Early Motubikes

[Motu]

Paparazzi kindly scanned some old photos for me - I thought I'd show you some of my early bikes...get an idea of where I'm coming from.

We'll start with the glamour bike,the bike that forms the core of how I approach motorcycles,from then on till now,every bike I ride is compared to this one...all fall short.In the late 60s as a teenager we used to go to the scrambles as MX was called in those days,the big Britsh 4 strokes against the European 2 strokes,and the most impressive of all was the Rickman Metisse - they seemed to be always in the air,lofting the front wheel at will and doing big slides out of the turns,I loved the Rickmans.One day after watching a meeting at Mangere Mountain (imagine that,MX in the city,forget that it was a monument,a historic site) and in the carpark was road legal Rickman,a red one...this was outta sight,like seeing a speedway bike on the street,I was sooooo impressed - ''I'm gunna do that one day,gunna ride a Rickman on the road''

My dream came true in 74/75,I found a 1963 Rickman Metisse minus motor,and I had engine and parts from a wrecked 1973 Triumph Daytona lying around,I was going to put it into something else,but the Rickman was made for this motor,so I built one up out of what parts I had and could find and put it together.Most of the work making it road ready had been done by the previous owner,and the bike had always been registered,so always had a plate (all numbers)it was just a head and tail light,a speedo that never worked and mufflers.Len Perry had once owned the bike and I remember Dave Tompkins riding it.

I took it to Taranaki almost finished and got it going there - on my first ride on the paddocks to ''run it in'' I was onto it right away,I just knew what it could do right off..we ''fit'' we did.2nd or 3rd gear slides (4 speed box),full lock,rooster tail of grass and cow shit 20ft in the air,then just pick it and toss it right down hard the otherway..full lock 3rd gear figure 8s,again and again - oh,bliss,this bike was paradise! Jumps were fun too,long and low - launch off some hump and drop the rear wheel down,then just power down the paddock standing on the pegs on the rear wheel with a rooster tail out behind.This bike was directly connected to brain and eyes,it just did what you wanted,you never thought it couldn't this,it just did....never lowsided and swapped ends,never highsided and tossed you off,never looped,it was a magic carpet.

But I wasn't to use this bike too much off road,it was my gravel road bike.I had been riding on gravel for a few years...and it's not easy as you know.I had learned to drive a car fast on gravel,that's easy,but I wanted to do the same with a bike - ride a bike like a rally car.I knew guys who could ride well on gravel,but I wanted to do it faster,with more style,I wanted to flattrack on the road.The Rickman taught me how to do this,well in my mind anyway,not many people saw me doing this...as today,people don't really get into gravel,I hardly ever see any other bikes on my roads,then or now.The long 58in wheelbase meant it could slide really well,but still had quick steering,I never even noticed the front wheel on this bike,I just pointed the bike where I wanted to go and snapped open the throttle,the back wheel spun up and we were off.

I was an adventure rider before the name was thought of,on all the back roads,lost,going on beaches,up tracks,into forests.Anyway....the bike that's most important to me of all the bikes I've owned.In the photos,all I have of the bike first is as I put it on the road,with high pipes,but I kept burning my legs on them and made some TT pipes going under the engine and coming out splayed in front of the rear wheel,as in the second picture.It originaly had a 19in Velocette rear wheel,as in the first pic,but couldn't gear it up,so fitted a conical Triumph wheel,cutting the sprockets so I could have a Rocket III sprocket for off road and a Trident one for road.In 1977 short hair was certainly not cool,the only guys who had short hair had just been released,but I chopped it all off,not a good look - I'm not happy,the bike has a half short in the zener diode and I haven't figured that out yet.Last shot is me on the Rosebank Speedway,you can't tell,but I'm pretty well crossed up.

[Blakamin]

geez, you were ugly...... :spudwave:

just kidding (I still wear flanelette)... cool write-up :niceone:

[erik]

Interesting read and pics :niceone:

[Two Smoker]

IM SHOCKED!!! YOU DONT HAVE A MOUSTACHE OR WHITE HAIR!!! Good write up and nice photos :niceone:

[Ixion]

I remember the Rickmans. But they were way beyond what I could afford then :weep:

The Enfield Rickman was the one I lusted after.

Yeah, it was good in those days. You could go trail riding heaps of palces within 15 minutes ride of home in Auckland.

And the MOT were pretty good about truning a blind eye to dubiously legal bikes heading to the dirt.

And heaps of good gravel roads then too. Nowdays everythings sealed, which gets a bit boring. I hate it when a nice road gets sealed, theres almost no gravel roads around Auckland now. Takes all the interest out of it, and attracts the bunnies

[gav]

So what happened to the bike? You still got it? Know of its history if you sold it?

[Motu]

How about another couple,just to show you sports bike guys I'm not that biased.This is what was called a Triton - a wideline Norton Featherbed with a Triumph engine,this one a 61 650 engine and gearbox.Mathew McCahon originaly built it as a beach racer - whenever he saw me on it he would crack up,he reckon he tossed it together out of junk and didn't beleive it could still run,but the owner before me rebuilt it from the ground up.Back then everyone rode a chop,apehangers,chrome etc,this bike was matt black with a red frame (it went through a Coke machine spray booth),years ahead of any Honda colour scheme,so I was kinda out of place....as usual.

Had all the fruit - Bonny cams,pistons,sometimes twin carbs,swept back pipes,central oil tank,glass tank with big cutouts for the clipons,rearsets - the original Cafe Racer,in a class of my own.Far better handling than anything on the road at the time,kinda lost on a 19 yr old,but I thought I was shit hot,coulda cleaned up Ago but he was too scared and never came to NZ to take up the challange....guess we all been there eh?

[Enn]

Good lord, reading this reminded me of a jawa that i had my first riding lessons on (one with real gears) had to drop a 4'' nail into a hole in the head light for a key! and the kick start flopped down and became the gear leaver... oh how things have changed, had a load of fun on that bike, mmm where did i put my bowl of sherry and glass of mince???.. :2thumbsup

[750Y]

good writeup, enjoyed the read & nice to see some pics of earlier bikes & hear of Your early days on the riding scene.

[Pwalo]

Nice pics and write up. It's nice to know there's someone even older than me out there.

It's always interesting to look back at what we used to ride on, and what sort of gear we used to ride in. Now those weren't stubbies were they?

[TLDV8]

Great write up indeed......reminds me i should get this finished.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v63/manurewa/th_Wicked.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/manurewa/Wicked.jpg)

[Ixion]

Good lord, reading this reminded me of a jawa that i had my first riding lessons on (one with real gears) had to drop a 4'' nail into a hole in the head light for a key! and the kick start flopped down and became the gear leaver... oh how things have changed, had a load of fun on that bike, mmm where did i put my bowl of sherry and glass of mince???.. :2thumbsup

I'd forgotten all about them - indeed forgotten almost everything about the unlamented Jawa's I owned (I can only plead insanity as my defence for owning them in the first place)

[Ixion]

How about another couple,just to show you sports bike guys I'm not that biased.This is what was called a Triton - a wideline Norton Featherbed with a Triumph engine,this one a 61 650 engine and gearbox.

Iron head on a '61 ? Or is it just the photo?

How many head gaskets did you blow?. I used to be able to get home on my Speed Twin having blown yet another head gasket on the way home, pull the head and replace the gasket that night, and ride to work the next morning. As a matter of routine!

[Oscar]

How about another couple,just to show you sports bike guys I'm not that biased.This is what was called a Triton - a wideline Norton Featherbed with a Triumph engine,this one a 61 650 engine and gearbox.Mathew McCahon originaly built it as a beach racer - whenever he saw me on it he would crack up,he reckon he tossed it together out of junk and didn't beleive it could still run,but the owner before me rebuilt it from the ground up.Back then everyone rode a chop,apehangers,chrome etc,this bike was matt black with a red frame (it went through a Coke machine spray booth),years ahead of any Honda colour scheme,so I was kinda out of place....as usual.

Had all the fruit - Bonny cams,pistons,sometimes twin carbs,swept back pipes,central oil tank,glass tank with big cutouts for the clipons,rearsets - the original Cafe Racer,in a class of my own.Far better handling than anything on the road at the time,kinda lost on a 19 yr old,but I thought I was shit hot,coulda cleaned up Ago but he was too scared and never came to NZ to take up the challange....guess we all been there eh?

Are you coming to the 'Naki, you slackarse?

[vifferman]

I remember the Rickmans.
Yeah, me too.
First few scrambles (motocross) events I went to there were Rickmans, CCMs, etc. and even a few Jap bikes, which seemed really crap in comparison.

[Motu]

Iron head on a '61 ? Or is it just the photo?

How many head gaskets did you blow?. I used to be able to get home on my Speed Twin having blown yet another head gasket on the way home, pull the head and replace the gasket that night, and ride to work the next morning. As a matter of routine!

It was a T110 motor with an 8 stud alloy head,which cracked and lost exhaust stubs as they always did.In the B&W photo I had just fitted an 8 stud alloy head modified for twin carbs,with a plate welded to the inlet ports and 3in spacers which put my 389 monoblocks 12in from the valves.I had carb problems,but it made the thing run real ropey and off course it cracked.So then I fitted a 9 stud head and ran a 1/4 SU carb off a Mini,this made the bike easy to start,idle,gave almost twin carb performance and 100mpg! I geared it high and used my superior power to weight ratio to keep ahead of most things on the road.I was pulling these things apart on a weekly basis,I enjoyed it.

[Ixion]

So then I fitted a 9 stud head

Yes, it was amazing what a difference that extra stud (and teh extra "meat" between the bores ) made. I shudder to think what the original 6 stud motors must have been like .

[duckman]

Awesome writeup Motu. Love the Pics!!! :niceone:

[Skunk]

Fanastic! Love to read more. (I missed all this as I wasn't into bikes back then - in spite of my Dad being an Ixion (sp?) club member)

[Funkyfly]

......This is what was called a Triton - a wideline Norton Featherbed with a Triumph engine,this one a 61 650 engine and gearbox.Mathew McCahon originaly built it as a beach racer.......
Had all the fruit - Bonny cams,pistons,sometimes twin carbs,swept back pipes,central oil tank,glass tank with big cutouts for the clipons,rearsets - the original Cafe Racer,in a class of my own.Far better handling than anything on the road at the time,kinda lost on a 19 yr old,but I thought I was shit hot,coulda cleaned up Ago but he was too scared and never came to NZ to take up the challange....guess we all been there eh?

thats a cool bike, even by todays standards. Good style is timeless - thats the bike im refering to. Shame you dont have it anymore.

[Motu]

So what happened to the bike? You still got it? Know of its history if you sold it?

Yes I sold it,same reason I just sold the XLV750,it became just a playbike I dragged out every few weeks,I needed different bikes for different things.I followed it through some owners,had it offered back to me,twice - I paid $400 for it in 1974,in the early 80s I could of got it back for $900,in the late 80s for $2500,I guess I'd have to pay over $10,000 to get it back now.I also had a Cheney Triumph at the same time,last time I saw that for sale was over 10 yrs ago and they wanted $7,000...I paid $500 for it.Believe it or not I found it difficult to get rid of them,nobody knew what they were,an obselete MX bike was not a sort after comodity,there was no VMX then.The frame number was 641,or 642 I think.One previous owner has an office in the middle of Kyber Pass Rd,he had both bikes at one stage.

[Paul in NZ]

Yup - Sold my Rickman to a guy in ChCh for $800 late 70's. Only 2 people called about it. I was gutted to sell the bike but I had no use for it and invested the money in an engagement ring. 25 years of happy marriage was a far better deal.

On the otherhand, I bought a featherbed rolling chassis for $110 once for a project so its not all bad.

Thats the way of the world...


Paul N

[sels1]

How very interesting listening to you old folks reminicising...:)

Good pic + stories Motu, keep em coming

[Motu]

My second bike I bought,when I was still 16 was a 1951 BSA B31,a plunger frame with sprung seat,it was older than me! After learning how to start it,ride it and work on it I made a chop out of it,it's what you did back then.Neville Lowe made me some 8in over forks,a cobra seat and W bars,then I chromed everything I could pull off.I got a YDS3 front wheel with scoops from Neddy when he opened Auckland Motorcycle Wreckers in Eden Tce and put that in,a Francis Barnnet tank up high like a Sportster - shit it was a mess,but my small 17yr old brain was satisfied.The bike was destroyed on my 18th birthday,I've told the story here a couple of times and am sick of writing it - but I was run down from behind and the bike stayed on the van for 1/4 mile,I was there for 1/2 mile,and the bike was a mess.

I had the parts to rebuild it - but then changed my plans.I picked up a 1954 BSA A10 Goldflash,a 650 twin with a blown motor,but I didn't want one of those,I wanted my B31,so put my B31 engine in it.Easy,but not really - the single motors have an oil pump that protrudes from the cases and a swing arm B31 frame has a kink.A mate who rode A10s had a bent B31 frame,so I cut the kink out of the B31 frame and welded it into my A10 frame,and the reverse,giving him an A10 frame back - if I ever see these frames I will know them at once!Next I needed engine plates and primary cases - believe it or not another mate fitted an A7 500 semiunit twin into his swing arm B31,so I got his whole setup.

I had the frame sand blasted,then painted it in black primer,finishing with black lacquer top coat.Attention to detail stopped there,I suddenly needed it going,dragged all my parts into the open and out of a mountain of crap built the bike in 3 days...I had to pull the gearbox out of my Triton because I had fitted it with a BSA gearbox for some reason.The bike was sitting there complete - with no rear wheel! I had no idea why I had no rear wheel for it,but had a rear YDS3 wheel with a Yokohama racing tyre,so spent half a day adapting it to fit,grinding out the swing arm,making a cross over brake cable,drilling holes into a tyre lever for a brake anchor.

This bike,like all my bikes was for playing with,modifying,changing,adapting....learning.Golds tar cams,high comp pistons,carbs,lots of carbs,exhausts,sprockets,wheels,gearboxes,nothing was left alone.The first picture is maybe the day I got it going - 3 years later my pheonix was a different looking bird,my B31 reborn.Next one is colour and shows the baked enamel purple,not what I really wanted,but hey,it was there,dirt bars,my preferences are showing,a QD BSA 18in wheel finally too.Next it's black,but looks like I had to repair a leak - always the way with a new paint job eh? Wide flat bars,an original full length chrome rear gaurd and a solo seat.

The BSA singles are a family group,cuzzies eh? The B31 is a cast iron 350,the B32 the alloy racer,the B33 and 34 the 500 versions...71mm x 88mm for the 350,85 x 88 for the 500s.There are also 2 sidevalve motors,the 500cc M20 and the 600cc M21,these both have an 82mm bore,the M20 has a 96mm stroke and the M21 a 112mm stroke.So I got myself a 1948 M20 in bits,but it was the motor that intrigued me,so I built that up first,double sleeving the bore down to a new plus 20 piston,had new guides made,new mains,made my own headgasket out of sheet copper..all ready for me to build the frame.

The old B31 was getting a bit rattlely after all the abuse,it had been a 500 a couple of times,various high comp pistons and now the big end was becoming noisy...choice! I'll chuck the M20 into it eh? So that's what I did and the next few shots are of that version,13 HP to pull a 425 lb bike,a whole new world,lots of fun,it did heaps of work,and the last photo is the day I pulled it down,it has 19 and 21in wheels now - I sold the old stuff to some classic buff and all the later model and modified stuff to a couple of others. (hey,don't tell anyone,but today I issued a WoF for it,it still exists,but only electronicaly) I know some of it still exists,but haven't seen any of it.I go to the classic racing where there are dozens of BSA singles,I like to look at them,I could offer a bit of advice to these ''new'' B31 riders,but leave them to their learning curve...

[Motu]

A close up of the M20 motor,check out that front pipe,17 welds in that,a segmented pipe,I could of made it out of bends,but wanted a rustic look,did I succeed?

This is my brothers bike,in 1971 I think.A lot of Neville Lowe stuff here,a very talented guy,we all hung around his place.He made the 6in over Rocket III forks,painted the Tiger Cub tank in 3 colours of metalic flames,pretty trick for then,made and upolstered the seat and put a cute DA on that chopped rear guard.I've ridden a lot of 650 Triumphs,and this would be the most powerful I ever rode by far,the motor was out of Dave Tompkins speedway sidecar.Riding beside him one day in the wet and he was blipping the throttle - in top gear! it just spun up that quick,it broke a chain one day,just snapped a link.It has open pipes here,but he put some mufflers on later,it had a very distinctive exhaust note,very ropey.The eagle eye will pick out the obvious,I'll let them tell me what's wrong here.

This next one is for Lee and Jack - Metalstorm! A VW powered Ural sidecar,off the wall in a big way,what a hoot,it was crazy and I loved it.I used to ride around with my 4 yr old daughter in the chair,and always got carried away,one day after lifting the chair up on a lefthander I heard her screaming! I stopped...gulp....''are you ok?'' - 'Yeah!!,do it again! do it again!'
It was a thug.

[Jackrat]

Oh dear,the VWurinal.
Lee rode the thing to the Kiwi one year,85/86??.Used a LOT of oil but it was only leaks,LOTS of leaks, an it got there an back with no dramas.
I reckon it was ahead of its time and in a class of it's own,nobody took a second look at an HD when that thing pulled up. :niceone:

[MacD]

It has open pipes here,but he put some mufflers on later,it had a very distinctive exhaust note,very ropey.The eagle eye will pick out the obvious,I'll let them tell me what's wrong here.


Reversed barrels, carbs are pointing forward :niceone:

[SPman]

What happened to Ned and the crew from Auckland Motor Cycles? I lusted after a Rickman Trident they had there for a while, in Ponsonby Rd..wanted $2600 for it...but ended up with a 750SS Duc instead! Briefly! Bugger!

[avgas]

Motu u had a Triton and a Metisse!!!!! :not: :not: :not: :not: :not: :not:
I still lust over having a true classic beast, but i like not cleaning the oil off the ground (so maby a new bonnie or commando is the trick :niceone: )
Had one of these (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=8839&highlight=cafe+racer) , but i miss the whole cafe racer way of riding.
its really good fun without doing 180+.
Does anyone here know what a 3TA is worth cleaned up (i know - its a bathtub on wheels) - trying to convice the old man to reassemble his.

[Motu]

Seems I've got a thing about turning old racers into street bikes - being a BSA man I couldn't pass this one up,for $175 anyway.It was another swing arm A10,but hugely modified as a sidecar racer,last of the pre kneelers.The top frame rails were cut down and was a copy of a featherbed,16in wheels with sidecar racing rubber,a leading link front fork with two 8in BSA brakes back to back,Trident tank and a bikini fairing,solo seat,a real serious bit of kit.I wasn't interested in doing the A10 bit,but the frame had been modified for a BSA single (with a hammer,not a classy job like my other BSA),so originaly thought of making a super single motor for it (I was making a 600cc motor 85 x106mm).

I also had a 600 Norton at this stage and had picked up an Atlas/Commando/Combat motor to put in it...I started to put this in the sidecar,but gave up,it was not going to be easy.I put a 1972 BSA A65 Thunderbolt in instead.Getting this motor was a story in itself - it was in a burnt out bike,just an electrical fire,but the bike was destroyed,the motor black with soot and extingishure damage.It was in the downstairs hall of one of those flash Henderson brick and tiles with full basement,his Mum was there,just your usual suburban scene - when I went to pick it up I found it was a Headhunter pad! Shit,and here's me backed up to the door with my car....I went from Henderson home to New Lynn via the eastern suburbs and Redoubt Rd.

I built a 2x2 box section frame and fitted a Mini wheel (the racing chair was exhaust tubing and not road worthy),then built the whole bike up in the lounge,stripping the motor down,then fitting it into the frame...then puilling it apart to get it out the front door and down the steps.The photo's are all I have of it,these were taken the day I started it,using the battery from the car as you can see.I had never ridden a sidecar before,I went down the road and around the corner to a deadend,practiced going in circles both ways - then came home,locked the bike up and sailed down the road sideways making a perfect entry into the drive - sussed in 2 minutes.

This was ridden on the road,and being self taught developed my own style - I rode it like a speedway sidecar,backing it off and pitching into a righthander full opposite lock,then full throttle to understeer,back off into a slide,and back on the gas,sawing away all corner...wow,bit of fun eh? Left handers were taken flying the wheel low,say 2in,and the rear stepped out 6 in.You can see this bike still racing today,it's a full knealer now with 18in wheels,but still has the Thunderbolt motor...850 now I think.

Another sidecar,my 2 month old daughter inside.This was the first production JB chair (John Williams and Bill Read?) I remember going to Bill's place and seeing the first prototype chassis he was making.But oh no! what's he put it on! A Featherbed Norton! Never far away from a lynching by the Classic guys.Better show a pic of my nice 1961 600 Dommi,had the full SS touch,a beautiful bike.Next the R60/5 the chair was supposed to go on,but the frames are too weak.

[Motu]

The guy on the front of the bike in the first pic came in today and I said I would email it to him,but can't from this computer,I'll pluck from here tomorrow.Still good mates after all these years,but we were out of contact for a long period,some people are special,you only meet a handful in your life.We lost the guy on the back in the early 80s,he went under a milk tanker in Nelson,we still talk about him when we get together,we'll never forget.Why the hell these guys carried me along in their world I have no idea,but I am honoured to have shared their life...