For most classic MX aficionados the Rickman frame is forever associated with saving the last gasp of the big British bike. The two brothers initially wanted little more than to improve their own bikes yet created a legend in their Metisse models. In doing so they allowed the private owner of a traditional big British scrambler to extend the life of their machine by slotting the engine, gearbox and primary drive into a well-thought-out, well-made frame. The rest was up to the private owner and how good they were or weren’t at keeping their engines in fine fettle.
Few will not be aware that part of the thinking behind the original Metisse was to fit a more user-friendly engine into the Gold Star scramblers which Don and Derek were using at the end of the Fifties. As the Sixties swung into life even BSA with all its resources quietly admitted the day of the Goldie was over. One of the issues with the
