Steve McQueen’s name’s been used to sell everything from apparel to motorcycles. If McQueen wore it or rode it?or something vaguely resembling it?you can expect to see his name in the sales pitch.
Which is ironic: If the man was still riding today, he’d pick modern machinery over a reconditioned classic every time. McQueen’s bikes, as stylish as they were, were always contemporary choices.

Take his Rickman Metisse desert racer, for example. It combined a Rickman-made Metisse MkIII frame with a Triumph TR6 power plant.
At the time, McQueen was quoted as saying, ?This rig is the best-handling bike I’ve ever owned.?

João Barranca’s a fan of the Rickman Metisse legacy. An electrical engineer by day, he spends his downtime building custom bikes as Redonda Motors, out of Coimbra, Portugal. João wanted to build his own Metisse-inspired rig, but with a more up-to-date donor.

?In my imagination I saw a modern Rickman,? he explains, ?with modern design and mechanics. Like any Rickman, it had to be simple, robust, reliable, practical, fun and sexy.?
His weapon of choice: a 1998 Husaberg FE 501. Sure, it’s not a current model, but it’s considerably more modern than a 60s-era Triumph. It’s light, weighing in at just 109kg (240 pounds), and with 52 horses on tap, has ample power for a dirt bike.

To get the look just right, João went to the source: the fuel tank, side panels and tail piece are all Rickman Metisse items.
Th...