Dogtown Cycles in Santa Monica is featuring two fantastic British MX bikes for the price of $12,999 – a ’71 Rickman Weslake and a ’74 Cheney Triumph TR5MX. Which one would you take?
Let’s start with the Rickman. You’re all familiar with the ‘Metisse’, which is legendary when it comes to classic off-roaders thanks to that iconic frame. There’s plenty of engines that have been stuffed into these things – the Weslake BSA B44 unit is considered by some (like Motocross Action Mag) to be the ultimate example of the Metisse.
The Weslake conversion brought the B44 engine (normally used in the BSA Victor) up to 490cc, getting displacement much closer to the usual 500cc class limit. You also got Rickman 41mm forks, Girling shocks, and Akront rims to help complete the high-spec package. This example was brought back to life after spending some time in a private collection. It’s claimed to run well and has been given a Flanders headlight.
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Or, here’s the Cheney Triumph. If you’re not familiar, Eric Cheney was a British expert in frame design. BSA made several versions of the B50, including the B50MX. After BSA went out of business, the last few remaining on the production line were rebadged as the Triumph TR5MX. As things were closing down for BSA, Cheney partnered with John Banks, former team leader of BSA’s racing department, to make a 500cc bike to compete in the world championship.
Banks ended up placing 2nd in the American GP and 1st in the British race. According to the seller, BSA then tried to get Cheney to build 500 bikes with BSA engines, but he eventually got bored after only 225 were built. Here’s one of those few. Find it for sale