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issue that was resolved before
Cycle News took the bike to the
kind of racing it was truly de-
signed for—motocross.
This was a time in motorcy-
cling when bolt-on parts from
flashy computer pages were
science fiction imaginings.
Many were the motorcycles
that were made better with a
hacksaw, a vice and an imagina
-
tion. The Rickman's downpipe
was now beaten flat, puffing out
exhaust notes like Tom Waits
with a mouthful of popcorn. The
Cycle News' crew took matters
into their own hands and drove
straight to expansion chamber
guru Darryl Bassani.
"Nine hours later, we com
-
pleted a pipe that snakes its way
around the cylinder, over the carb
and out the other side…Darryl
did a fantastic job of fitting it
through and around some very
tight spaces."
On the motocross track
(Osteen's MX Park, owned by
Major League Baseball pitcher
Claude Osteen), the Rickman
250 MX was now where it be
-
longed, "spot on," wrote Culp, "for
motocross." The Girling shocks
were "adequate," which was the
highest compliment that could
be given to most any motocross
shock of that era. The front
forks, meanwhile, "worked well in
all events using all six and three-
quarters inches of travel."
The tiny Rickman factory
in New Milton, England, was
agile and could pivot quickly, so
the brothers speedily revised
their motorcycles. "The…entire
Rickman line will change as
necessary, not year by year as
others do." Cycle News picked
up its test machine in February
1971. By the end of summer, the
company displayed a new and
improved Rickman. The brothers
had widened the rear hub, gus
-
seted the frame at key points,
added one gear to the four-
speed box, and, best of all, fitted
a high exhaust pipe.
The Rickman 250 was a com-
petitive machine, delivering 34
horsepower to carry its waif-like
203-pound carriage. At $1149, it
was slightly higher-priced than
the competition, but its qual-
ity components and stunning
good looks have stood the test
of time, making well-preserved
Rickmans pricey mounts in to-
day's vintage motocross market.
Fast and pretty, the shiny-framed
racer is as seductive as any
motorcycle, regardless of its pur-
pose, ever made. Here's to you,
Mr. (and Mr.) Rickman!
CN
Cycle News received its Montesa-
powered Rickman test bike with a
downpipe, but it was returned
with a custom up-pipe.
