This is a Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer, it’s a motorcycle based on the famous American actor’s own design from the period, and he rode a version of the Metisse extensively across the deserts of Southern California.
Despite the vintage looks, this motorcycle is essentially brand new, having only 99 miles on the odometer and having been first registered for the road in 2017. It’s one of only 300 examples built and the series is officially endorsed by Steve McQueen’s estate.
Fast Facts: The Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer
- This Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer is a limited-production motorcycle based directly on Steve McQueen’s own mid-1960s desert racing machine from Metisse. Although styled like a period racer, it is effectively new, first registered in 2017, showing just 99 miles, and officially approved by McQueen’s estate.
- Métisse was founded by brothers Derek and Don Rickman, who were dissatisfied with heavy, poor handling off-road motorcycle frames of the era. Their solution was a lightweight, stiff chromoly chassis adaptable to different engines. These frames earned an excellent reputation in desert racing and became a favorite among serious privateer racers.
- Steve McQueen adopted the Rickman-framed Métisse after racing Triumph TR6C Desert Sleds, finding the lighter chassis and improved suspension to be superior. Fitted with a similar Triumph engine but reduced weight, the Métisse handled better in desert conditions and quickly became McQueen’s preferred off-road racing motorcycle.
- The modern Steve McQueen Desert Racer uses a hand-built nickel-plated 4130 chromoly frame, Ceriani forks, Girling rear shocks, and period-style drum brakes. Power comes from a 650cc Triumph parallel-twin with a four-speed gearbox. Battleship Grey fiberglass bodywork and discreet road equipment complete the specification.
The Mighty Rickman Brothers
Métisse Motorcycles was established in the late 1950s by the Rickman brothers, Derek and Don. The company began its journey not as a fully-fledged motorcycle manufacturer, but as a designer and producer of custom racing motorcycle frames into which engines from major manufacturers could be fitted. Métisse means “mongrel” or “mixed breed” in French, it was chosen as the company name as a reference to the fact that Métisse motorcycles were made from a mixed bag of parts.
This is Don and Derek Rickman, the brothers were accomplished riders who set up their own company to manufacture frames and rolling chassis for high performance motorcycles. Image courtesy of Rickman Motorcycles.
The Rickman brothers, both successful enduro and off-road motorcycle racers in their own right, were dissatisfied with the performance, handling, and weight of existing off-road motorcycle frames. They recognized that while there were excellent engines available, the frames and suspension often didn’t do justice to them justice.
This realization led them to develop their own custom frame, which could house a variety of engines through the use of engine mount adapter plates. Rickman-designed frames quickly earned a reputation for being both very stiff and very lightweight – both attributes that are much in demand for motorcycle frames (and automotive frames too of course).
These Métisse frames could be ordered individually, the company also offered fully-built and operational motorcycles, as well as kits that included the frame, suspension, wheels, brakes, and a lightweight fiberglass fuel tank, fenders, and bodywork.
Many buyers opted to built up their own motorcycle starting with just the frame and bodykit. They would choose their engine, then pair it with the best suspension and brakes they could find to create a motorcycle that was far more capable than even the best of the factory-built scramblers of the time.
One famous proponent of the Rickman-designed Métisse was Steve McQueen – a talented off-road motorcycle racer in his own right who used to enter races using the pseudonym Harvey Mushman so that he could compete without people knowing who he was under his helmet and goggles.
Earlier in his racing career McQueen had used the Triumph TR6C, otherwise known as the “Desert Sled,” this was a factory built motorcycle that became one of the most popular desert racing motorcycles of the 1960s.
Steve McQueen riding a Rickman Metisse, McQueen was a genuinely talented racer on two wheels and four, and he was a huge fan of his Rickman Metisse in the 1960s. Image courtesy of the McQueen Estate.
The Métisse could be fitted with the same engine as the TR6C but with the might lighter Rickman frame and improved suspension – overall the Métisse was much lighter and it handled better, it wasn’t long before it became McQueen’s favorite.
Over the years as the 1960s became the 1970s and time marched on the Rickman brothers began developing successful road racing frames that could accommodate the dominant inline-four cylinder Japanese engines of the time.
Amazingly, it’s still possible to buy yourself a Métisse today over 60 years since the first designs were released.
The Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer
The motorcycle you see in this article is one of the 300 examples of the Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer that are going to be made.
As noted further up, the design is based on the Metisse that Steve McQueen owned himself and used for desert racing duties in Southern California and once described in an interview by saying: “This rig is the best handling bike I’ve ever owned!”
Each bike starts with a hand-made, nickel-plated, brazed 4130 chrome-moly tube frame which is paired with a swing arm made from the same material. 35mm Ceriani forks are fitted up front and paired with twin Girling reproduction shock absorbers in the rear.
The motorcycle you see in this article is one of the 300 examples of the Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer that are going to be made. The design is based on the Metisse that Steve McQueen owned himself and used for desert racing duties in Southern California and once described in an interview by saying: “This rig is the best handling bike I’ve ever owned!”
A 7″ Triumph drum brake is fitted up front along with a smaller drum on the rear. Spoked wheels are installed front and back, and the bike is fitted with the distinctive Rickman fiberglass body kit which consists of an 8 liter fuel tank, a seat, rear cowl, front fender, and dual side covers all finished in battleship grey.
On the fuel tank you’ll find the Metisse logo with Steve McQueen’s authorized autograph. The bike has a dry weight of just 135 kgs (297 lbs) and it offers 190mm of front suspension travel with 100mm in the rear. An additional Road Pack can be ordered from Metisse that includes a headlight, horn, indicators, rear lights, and brake light to make the bike road legal.
The Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer Shown Here
This 1966 Métisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer is an estate-approved tribute motorcycle built to replicate the configuration and performance of Steve McQueen’s own mid-1960s Métisse desert racer. It was first registered in 2017 as a 1966 model-year machine and has seen extremely limited use since new, showing only 99 miles on the clock.
The bike is powered by a period-correct 650cc Triumph TR6C parallel-twin paired with a 4-speed manual gearbox. The engine is mounted in a nickel-plated chromoly frame, the same used on original Métisse desert racing machines of the era. Suspension, hubs, wheels, and braking hardware are styled to period specifications, with stainless-steel rims and spokes fitted with modern tires for improved usability.
This 1966 Métisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer is an estate-approved tribute motorcycle built to replicate the configuration and performance of Steve McQueen’s own mid-1960s Métisse desert racer. It was first registered in 2017 as a 1966 model-year machine and has seen extremely limited use since new, showing only 99 miles on the clock.
Finished in Battleship Grey gel-coated bodywork, the fuel tank carries an authorised Steve McQueen signature, and it includes road equipment like lighting and modern safety additions discreetly integrated into the design that allow it to be road legal.
It’s accompanied by factory documentation and a certificate of authenticity confirming its build and specification, and it’s now being offered for sale out of Essex in the United Kingdom on Collecting Cars here.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
