1973 Triumph Bonneville

T140V AH23108

Clear

1994 Rickman Metisse CR (Café Racer). The Café Racer: a quintessentially English creation, with deep roots in motorcycle history, the 'racer on the road' has long been recognized by manufacturers as an excellent way to sell bikes to speed-crazed youth. The impulse is as old as time – to wear the Mantle of your Heroes while doing battle with the everyday world. A talismanic object, the Café Racer transforms the rider into an Agostini, Hailwood, or Read. A really tasty British special is the ultimate icon of speed, and a Rickman chassis generates enough magic to morph an ordinary touring engine into a full-house racer, with the proper attention to details. The Rickman Brothers, Don and Derek, were both very successful motocross racers in the 1950s and 60s, and found that their competition, particularly Swedish scramblers, were using very light, home-built frames for their racers, eschewing traditional heavy lugs and sidecar fittings for lighter all-welded construction. After a few years modifying standard BSA machines, the brothers made their first complete chassis in 1960, using Reynolds 531 tubing - strikingly nickel-plated - with beautiful custom-built fiberglass seat and tank units. Weight was saved by using the frame as the principal oil reservoir, offering the added benefit of all that exposed surface area to keep the lube cool. The resulting motorcrossers were fully 40 pounds lighter than standard 'scramblers' offered by the big factories, and soon the Rickmans became World renowned. While their first production efforts were off-road, a next logical step was to produce lightweight road-racing chassis, and the brothers duly created a slightly longer and more stable twin-loop frame with yet another gorgeous set of bodywork. As suitable racing engines weren't available 'loose', the chassis was designed to fit a multitude of power plants, and Triumph, Matchless, and Velocette engines soon found new homes in shiny nickel frames. The racing chassis was an immediate hit, on road and track. A Rickman Triumph was ridden to second place in the 1969 Isle of Man Production TT – quite a result from such a small concern. The Rickman Metisse CR (Café Racer) offered here features a 1994 nickel-plated frame with original Rickman tank and bodywork. Power comes from a recently completely rebuilt 1973 Triumph 750cc T140V motor with 5-speed gearbox. It has been upgraded with electronic ignition and solid state rectifier for greater performance and reliability. It is running on brand new Excel aluminum wheels with stainless steel spokes, shod with new Metzeler tires. It is titled as a 1973 Triumph. In excellent condition throughout, the bike is a blast to ride and draws attention wherever it goes.