Founded in England in 1959 by Derek and Don Rickman, Metisse Motorcycles quickly developed a name for off-road excellence with their custom frame designs for British engines that led to wins in the Moto Cross des Nations as well as 250cc and 500cc GP motocross championships. Their success soon expanded into road racing as well, but they were best known in the US for desert racing prowess thanks to vocal support from legends like Bud Ekins and Steve McQueen. In fact, it was McQueen himself in 1966 who called Metisse’s Mk3 off-road frame “the best handling bike I’ve ever owned!” This in
This example (VIN: R4465T) was built in England in 2011 – it features a rebuilt Triumph 650cc engine pair with an Amal carb and Pazon electronic ignition. What I love about it is that it isn’t a showpiece – as made obvious from the photos, the seller actually got it dirty. The owner and bike were profiled last year in Bike Bound, and that article tells a story about how the owner wanted one of these ever since he was 13 years old in 1969.
Find this Metisse for sale in Green Valley, Arizona with bidding up to $3,050 and the reserve not yet met or a BIN of $13,250 here on eBay.