1965 Bultaco Rickman Metisse - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

Description

1965 Bultaco Rickman Metisse - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11"  (21 cm x 28 cm)
Condition: Good
The brothers Rickman and their “Metisse” have revo-
lutionized British scrambles racing, and the Rickman
influence is apparent the world around. It all started in
1958, when the Rickmans were getting clouted by various
lightweight “specials’' in Continental events. This unpleas-
antness brought them to the realization that something
better than what was then available in England would be
needed, and as none of the established manufacturers ap-
peared willing to make the necessary changes, Derek and
Don Rickman decided to do it themselves.
Borrowing components here and there, the Rickmans
put together a super-light, 500-class scrambler, using a
frame of their own design and construction. It was an in-
stant success, and there was more work along the same
pattern for the next couple of years, although at this point
the Rickman “Metisse” was still very much a special; none
were being made to be sold. That changed in 1962, when
in response ter popular demand (a hackneyed phrase, but
one that actually applies here) they built a few kits for
sale to the public.
From that point, it was all onward and upward, and
they have now made this “hobby” project into quite a nice
business. The Rickmans’ only real problem, today, is one
of bringing up production to meet demand, and that is
where their alliance with Bultaco comes in.
Having had so much success with the big Metisse, the
Rickmans were besieged with requests for a similar, small-
displacement machine. As requests backed by money are
seldom ignored in any country, it was not long before a
“little” Metisse was forthcoming. And, as the Rickmans
are Bultaco distributors, it was only natural that the little
Metisse was Bultaco-based. To say that public reception
of this machine was enthusiastic would be some sort of
record in understatement. Orders were soon flowing in
much faster than production capacity could satisfy.
In answer to this, Rickman Brothers and Bultaco
worked out an arrangement wherein the Bultaco-Mctisse
would be built in Spain, by Bultaco. Thus, a back-room
special finally reached full factory-produced status, and
both availability and price are much improved.
Actually, we are informed that the Bultaco-manufac-
tured “Metisse” is not a Metisse at all; but a Pur Sang
(which, translated from the French, means “pure blood",
and whatever significance this juggling of names has is lost
on us). Even so, a Bultaco-Metisse by any other name is a
Bultaco-Metisse, and will be thus called by enthusiasts
in this country no matter what the machine’s makers or
distributors have to say about it. Wc will go along with
the enthusiasts.
The present Spanish-made Bultaco-Metisse suffers
slightly in comparison to the original with regard to super-
ficial finish, but is, in fact, a better machine functionally.
Frames are welded, where the Rickman-produced ma-
chines have fantastically perfect brazed joints; but the
welded frames are strong enough — if not quite so beauti-
ful. Also, the Rickman frames are nickel plated, which is
again better in appearance, if not in function, than the
painted Bultaco frames. Actually, the important thing is
that the frame design has not been altered. It is the same
Manx-Norton-ish duplex-tube structure, with the front
down tubes starting at the top of the steering head and
leading down between the tank-rail tubes. And, too. the
same arrangement for chain adjustment is retained, with
the swing-arm pivot carried in a slot and eccentric-bored
discs to give fore-and-aft location. The entire swing-arm
is moved to adjust the chain, by selecting appropriate
discs, and this both provides perfect wheel alignment and
virtually eliminates the possibility of slipping out of ad-
justment — no matter how severe the pounding. Finally, it
reduces the mass that moves with the rear wheel, and
should therefore improve ride and handling somewhat.
The first Bultaco-Metisse had Norton forks, which are
good, but those on the Spanish production model are
nothing short of phenomenal — and will soothe whatever
ruffled feelings might arise over the lack of nickel plating
on the frame. These forks closely resemble the Italian
Ceriani, which seem to be used on all of the best racing
equipment. In any case, they are magnificent forks, with a
full 6 1/2-inches of travel (4 3/4" on bounce: 1 3/4" on
rebound, measured from the static unloaded position).
The damping is extremely good. too. and these forks will
allow the bike’s front wheel to climb over almost anything
(excepting perhaps a crouched elephant) without jounc-
ing the rider too severely. One thing that will look a trifle
odd to experienced scrambles riders is the lack of dust
covers on the forks. This is not an oversight. Each fork-
slider has an elaborate seal to exclude dust and moisture,
and the top of the seal acts as a wiper to keep the upper
fork leg clean.
Rear wheel travel is substantially less than at the
front, at 3 inches, but this is about as much as one gets
with any scrambler. We were rather surprised to find that
the rear suspension was very soft, with dampers that gave
resistance almost entirely on rebound. Of course, this
makes the rear suspension just like that up front, which
is also very soft, and also seems to have a preponderance
of damping on rebound. It is all quite unlike the tradition-
al scrambler, but gives the kind of results that tell us it
represents the trend of the future.
All fiberglass parts on the Bultaco-Metisse are made
by Michenall, in England, and this is high-quality material.
The color is in the resin, so scratches can be polished out
even when they are quite deep, and there is no possibility
of chipping through the “paint.” We should point out that
fiberglass has the advantage of lightness, and relative re-
sistance to damage if you should spill. Also, it has given
the makers of the Metisse an opportunity to use more
complex paneling than would be possible with metal. For
instance, there is the elaborate paneling under the seat...
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