i could be wrong but i thought that
all the micro eg montesa zundap sachs b50 ect are pre75
all the triumph and other english motored frames that are mk3 are pre65
bultaco frames are pre 70
firko pls explain
jim
It's not what engine is in the frame but the frame itself. The Zundapp/Hodaka and Montesa powered Micro Rickmans are all pre 75 with no hope of them getting into pre 70 as the first of them came out in 1971. The more compact Mk4 replaced the Mk3 in 1966.There was no specific complete B50 Metisse made but many folks put the engine in Mk4 kits. Production Rickman Metisse Mk4's were produced from 1968 with BSA B44 engines fitted with Weslake 490cc conversion kits.
(Before you ask Freaky, it's nothing like the speedway top end 
). Mk4's are also made for 500 T100 Triumph and DT1 Yamaha engines (
very, very rare). The bigger 650 Triumph and pre unit 500 engines won't physically fit in the more compact Mk4 frame. The Bultaco 'Petite Metisse' came out in 1964 and is legal for pre '65. Bultaco made an almost exact copy of this frame, only it weighed much more as it was made from sub standard mild steel tubing instead of the Rickmans's ultra light Reynolds 531 tube. It's called the Bultaco M11 and is also legal for pre 65. Does that explain it any better?
The original makers of the metisse are the Rickman brothers so any bike with Rickman in the name should be a period frame
Should be what period? Just to confuse things a little, Adrian Moss makes replica Mk3 Metisses under the name Rickman Motorcycles
www.rickman-motorcycles.com/ and Gerry Lisi makes replica Metisse Mk3's under the business name of Metisse Motorcycles
www.metisse-motorcycles.com. They are both legal for pre 65 and they're both considered legitimate Metisses by all racing bodies.
OK so wise me up, if i want a PRe 70 frame what am i looking for ? any metisee frame thats pre MK 5 and are they stamped as such or is it just a date clue on a headset plate ?
For a start there is no such thing as a Mk 5 Metisse. Mk 4 is the last of the "Mark" bikes as the Zundapp, Hodaka and Montesa Rickmans weren't called Mk4 even though they have similar fibreglass bodywork. In fact, I don't think they're officially called Metisses. To race in pre 70 you need a Mk 4 or Mk3. I'm presuming you're thinking two stroke Freaky so you need a Mk4 Metisse frame made for a DT1 or a pre 65 Petite Metisse Bultaco frame or a more common Bultaco M11. You won't find a DT1 Metisse or genuine Bultaco Petite Metisse for under 10k so I guess you're stuck with a Bultaco M11.
and casue im stupid can i ask the obvious. is a Rickman metisse the same frame as a metisse, or is that a licening thing from the rickman or dunstall factorys
I think this has been explained above. Dunstall has nothing to do with Rickman whatsoever and never have.
