The Rickman Dynasty (p1)

(In her first installment for IWBlogger, Marilyn shares some history of a marque some of you have no doubt heard of – Rickman – the venerable, innovative frame design and development company that ruled the roost in the 1970′s – ed.)

Chapter 1 of 3: Rickman Frames the Scrambler by Marilyn Elmore-Bragg (Chessie)

photo credits:  http://classic-motorbikes.net/

I’ve come across a motorcycle whose brand history is intriguing. I am referring to the vintage Rickman Metisse Motorcycle. The “Rickman” was an aftermarket motorcycle frame and body kit manufacturer founded by Derek and Don Rickman in 1960. At that time, the intrepid entrepreneurs were concerned only with the design and development of off road machines, better known as “scramblers”. The Rickman brother’s background in off road racing gave them the unique perspective of what was needed in the scrambling world of off road motorcycles.

The Rickman brothers had attained a great deal of success in the scramblers endeavor, a special subset of motorcycle racing. Both Derek and Don had represented Britain during the sixties in the Motocross des Nations. Scrambling is what we know today as Motocross or off-road.  I’ve been able to discover the first scramble was held in Camberley, Surry UK in 1924. Scrambling is a take-off or a splintered form of Motorcycle Trail.  In the trials, the winner is not the faster competitor, but rather the competitor who completes the trial with the least amount of fault points.  The trial is run over a rough terrain course with observers charged with noting “faults”.

At the end of the course, the faults are tallied and the rider with the least faults wins.  Scrambling, like the trials was an event that ran over a course of rough, off road obstacles.  The rider is not penalized for touching the ground with a foot or other body part (as he would be in the trials), but is timed for his ability to navigate the course.  The fastest time wins the Scrambler.

The Swedes were winning races throughout Europe and the riders winning; were most often winning while riding on custom frames.  The Rickmans recognized in order to stay competitive; they would have to utilize lighter yet stronger frames on their bikes.

The engine displacement was set in regulation rules, but the design and upgrade of the chassis was wide open to the designer whose understanding of metal under stress could make the scrambling sport faster, safer, and less stress on the body.

The Rickmans father owned a garage and due to the  unexpected and early death of their father, the boys were plunged into the mechanical business while just teens.  It was their intimate, personal knowledge of machining, welding and mechanics that helped them to realize the frame they wanted/needed in order to not only compete, but win races!

The  brothers and their company became legendary for their ridged dual-cradle frames which were constructed from Reynolds 531 manganese molybdenum carbon steel tubing that was brazed instead of welded…then it was nickel plated.

The Rickman’s named their rolling chassis “The Matisse”. The meaning of the word means “crossbreed” or “mongrel” in Gallic. Imagine if you will, a BSA, Triumph, Norton, Bultaco, Matchless, Montesa, or a Zundapp engine sitting in a frame designed for motocross rather than its street chassis. Gone is the heavy rigid appearance of the frame.  The new Rickman frame is shorter, gone also is the oil tank cluttering up the area between the engine and the rear fender.  The allowances for rear suspension travel were transformed with this new design. The Rickman design allowed for more air flow to the carburetors, thus also improving the engine performance.

The Rickmans learned to use large diameter frame tubing. The idea behind this was to carry the oil with-in the frame, thus killing 2 birds with one stone.

Reduce weight (eliminate oil reservoir,)

2. Cool engine oil, also reducing weight by eliminating the need for an additional cooler.

In the early days, the brothers dabbled with the BSA. Modifying and tweaking until 1960, when they unveiled their first motorcycle frame and married engine.  They called it the Mark III.  The Mark III sported either the Triumph or the Matchless engine.  

Some of you may remember a bike built by Bultaco post 1966 called the “Bultaco Metisse”. If you do, then you should know, this was a knock off created by Bultaco after the engine company had a falling out with the Rickman brothers!

In 1963, Don Rickman was the only British rider to enter into the Grand Prix.  He placed 3rd riding a Rickman frame powered by a 196cc Bultaco engine.  By 1965 this bike had morphed into the 250cc Petite Metisse.  The Rickmans were selling this combination not as a kit bike as they had been doing all along with the BSA and the Triumph, but rather as a complete motorcycle.  In order to gain the Bultaco companies co-operation the Rickmans were forced to allow Bultaco to copy their frame.  The Spanish Bultaco was coming out with a machine called Bultaco Pursang Metisse MK1.  It was a poor copy of Rickmans Petite Metisse.

The Rickmans had also promised Bultaco they would not export the Rickman/Bultaco outside of Great Briton. The high demand for this unit started a black market, shipping the bike and engine to the USA unassembled.  Between the fake Metisse and the black market sales, the co-operation and partnership dissolved.  

The brothers had found an engine for their bikes…the Interceptor from Royal Enfield.

It’s remarkable how the Rickman frame and the Enfield engine became matched.  Royal Enfield had closed their doors, but there were 200 engines sitting on a shipping dock.  These Interceptor engines were slated to be shipped to Floyd Clymer of the Clymer Auto Manuals fame.  Clymer passed away before the engines could be shipped and his export agents were asked by the estate to get rid of them.  The engines were offered to the Rickman brothers (who were having much difficulty getting any engine company to commit fully to them)…and the restricted rise of the Interceptor engine matched with Rickman frames came to be.

Stay tuned for:

Chapter 2: From Britain to Japan, Rickman Frames the Road