Post-Sale Update – After 31 bids on eBay, this Rickman Velocette sold for $25,000.
Do two names in the motorcycle industry sound better together than Rickman Velocette? Probably, but at the moment I can’t think of any. Take one Rickman street frame and one 500cc Velocette Venom engine and you’ve got an absolute beauty of a bike that I want in my personal garage.
You should all know the story, but the Rickman brothers expanded into street bikes after their incredible success with the Metisse bikes for off-road use. Initially starting with British-engines, they eventually moved to Japanese bikes once the CB750 and others put the Brits out of business. Decades later, the Rickman brothers sold their company to Pat French, who built a few frames using the same specs before selling the company off to someone else. The Venom engine, a 499cc single, was good for 34 horsepower at 6,200 rpm.
This specific Rickman Velocette (VIN: 1210674) has just 25 miles on it since being completed – the seller bought it as a non runner, took it apart and put it back together with a Pat French frame from the 80s and a Venom engine that was built by Dave Smith. Extras are numerous, but they include Rickman front forks, rebuilt by Racetech, AP/Lockheed front disc brake, Buchanan wheels, Hagon rear shocks, Dave Smith pipe and piston, and plenty more. Back in May of 2013, it won the motorcycle class of the All British Car Day, and was recently invited to display at the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show. I’m still drooling.
Find this Rickman Velocette for sale in Waco, Texas with bidding up to $10,000 and the reserve not yet met