or collected over the years, this makes for some good reading.

A good way of telling the GOV / GON bike's apart and you have already spotted this is that GON had the subframe down tubes, it never had the GOV frame mod.

If you look at the numerous shots of Sammy riding the Ariel over the years you can start to see differences in the bike on various events, there are some shots of Sammy riding the bike with the GON plate but most are of a bike with the GOV number plate, but are they the same bike!

I will let your fertile mind wander to see if you can pick up the changes and or spot the difference, also look at shots of Jock Wilson riding GON for comparison because that is a good comparison test after the Miller era with the bikes!

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Watched Neil Gaunt on sunday in a pre 65 club trial and the suspension on that Ariel is a supple as any modern bike, and i have seen him do at least one endo on it in a section and as long as the front wheel keeps rolling its perfectly okay both in the rules and by me.

with a shortage of observers at the venue due to it been a wet windy day high on the pennines and riders having to observe each other on a couple of sections it was good to be reminded that whilst trials might have it's 'superstars' they all 'muck in' with Peter Gaunt getting off his bike to observe a couple of dozen riders through a section he had just ridden.

both Father and Son although they clearly spend a lot of time on thier bikes and clearly have a wealth of experience and expertise to call on just simply like to ride trials. Neil has even shown he's not entirely perfect by once asking me which was the best route in a section .... he watched me take it then chose the alternative and cleaned it easily, me I fived big time..

Edited by totalshell
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Hi Guys.

I thought there were more than two Sammy Miller Ariel's

I found this in an old "Motor-Cycle" from the 7th May 1964 and I think the registration plate on this one is

372 EOX

What do you think??

Its amazing what you can find if you try.

Regards Charlie.

post-2608-1163191543.jpg

post-2608-1163191559.jpg

Hi Guys

Talking about the awesome suspension on Neil Gaunts Ariel, I thought I would post a pic i took over the summer.

post-2608-1163192097.jpg

Regards

Charlie

Edited by charlie prescott
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