This is a 2008 Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer, and interestingly, it’s chassis #002, just the second of the 300 that were made, and the first that was available to a public buyer – chassis #001 went to Chad McQueen, Steve McQueen’s son.
Steve McQueen owned a Metisse in-period, it quickly became his favorite bike, and this modern reissue was carefully developed to match the color, spec, and finish of his Metisse from the 1960s.
This is a 2008 Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer, and interestingly, it’s chassis #002, just the second one of the 300 that were made, and the first that was available to a public buyer – chassis #001 went to Chad McQueen, Steve McQueen’s son.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer is frame number #002 from a limited run of 300 built with the approval of the McQueen estate. Because the very first bike completed went to Steve McQueen’s son, Chad McQueen, this machine is believed to be the first of the run made available to the general public – making it one of the most collectible of the entire run.
Power comes from a 649cc TR6 four-stroke parallel-twin fed by a single carburetor, rated at 47 bhp and paired with a 4-speed gearbox. The bike was built to the spec of the original Desert Racer owned by McQueen in period, finished in Battleship Gray with a black seat pad, and it carries the same specification details as that machine – Ceriani-style forks mounted in BSA yokes, a single-sided Triumph front hub, box-section footrests, and a supplementary fuel tank fitted in place of the headlight.
This Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer is frame number #002 from a limited run of 300 built with the approval of the McQueen estate. Because the very first bike completed went to Steve McQueen’s son, Chad McQueen, this machine is believed to be the first of the run made available to the general public – making it one of the most collectible of the entire run.
This bike was first registered with the DVLA in March of 2012, the bike has passed through five registered owners since then and now shows 1,982 miles on the odometer. Its most recent MOT test was carried out on the 22nd of July 2026 at that same mileage, resulting in a first-time pass with no advisories.
It’s now being offered for sale with a Certificate of Authenticity from Metisse and a copy of Derek & Don Rickman, The Metisse Story by David Gittins, signed by both Rickman brothers and by the author. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing 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.
