Impression Rickman Metisse Triumph T 150 V

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Impression Rickman Metisse Triumph T 150 V

Impression Rickman Metisse Triumph T 150 V
The right framework

The brothers Don and Derek Rickman built legends out of seamlessly drawn Reynolds tubing: beautiful, stable frames for powerful engines from Triumph, later also Honda or Kawasaki. The end product was called Metisse, which means mixed breed, and was almost always good for hanging out thoroughbred series bikes. The gorgeous Cafe Racer with Triumph’s three-cylinder, which was created from 1972 onwards, can be considered a classic late work. “A real grenade,” says Helmut von Ahn, the proud first owner.

Gerfried Vogt, Helmut Von Ahn

10/23/2002

The rearview mirror on the fiberglass cladding vibrates, I can barely see that he is recovering, the driver of the Sindelfingen coupe. Was it a real shock for him when I switched to the third right next to his A-pillar and the air-cooled three-cylinder? Accompanied by the sipping of three 26 Amal Concentrics ?? when accelerating sharply, this incomparable roar from the three-in-one trumpeted out again. It’s your own fault, here on the Green Coastal Road towards Pinneberg nobody has to sneak around with almost 70, that’s really not right. At 8000 tours, I took pity and switched up the gear, and the needle in the Smith tachometer then went back to a sensible 5000 tours. Even today, the Triumph engine digests high speeds, with around 80,000 kilometers on the clock, that’s still great. Unlike my Norton 650 SS that I had before. Its twin shook off all screws regularly, and when you started a brisk pace, the thing was hardly to be brought to a stop.
At that time, just over 30 years ago, real sports motorcycles came not only from Italy but also from England. In order to teach their rumbling twins to walk, the Tommies repaired until the rind cracked, and they preferred to transplant the motors in question into foreign frames: This is how countless Tritons, Norvins and even Norbsas were created. That means: Triumph engine with Norton chassis, Norton twin with Vincent frame or Norton in BSA. Don and Derek Rickman, two resourceful brothers from southern England, recognized this trend. But the two motocross aces wanted higher and began in 1959 to assemble their own frames from thin-walled, seamlessly drawn Reynolds 531 tubing into perfect, brazed double-loop frames. Together with the brake manufacturer AP Lockheed, and later also with engine builder Harry Weslake, they even developed a complete Metisse suspension kit for Triumph two-cylinder engines. The business flourished until the “old” Triumph factory in Meriden was on strike in 1973 and the image of this traditional brand slowly went down the drain.
My Hamburg clique was enthusiastic about the Rickman chassis when, in May 1968, Klacks made such a slim rocket for “Das Motorrad ?? was allowed to drive. But it wasn’t until Georg, Ego and I came across a car magazine in 1971 with a comparison between the Norton Commando and the 650 Metisse that we really got going. Ingenious idea with the oil in the frame tube; The thing with the chain tension by eccentric discs in the pivot point of the swing arm was complex, but logical, and finally the nickel-plated frame with the notches moved back had a great look. Like the whole motorcycle ?? Italian light, but still strong. With a lean angle ?? madness, since my Norton sprayed sparks for a long time. Such a car, just with the engine from Hans-Jurgen’s new Trident, which he recently bought from Georg Suck, that would be it. Man, what were we spinning around, and then Ego, who, unlike Georg and me, can speak English fluently, called over in New Milton. The unexpected happened, the Rickmans upset us: “Of course you can have something like that. Not directly from us, but John Judge from RGM builds and sells these things with our frames, mostly for Formula 750 races. “
Admittedly, the price was really steep and many of our friends thought we were crazy. “You are stupid to bang such a lot of money just for a motorcycle, you can pay for your own home for that,” they said. The critics were not so wrong. RGM wanted the equivalent of 15,000 marks for one of these three-cylinders, 5,000 marks as a deposit, the rest upon collection in Luton. I had to lay tiles for about a year and could have got myself two new Triumph Trident and still have a long vacation. But for Georg and me the case was clear: one or none.
We couldn’t wait for our quick Metisse to finish. Finally, in May ’73, the call came and the three of us immediately went to Wucherpfennig, rent a bus and take it to the Prince Hamlet ferry, which shuttled every two days from Hamburg to Harwich. When we had these things here, we realized our naivety, because the approval was anything but unproblematic. In short, the TuV had to complain about everything. Well, we actually owned racing machines with lights now ?? the taillight wasn’t even screwed on, it was included. In a plastic bag. But we did not allow ourselves to be deterred and changed what the gentlemen disliked. They didn’t feel comfortable with the disguise, the exhaust too loud, all that nonsense. In July, both Metisse finally had stamps and certificates and the hunting season was on.
That was a ride. Finally a decent brake. But I have to get used to the small steering angle. And the strong-on-the-whisk turning degenerated into work at the Rickman because of its three strong slide springs. The same goes for changing gears when things are going fast. But thanks to fiberglass and consistent lightweight construction, the Metisse weighed almost 40 kilos less than a regular Trident. Ego, who meanwhile drove my old Norton, could hardly keep up, and even when I found such a new Z 900 Japanese donut between Kaltenkirchen and Bad Segeberg, I could easily drive the four-cylinder into the ground on the winding side streets. Logo, the Rickman lay like a board in the street. After I had optimized the gear ratio for myself with a smaller 46 chainring, I rode the “Lutte” day in and day out. Every now and then to the Nurburgring or to Assen, regularly to the TT, once even to Sweden. A few days after this tour, the Metisse in the Elbe tunnel suddenly got really hot, diagnosis: oil pump in the bucket. Since I still had a guarantee, the engine was brought to Triumph dealer Harvey Owens in London, who repaired the triple perfectly.
Cast wheels were all the rage back then, the magnesium wheels, developed by racing ace and ex-Norton development engineer Peter Williams, I got myself on the way back from the Isle of Man. Since the parts were only available with a diameter of 18 inches, I first wanted to know from RGM whether the smaller wheel diameter would impair the driving characteristics. The answer was no, and soon my Rickman was rolling on five-spoke wheels, which the chassis guru Tony Foale adjusted for me on the lathe. I was extremely satisfied, at least until that Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1977 when the city bus in Hamburg-Lurop lost diesel in a left-hand bend and I promptly made a departure as a result ?? unfortunately against the only telephone pole far and wide.
Back at the dam, I looked at the mess: the impact even made the bearish 41 millimeter fork, which Friedel Munch also built into his mammoth, crooked like a banana, and the entire exhaust system could open ?? n garbage. Fortunately, the frame was undamaged, the engine was little damaged, only the Boyer Brandsen electronic ignition was over, as was the seat. The broken front cast magnesium wheel is really annoying. It cost me a lot of nerves, a lot of phone calls and gray hair before I could get something like this. The long aluminum tank only got a small dent, which is still there today ?? as a reminder, so to speak. Has helped for over 20 years, that’s how long the Lutte has been on the road again after its crash..
Geez ?? Close the gas and let the two disc brakes bite. The Friday evening traffic jam begins today before Wedel, the sheet metal avalanche is rolling towards the Elbe. At the stop-and-go I notice again that the Borg & Beck clutch with disc spring is better than any strength training. Today nothing is going on again. All right, first refuel. 14 liters run into the slim aluminum barrel after 200 kilometers. In the past, when you were beating about the crowd with the clique, it was often 20 ?? I have probably aged faster than the little English woman in the last three decades.
I snap the Monza snap-on tank lid back into place, lean over to the ignition lock in the left side panel, and turn the right footrest up. A kick, followed by a throttle, and the Metisse is back to the music. Her big birthday will be celebrated next year. Suddenly I step into the irons ?? not because of the flashing light that hangs here, but because it occurs to me that we wanted to celebrate this birthday in a friendly round of four. Two oldies and two ladies, because my neighbor has also put up a Rickman, I’m supposed to help him rebuild. I can turn around and get a few parts. Then I have to laugh and drive on towards the Elbe: Rickman ?? I think this is the longest infection I’ve ever had.

Technical data – Rickman Metisse Triumph T 150 V, built in 1973

Engine: Air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke engine, two valves per cylinder, driven by camshafts and bumpers below, displacement 741 cm3, bore x stroke: 67 x 70 mm, 60 hp at 7250 rpm, three Amal Concentric carburettors, (26 mm, Kick starter, dry sump lubrication, primary drive via triplex chain, five-speed gearbox. Chassis: Double loop frame made of seamlessly drawn 531 Reynolds tubes, soldered and nickel-plated, reinforced in the steering head, Metisse telescopic fork, (41.3 mm, swing arm adjustable with eccentric disks, two Girling struts AP Lockheed disc brakes front and rear, (254 mm, Peter Williams cast magnesium wheels, tires 90 / 90-18 front, 90 / 100-18 rear, wheelbase 1422 mm, tank capacity 18 liters. Measured values: Weight with a full tank 180 kg (Chassis kit: 86.5 kg), seat height 762 mm, top speed: over 190 km / h. Price: (1973) around 15,000 marks.

Haubentaucher on two wheels – Rickman Metisse-Triumph T 150

The icing on the cake of every Rickman Metisse was the transparent headlight hood, which also made the British cafe racer look like a grenade. The TuV was uncomfortable with the entire fairing

Free swimmer with racing ideas – Rickman Metisse-Triumph T 150

On the initiative of the dealer John Judge, the Rickman brothers developed the frame for the air-cooled triple from Reynolds 531 tubing. Only about 30 complete Rickman Trident were built

Refreshingly different – Rickman Metisse-Triumph T 150

With the brazed frame, the pipes of which also served as an oil tank, and the innovative eccentric swing arm mounting, the Rickman was superior to the Nippon chassis of the time

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