Tim Gibbes did a magazine test on the same model as this when he was working and riding in the UK . I believe it was in 1964 . The bike was ridden in the UK and then brought to NZ by Bruce Roberts in 1964 / 65 . Amos Collins owned it for a time , and I purchased it from a guy in Christchurch where it had been beach raced and then parked for 10 years or so . The bikes were built by the Rickman brothers in the UK who wanted to race more than just a road bike with knobbly tyres . The two brothers hand built the nickel plated frames , fibreglass tank and twin filter airbox as a kit , to which you added your own wheels and engine . They went on to win numerous British and international titles on their own machines . This bike was originally fitted with a Matchless 500cc engine . This was subsequently changed to a highly modified 1955 650 pre-unit Triumph in the 90s . It has a solid crank , Denco rods , high compression pistons and race cams , which require the use of Avgas [ high octane aviation fuel ] to prevent detonation . The long pipes were designed to suit the cams . A four-speed AMC gearbox with three-spring
dry clutch handle the drive , with a Joe Hunt magneto giving the spark . 110 octane fuel is fed via a 30mm Amal carb . Starting is very easy , gas on , tickle the carb until it overflows , one very slow kick through to prime the cylinders . Find TDC [ Top Dead Centre ], make sure you have a good strong boot on and putting all your weight behind it , give one very hard kick and it bursts into life with the music that can only come from a British twin running straight pipes . I ’ m a firm believer that these older machines should be ridden , not kept in museums . The VMX scene in NZ is very strong , with numbers exceeding 150 at some meetings . We are currently leading the pre-70 class . Alternating my riding between late model two-strokes , a mid-80s Auto Husky and the right shift , left brake Metisse takes some getting my head around . While acceleration is rarely a problem , slowing 170kg of British iron with only drum brakes can lift your heart rate considerably . That ’ s not even mentioning forgetting about the left side brake , then jumping on the RHS gear lever which then goes ‘ up a gear ’ generating more excitement than I need . PETE GALPIN
54 KIWI RIDER