This is one of the 300 examples of the Métisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer that will ever be made. Despite its vintage looks, it is essentially a brand new motorcycle that was developed as a replica of Steve McQueen’s original bike from 1967.
It was developed by the Métisse Motorcycles team in England along with Chad McQueen (Steve McQueen’s son), and Dave Ekins (the brother of Bud Ekins). 300 are officially licensed by the McQueen estate, and they only rarely come up for sale.
Fast Facts – The Métisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer
- The Métisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer is a limited-edition motorcycle, with only 300 units produced. It’s a modern replica of Steve McQueen’s original bike, developed by Métisse Motorcycles in England in collaboration with Chad McQueen and Dave Ekins. Despite its vintage appearance, it’s essentially a new motorcycle.
- Métisse Motorcycles was founded in the late 1950s by Derek and Don Rickman. Initially, they focused on designing custom racing motorcycle frames that could accommodate various engines. Their frames gained a reputation for being stiff and lightweight, addressing the shortcomings of existing off-road motorcycle frames. Métisse offered both fully-built motorcycles and kits for customization, allowing buyers to create high-performance bikes.
- Steve McQueen, an accomplished off-road racer, favored the Métisse over his previous Triumph TR6C “Desert Sled.” The Métisse could use the same engine as the TR6C but with a lighter frame and improved suspension, resulting in better handling. McQueen once described it as “the best handling bike I’ve ever owned.” The Métisse brand has endured for over 60 years.
- The modern Métisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer features a hand-made, nickel-plated frame, Ceriani forks, Girling reproduction shocks, and a Rickman fiberglass body kit. It weighs just 135 kg and uses a refurbished 1967 750cc Triumph parallel-twin engine. The motorcycle can be made road-legal with an additional Road Pack, and each bike bears McQueen’s authorized autograph on the fuel tank.
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 Métisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer was built as a replica of Steve McQueen’s original bike from 1967, right down to the colors and fine details.
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.
Power is provided by a refurbished original 1967 750cc Triumph parallel-twin.
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!”
The bike is road legal in the UK, in its current configuration it can only be ridden during daylight hours but it comes with the headlight, horn, and a rear light which are required for nighttime use.
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.
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
The motorcycle you see here was first registered for road use with the DVLA in the UK in October 2017, though it’s officially licensed as a 1967 model – all of these McQueen replicas have the same official date of manufacture as McQueen’s own bike.
Just 300 of these are slated to be made, and the examples that have already been produced only rarely come up for sale.
The odometer on this Métisse is showing 550 miles, which means it hasn’t even been fully run-in yet, and power is provided by a refurbished original 1967 750cc Triumph parallel-twin. It’s currently equipped for daytime use only, though the Road Pack is included, which means the headlight, horn, and a rear light are included.
The bike is now for sale out of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom on Collecting Cars. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
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