Rickman

First time I have posted on this site.
I am Dan's Dad and have to say firstly a great thanks to Chris for lending us the Rickman.
I have to say however that it has got me in trouble with the wife as a couple of months ago I bought an 850 Mk11a.
I think this will stay a road bike and although is in great condition will be further tidied and polished over the next year or so before any decision is made re painting etc.

As for Cris's Rickman, when we first took hold of it I must admit to some concerns, apart from the main one that we were being trusted with a bike that wasn't owned by us.
Also that Dan had not ridden a bike like this before. His normal ride with the CRMC (UK) is a GT250 Suzuki that I built him. Also I had not ridden a Norton for over 20 years and then mainly road bikes.

I paraded it at Snetterton and was very concerned to come in with oil over the back tyre, fortunately i had not leant it much!!
Some tinkering, especially with the neck of the oil tank and breather system improved things somewhat.
Dan managed a ride in practice, just getting used to the differences (and old tyres).

Unfortunately the carbs fell of on the startline of the first race, the rubbers had turned to Jelly!

Not much work done over winter but careful replacement of rocker covers with a little Hylomar. Total re work of breather bottle (bigger with a different foam and entry of pipes) and a working Scitsu supplied by Chris and reworked by Dylan at Scitsu meant the motor was not being over revved.
Some sturdier head brackets and rear master cylinder bracket made in stainless also helped.

At Pembrey I fitted a newer second hand set of tyres which Chris said made all the difference to the handling.

We changed the gearing on the Saturday evening, I cannot believe what a hastle the swing arm was to adjust!

Great to see Chris on it, especially as he had only ridden it once round the block 3 years ago.

Potential for a great bike we think. The plan is for both Dan and Chris to ride it at Lydden in 3 weeks time (different classes).
I hope to parade it later in the year, but we will see.

Regarding kinks in frame tubes, Chris covered it but here we go....

if the tubes running up and forward from the swinging arm to the top rail are straight, it was built for a single cylinder engine, or more specifically a single carb...with a scallop in the upper frame tube to clear the carb bellmouth, done with jus a hammered flat on copies....

To accomodate twin carbs, perhaps particularly splayed Triumphs, the tube was kinked.....the first twin engines they were built for was Norton Atlas and Triumph, 500 and 650, note Chris' was originally a Daytona 500. There were only a handful of BSA ones built, the clear ajority being Triumph prior to the wider but very similar Honda and Kawasaki frames.

Actually even the last Norton specific frames they made, which includes mine as being from the last batch dated October '75, with only an odd one in '76, were designed for an Atlas installation. On the Norton frames the oil feed from the oil in frame 'tank' is vertical from the lower rear cross tube near the swinging arm pivot, if the oil feed is pointed horizontally forward it was a Triumph frame. As Chris said the Norton frame also has the scallop for the timing cover, which not needed if you tilt the motor forward a la Commando....as most seem to prefer to do today....

Chris's rear tyre looks under inflated because it is a 110/80 on a WM4 rim, the front is the same size on a WM3.....

I ran the bike at Cadwell last year with the help of Peter (Dan's Dad) and it was like the Torrey Canyon! and the gear linkage broke twice and it seems I was 'revving the bollocks off it'.

To me it handled well and that helped me get smootly round Cadwell and at least have fun even if it was easily outrun by 500 Seeleys and Manxes on the straight...I was coming off the back of the grid due to no practice when the plug fell out of the Interspan....

In truth that was the first time the bike was run in anger so its coming along fine....just need to get my own done to run against them later this year....

People say 'The Rickman is Stiff', inferring too stiff, but can rarely explain why that is such a bad thing as they suggest.....Roy Toyne was 'King of Cadwell more than once in the early '70s on his Rickman Norton 750 and referred to as 'unbeatable'....and that little fella Bill Ivy won first time out on a G50 Metisse in '66....but, compared to Seeley designs it was heavy, but of course the Rickman Bros were 'scramblers' which encouraged them to build over strong frames.

I think tyre choice has an effect, at times the frame was stiffer than the tyres (and some riders) could cope with....I don't think that is true today...

And personally I really never had a lot of issues getting the chain adjustment sorted....but I always carried more than one chain of different lengths to suite my sprockets, doing all adjustment at the rear with of sprockets 40, 42, 44 and 46, which covered all UK circuits ;-)

My advice is spend a few minutes with a file making sure the adjuster plates slide on and off the swingning arm spindle easily, and into the frame recess....some of my new ones do and some don't....yet

Dan has now ridden the Rickman at Lyden Hill, like Chris he found it a hoot!
lapped just about .5s slower than his Suzuki GT250, not bad for a 1st weekend on something totally different.
Only issues in 2 meets now is a stretched chain, will sort it before Anglesey and loose steering head bearings.
Has stayed oil tight, only packed up when the left plug cap came off, my fault as I had cable tied it to the fairing mount as it was rather long! Vibes, I guess pulled it off. Dan didn't like the 375 single at all!
Refurbished Scitsu has sorted the vibes!

peter12 said:

Dan has now ridden the Rickman at Lyden Hill, like Chris he found it a hoot!
lapped just about .5s slower than his Suzuki GT250, not bad for a 1st weekend on something totally different.
Only issues in 2 meets now is a stretched chain, will sort it before Anglesey and loose steering head bearings.
Has stayed oil tight, only packed up when the left plug cap came off, my fault as I had cable tied it to the fairing mount as it was rather long! Vibes, I guess pulled it off. Dan didn't like the 375 single at all!
Refurbished Scitsu has sorted the vibes!

Click to expand...

Brilliant! Enjoy it and appreciate it Dan... You're lucky to have access to such rides!

peter12 said:

Dan has now ridden the Rickman at Lyden Hill, like Chris he found it a hoot!
lapped just about .5s slower than his Suzuki GT250, not bad for a 1st weekend on something totally different.
Only issues in 2 meets now is a stretched chain, will sort it before Anglesey and loose steering head bearings.
Has stayed oil tight, only packed up when the left plug cap came off, my fault as I had cable tied it to the fairing mount as it was rather long! Vibes, I guess pulled it off. Dan didn't like the 375 single at all!
Refurbished Scitsu has sorted the vibes!

Click to expand...

So concensus is....I revved the nuts off it! Hmmm. :wink:

Wait till Dan is more used to it....and rides a longer circuit......my guess is the vibes will come back...

Rickman is a bit bulky for Lydden, the GT250 is probably better suited. How many gears did Dan get to use?

Hi Steve

Don't know about over revved it. I would have assumed you revved the nuts of it but without a rev counter that worked properly who knows. I didn't ride it at Snetterton, a circuit with two long straights but both Dan & Peter thought it massively under geared. I rode it at Pembrey & never got near 7,000 in top. I added a tooth on to the gearbox & ended up driving the bike more in third & it was quicker that way. Pembreys main straight isn't 100 yards shorter than Snettertons main straight, although you hold it flat out longer on Snettertons back straight. Never had a problem with my hands, just hoiking my feet up onto the footrests.

Chris

Chris said:

Hi Steve

Don't know about over revved it. I would have assumed you revved the nuts of it but without a rev counter that worked properly who knows. I didn't ride it at Snetterton, a circuit with two long straights but both Dan & Peter thought it massively under geared. I rode it at Pembrey & never got near 7,000 in top. I added a tooth on to the gearbox & ended up driving the bike more in third & it was quicker that way. Pembreys main straight isn't 100 yards shorter than Snettertons main straight, although you hold it flat out longer on Snettertons back straight. Never had a problem with my hands, just hoiking my feet up onto the footrests.

Chris

Click to expand...

That'll be because I raised the footrests up.....it was OK for me and probably best for Dan.....

Holes are still there for you to lower them

My own Rickman footrests are just a touch higher......and pretty much where the original one were....we will see if I can cope