Slippery Sam

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triumph
Trident "Slippery Sam"
Manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles
Production period 1969 to 1975
class Racing motorcycle
Racing series Production 750
Motor data
Four-stroke engine , air-cooled in-line three-cylinder
bore × stroke : 67 mm × 70 mm
lower , camshaft, tappets , bumpers , rocker arms , four valves per cylinder, dry sump lubrication
Displacement  (cm³) 747 cc
Power  (kW / PS ) 61 kW / 84 hp at 8250 min -1
transmission 5-speed gearbox, dog clutch
drive Chain drive
Brakes front: 2 × 320 mm brake discs each with 4-piston floating calipers

rear: 316 mm brake disc with 2-piston floating caliper

Slippery Sam was a Triumph Motorcycles racing motorcycle designed for the 750 series. The name Slippery Sam was the Bol d'Or - 24-hour race in 1970 in France , because a defective oil pump driver Percy Tait sprayed continuously with engine oil.

history

At the end of the 1960s, British motorcycle manufacturers faced increasing competition from Japan. That is why Triumph decided to build a three-cylinder engine based on the Triumph Bonneville and face the Japanese competition in the 750 production class . The motorcycle was named Triumph Trident. The racing machine was built on the basis of this motorcycle. The result was the racing machine that later went down in motorsport history as Slippery Sam .

One of the most important and prestigious races for motorcycle manufacturers was the Bol d'Or. The Honda CB 750 Four won the 24-hour Bol d'Or race at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry in Montlhéry , France in 1969 after Percy Tait, who had led for a long time, had to retire with a leaky oil pump. As a result, the motorcycle was smeared with oil over and over, which is why it was nicknamed Slippery Sam . So this name identifies a single racing machine and not the type of motorcycle. Nowadays, machines built according to the model of the factory racers are mostly referred to as "Slippery Sam Replica", even if they are not smeared with oil on the outside. Despite similar difficulties, the Triumph Trident racing machine with drivers J. C. Lombard and Daniel Rayez took fourth place at the Bol d'Or in 1969. In the following year, Tom Dickie (GB) and Paul Smart (GB) finally won the race, after the problems with the oil pump were resolved. 1971 Percy Tait and Ray Pickrell could repeat the success. The racing successes with the Trident were the last of Triumph.

The original Slippery Sam on display in the UK's National Motorcycle Museum was destroyed in a fire. But it has been completely rebuilt and is on display in the Allen Vintage Motorcycle Museum . Many replicas in the design of the Slippery Sam were and are being made and some of them are auctioned at high prices.

Slippery Sam was one of three similar motorcycles built for Triumph / BSA in 1969 specifically for the Isle of Man TT production 750 class . The chassis was slightly modified by motorcycle designer Doug Hele so that it had a lower center of gravity. Hele and Rob Nord were known as experts in building successful racing machines. The racing version underwent a few other changes compared to the production version, including four valves per cylinder instead of the two in the original engine. The engine output has been increased from the original 60 to 82 HP. It was also equipped with disc brakes, the production motorcycle had to be content with duplex drum brakes .

successes

Slippery Sam , prepared by Les Williams , won the Isle of Man 750 Production TT races for five years in a row - 1971 to 1975 - making it the most successful motorcycle in its class. Drivers were Mick Grant and in 1971 Percy Tait and Ray Pickrell . In 1974 the permitted displacement in the Formula 750 was increased to 1000 cm³. The Formula 750 Classic was introduced for this purpose. The racing machines based on the Triumph Trident were then drilled out to approximately 900 cm³ in order to take advantage of the new displacement limit as much as possible. One of them won the race again.

Today Slippery Sam refers not only to the original Les Williams machine, but to all Triumph-Trident racing machines of the time that took part in the Bol d'Or and the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. There were still a few modifications such as the Rickman- Trident and the Rob-North-Trident, some of which had much larger cubic capacity.

Motorcycle world championship

References

See also

literature

  • Roy Bacon, Titch Allen: Classic motorcycles: Triumph 2- and 3-cylinder. 350, 500, 650, 750 Twins and Trident . Heel Verlag , 1991, ISBN 3-89365-229-9 , pp. 196 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vincent Glon: 33ème BOL D'OR 1969, Montlhéry - Circuit. racingmemo.free.fr, accessed December 17, 2013 .
  2. ↑ Vincent Glon: 34ème BOL D'OR 1970, Montlhéry - Circuit. racingmemo.free.fr, accessed December 17, 2013 .
  3. ↑ Ray Pickrell. The Telegraph, May 1, 2006, accessed April 21, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Slippery Sam - Triumph Trident. The Allen Vintage Motorcycle Museum, accessed December 17, 2013 .