revival cycles rickman velocette motorcycle is a pristine café racer

a production velocette ‘venom clubman’ set the 24-hour world record at a speed of 100.05 mph/161 kmh on march 18th, 1961. it was the first motorcycle of any size to top the 100 mph in 24 hours, and to this date no other machine of the same capacity has equaled or improved on this record. texas-based custom bike shop, revival cycles, received this bike with the firm belief that the motorcycle should be more than a machine; it is an aesthetic expression that demonstrates the beauty of purposeful form.

the ‘rickman velocette’ project arrived at revival cycles from an incredibly knowledgeable and discerning collector who knew the motorcycle had great potential, but was not fully realized in its current state. what started as a few simple changes to an already solid platform, soon escalated into this stunning café racer. 

the revival team began with a rickman-metisse road racing frame powered by a velocette ‘venom’ engine. this particular engine has been treated to a host of racing tricks such as a dual plug head; 10:1 compression; and electronic ignition. a handcrafted stainless steel exhaust with custom megaphone muffler provides plenty of sound-effects and cools the hot engine. an alton alternator conversion; a motogadget M-unit; and a bespoke wiring harness provide the most modern electronics known to a velocette. 

with added electrical-components in place, the next step was to get the frame lines just right for a proper racing stance. at the front, a custom machined set of triple trees clamp onto a set of ceriani replica forks that have been retrofitted with a fully adjustable, cartridge-style damper. beneath the stock appearing fork caps is a pre-load adjustment for the springs. just beneath, a magnesium shoe fontana front drum brake provides plenty of power to slow down the 275 lb featherweight.

the polished borrani 19” shouldered rims provide the right proportions to the massive front drum and attractive rear drum. a custom set of ikon shocks completes the rolling chassis. the next step was cutting the rear from the frame, then building a traditional frame hoop with a recess mounted super nova tail light/brake light combination. new electrical bracketry and bodywork mounts allows all cables to be discreetly hidden.

with the drivetrain and chassis ready for the track, it was time to focus on making the velocette beautiful. this started with extensive modifications to the alloy fuel tank for a better fit; cleaner lines; and a smooth transition to the hand formed alloy tail section. the front fairing is all hand formed alloy inspired by MV agusta and velocette ‘thruxton’ vintage race bikes with a tiny headlight frenched into the polished reveal. the stainless steel tubing provides structure for the fairing and houses the mechanical tachometer to keep the riders focus on high rev shifts. a pair of hand formed alloy fenders were constructed and polished to a mirror shine with stainless steel mounts to keep them in place.

it would have been a shame to hide the eye-catching metalwork all in the dark british racing green, so a polished center stripe was left to celebrate the metal work, outlined in gold pinstriping. the ‘rickman-revival velocette’ was crowned with the style and design award at the prestigious 2016 quail gathering in pebble beach, california.