Custom Bikes Of The Week: 9 December, 2018
A pair of BMW R NineT customs channeling the past and the future, a glorious Rickman Metisse, and an all-time classic Honda race bike. It’s a mixed bag this week.
Rickman Metisse by Chelsea Borchert The Rickman Metisse is the quintessential desert sled, and one of the most iconic motorcycles ever. It was developed by the Rickman brothers in England in the early 60s, as a kit that could be ordered to fit the owner’s motor of choice (which, more often than not, was a 650 cc Triumph twin).
But did you know that you can still build a MKIII Metisse today" That’s exactly what Chelsea Borchert did. Her dad had a 1962 Rickman Metisse, so when she sold her last bike and started figuring out a replacement, the nostalgia hit hard. To compound things, she realized that she lived near the original Rickman factory—and that her parents were close to Wasp Motorcycles, who still manufacture Rickman frames. Bingo.
Chelsea ordered a kit from Wasp, and sourced a 1966 Triumph Thunderbird as an engine donor. Everything was hauled over to her dad’s workshop, where father and daughter began piecing it together.
The Metisse kit comes with the frame, all the bodywork (including a fiberglass tank), the swing arm, foot pegs, stand and coin chain adjusters. Chelsea added the forks and hubs from a 1974 Triumph Adventurer, polishing them up to a better-than-new finish. The idea was to build a street legal Metisse, so this one has lights at both ends, turn signals,...
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Backcountry Discovery Routes | Ep. 70 Rider Magazine Insider Podcast
27-04-2024 08:34 - (
motorcycle )