Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Dirt Dog: 1965 Rickman Triumph Mark III

This AHRMA champion motocross racer was built from a Rickman Metisse Triumph Mark III chasis and well-chosen assortment of race parts. Constructed in the late 90s, it won two Open Twin titles in 1998 and 1999 and was then retired. The seller says it’s time to put it back into action and we agree. Find it here on eBay on Dickson, Tennessee.

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After finding great success racing their own frame designs, the Rickman brothers began selling kits including tank, body parts and their recognizeable lightweight, nickel-plated, high-quality, large-diameter Reynolds 531 frames.

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The engine is a 1972 Triumph TR6 650cc with Bonneville cams, ceramic coated pistons, valves and ported head. It’s got a 32 mm Mikuni round-slide carb and replacing the points is a Boyer Bransden electronic ignition. Up front there’s Ceriani triple-trees, tapered steering head bearings and 35 mm Marzocchi MX forks from a new Honda CR250.

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On the Rickman handlebars are Magura levers, a 1/4-turn throttle and B&J Racing cables. The seller includes the original Rickman kit instructions and parts catalog.

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This wining historical racer looks well-built and ready to run. In addition to the sellers AHRMA victories, the auction notes indicate the bike was also raced to trials wins by Mick Andrews. We’d love to see photos of the bike in it’s glory, and even more, to see this competitor back in the dirt, where it belongs.