1959: Rickman brothers at the top of their game

by

Don Rickman on the Mk.II Metisse

That the brothers were at the top of their game and talented engineers made the leap of faith a lot less risky than might be expected.

Having raced most of the opposition the answer was obvious, a frame here, forks there, an engine from somewhere else and so it goes on. Yes a bitza, or mongrel if you like, but of impeccable pedigree stock. In recognition of this the name chosen for this machine was Metisse – exotic in English but plain old mongrel in French.

The Mk.I, built purely for the brothers to race and not intended to be in production, had a modified BSA Goldie frame, Norton forks, BSA scrambles gearbox and a Triumph twin engine bult for reliability and low down power and was successful right from the start.

By 1960 the world had changed. bike


Advert

Enjoy more Classic Dirt Bike Magazine reading every month. Click here to subscribe.


Article Tags:

About the Author