Rickman Motorcycles Triumph Metisse 1959
British brothers Don and Derek Rickman were motocross champions and innovators.
Both began their scrambles careers in the 1950s riding BSA Gold Stars, while the brothers' first 'special' consisted of a BSA duplex frame, Triumph T100 engine, BSA gearbox and Norton forks. It was given the French name Métisse, translatable as 'mongrel,' reflecting the bike's varied makeup. In 1959 came a purpose-built Métisse frame and within a decade their company would grow to become one of the biggest and best-known independent motorcycle frame-makers. An enormous success, the MkIII frame was produced in substantial quantities, proving popular for scrambles use, and as a desert racer in the Southwestern U.S. Eventually unable to compete with the Japanese factories, the Rickmans gave up frame making in the early 1980s, the rights to their designs passing to Pat French's firm, MRD Métisse, which continued to cater for the increasing 'classic' market.
Adaptable to a wide variety of four-stroke singles and twins, the original MKIII frames seem tailor-made for the Triumph 650 twin, as seen here. Actor/desert racer Steve McQueen was a satisfied Rickman Métisse customer, describing the nickel-plated, oil-carrying frame as a "revolutionary piece of equipment" in a 1966 Popular Science article. With the Triumph 650 engine installed, he said of the finished package, "The rig is the best-handling bike I've ever owned. And the power – it's like supersonic."
McQueen's Triumph Métisse looked very much like this one, with red Avon fiberglass bodywork and twin open exhausts, one pipe per side. Powered by a unit-construction 650 , this Rickman has been restored in the past, showing bright nickel work and unmarred bodywork, though how long ago the work was carried out isn't known. In current ownership, the bike has not been ridden, instead it has remained on static display in a climate-controlled environment.