Early Motubikes
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.
In and out of jobs, running free
Waging war with society
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Originally Posted by skidmark
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