Author Topic: 1974 Rickman Honda (Read 35321 times)

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #25 on:** January 11, 2020, 07:09:51 AM »

Sean....... a few years ago, this team was racing 8-10 weekends a year and the guy building the motors was keeping up with a few teams. His memory is excellent, but not really sure what is in which engine! He knows it has Carrillo rods, and he thinks a set of Venolia pistons. Not sure if the crank was knife edged or they just chopped off counter weights and rebalanced!!!!!! Head has had lots of Port work, I’ll check the cam when it’s out.

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #26 on:** January 16, 2020, 03:45:35 PM »

Back in the shop for a few hours today. The race motor is out and I pulled the front wheel, brakes, forks and trees. No idea what forks, but the racers did a nice job of fitting them. 41mm tubes, twin CB750 discs bolted to a stock front hub and laced to a lightweight 18” rim. I believe the rim is the original rear! They made mounting plates for the original Lockheed caliper (RHS), and found a matching one for the left side. No modifications to the headstock, so next step is to unwrap the original Rickman front end, and refit.

The plan at the moment is to use a fresh K4 engine (the Rickman is a ‘74) I acquired a few years ago. Do a quick build of the complete bike. I’ll need to remount all the brackets that were removed (but KEPT in a box) for racing. The list so far; headlight bracket back to the front fairing mount, horn mount, battery box, side stand, centre stand (maybe), key switch mount, and the two rear “hoops” for the passenger foot pegs/ pipe mounts. The last one needs some thought. I plan on setting up as a single seater, and the frame looks much better with out the hoops.......

Once it all fits together smoothly, strip it down for paint, polish, new parts, and final assembly. The painful bit will be getting the frame re plated in bright nickel. I also have a full set of f’glass molds, so the goal includes all new bodywork. Months (years?) of work ahead.

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #27 on:** January 16, 2020, 04:35:51 PM »

Photos from today’s progress. Anyone recognize the forks that were on the race bike?

754 · « **Reply #28 on:** January 16, 2020, 07:20:32 PM »

The fork in your pic looks like a Marzocchi..

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #29 on:** January 16, 2020, 08:33:29 PM »

Frank...... No ID on them anywhere. Very hefty tree.

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #30 on:** January 17, 2020, 09:39:13 AM »

For those that are interested, here is the original Rickman oil tank. It sits behind the air box, in the battery box space. The race bike had a small battery and the ignition box under the seat hump, so the oil tank was on it’s own...... It’s large enough it only comes out through the back, after the wheel is removed.

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #31 on:** January 18, 2020, 12:12:48 PM »

Snowing for the past 5 hours, and no let up in sight! “10-15cm’s expected”. Still managed a few hours in the shop. Took the Rickman forks and trees part. The race bike had a bigger front end, with twin CB750 discs fitted. The headstock in the frame appeared untouched, but the bearing races did not match the race set up...... Knocked them out, and cleaned up the used ones, wired to the Rickman forks. Left the races hanging outside (-16C) and heated up the headstock with my heat gun. They went in nicely. Cleaned and lubed the used tapered roller bearings and got both the bottom and top half installed. Beautiful, cast alloy, they are actually the same part. Small differences in final machining details.

Next task will be the fork legs. Plan on just cleaning off, installing and fitting the front wheel. I need to ensure one of the Lockheed calipers on the race front is the correct one. The original front wheel is sitting with axle and spacers locked in place. Looks like I have everything.

Also need to sort through several sets of clip on bars and see if I have a 41mm set that look like the originals......... moving forward, pictures next post.

SF · « **Reply #32 on:** January 18, 2020, 01:04:36 PM »

Yes we’re finally getting some snow here......I’m north of TO and have close to 6” so far. Nothing compares to our friends in Newfoundland

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BenelliSEI · « **Reply #33 on:** January 21, 2020, 01:52:56 PM »

Managed a few hours in the shop today. Got the original 41 mm front end back on, fitted the original 18” wheel and disc assembly. The right side Lockheed caliper is one of the pair that was on the race set up, bolted right in. Wasn’t missing any hardware and even found the original clip on bars! Great day, good progress.

SF · « **Reply #34 on:** January 21, 2020, 02:06:55 PM »

Gotta love when that happens!

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L5wolvesf · « **Reply #35 on:** January 21, 2020, 03:24:28 PM »

Hey B6, you and I may be long lost cousins. I’m new here and just posted an intro about my project . . . a CB550 powered Wards (a.k.a. Benelli) Mohave (a.k.a. Rickman-Metisse) frame.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180747.0.html

Love your project, great find, I’ll be watching. I may be asking for pics showing how the engine was mated to the frame. I have my idea on how to do it but pics might help. Good luck

L5wolvesf · « **Reply #36 on:** January 21, 2020, 06:24:35 PM »

Quote from: BenelliSEI on January 21, 2020, 04:07:14 PM

L5...... look at my Benelli, sort of a cb550 with two extra cylinders!

Hey B6, beautiful bike, I'm a little familiar with them. I thought about doing a SEI into the Wards but it would be hard to find engine(s).

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #37 on:** January 22, 2020, 05:20:07 PM »

Today I rooted around and found all (most?) of the bits for the speedo drive. The Rickman feeds off the rear wheel. The race bike has a beautiful, lightweight caliper bracket that unfortunately has a solid spacer welded in place (all aluminum). When I’ve calculated all the widths, I guess I’ll machine off the spacer and fit the original bits and Honda speedo gearbox. Still at the back, the race shocks are too long to match the original Rickman front end I just installed. They are 15.5” (extended/ unladen). Hoping I can remove a short spring (there are two), flip the adjuster perch and get them to drop 1.5”
After the back end is set, my K6 goes on the table. It has a totally rebuilt ‘74 engine (with about 20 miles on it!) that I plan to use for this project (the Rickman is ‘74). The Rickman came with 3 spare K6 engines!!! I’ll freshen one of those one day......

hondaron · « **Reply #38 on:** January 22, 2020, 06:22:23 PM »

Gotta ask as I too have a ex race bike Rickman Honda, i know the speedo drive is off the rear wheel.
But does it use the original Honda speedo drive and what drives it ?
Pics ? Thanks

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #39 on:** January 22, 2020, 08:05:39 PM »

Ron......I believe it does. Next time I’m in the shop I’ll take a few pictures of the parts I have laid out. I’ve also asked the same questions of Joe Cooley. See his Rickman/ Restomod in this same Project Section.

JoeCooley · « **Reply #40 on:** January 23, 2020, 01:07:40 AM »

Quote from: hondaron on January 22, 2020, 06:22:23 PM

Gotta ask as I too have a ex race bike Rickman Honda, i know the speedo drive is off the rear wheel.
But does it use the original Honda speedo drive and what drives it ?
Pics ? Thanks

hondaron · « **Reply #41 on:** January 23, 2020, 07:18:39 AM »

Thanks for posting photo, appreciate it

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #42 on:** January 24, 2020, 10:09:04 AM »

Ron...... these photos show the individual components. The flanged spool, with the notched end that drives the Honda speedo gearbox, bolts with three fasteners to the disc face. The race bike has a brake mount with the spacer collar welded in place (all aluminum), so I have some careful measuring and machining to do!

hondaron · « **Reply #43 on:** January 24, 2020, 05:43:19 PM »

Thanks so much, makes sense now, my brake caliper mount sounds like yours

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #44 on:** January 28, 2020, 06:13:56 PM »

Pulled the race tire off what was the front rim on the “race bike”. It’s an 18” Boranni that might be the original rear? Was mounted to a CB750 hub, with twin, drilled discs. Small set of alloy spacers too, the race front end had a pretty wide fork spread. Opened a few boxes and found several drilled discs and about 7-8 different camshafts! Next project is to look through it all and see what else is in there.

Got the donor K6 (it has a fresh K4 engine
) up on the table and dumped the oil. That engine comes out next. Headed back to the previous owner’s place tomorrow. Six stock motors and all the f’glass molds still in the racks. Last trip.

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #45 on:** January 30, 2020, 03:37:51 PM »

Got a few hours of uninterrupted shop time today and made some great progress. Pulled the engine from my K6 (a totally fresh K4 engine I rebuilt in 2016, tuned and then stored away). It went so quickly, I dropped it straight into the Rickman....... Great Day!

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #46 on:** January 30, 2020, 03:45:47 PM »

Why would you want a stock engine in a Rickman?

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #47 on:** January 30, 2020, 05:24:25 PM »

The race engine is irreversibly missing electric start and a few other details I want for the street. I built this K4 engine a few years ago, for a K6 that I rode for a few days and then parked at the back of my shop. It’s not totally stock, but pretty mild. Back in the day when you bought a Rickman CR they were designed to take all the running gear from your CB750. The real magic is light weight, great suspension and brakes, and super handling. This engine will get this project moving ahead. I plan on riding it soon. Ultimately, I may put the race engine in a new case and build it for “Version II”.

P.S. the Rickman came with 5 “extra engines”, and three are K6’s. One is only 40 numbers away from my K6, so it will get freshened up and back in the ‘76 K. No shortage of projects!

PeWe · « **Reply #48 on:** January 30, 2020, 09:21:16 PM »

A stock Ricknan will probably have a higher value that day it will be sold to a collector.

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #49 on:** January 31, 2020, 05:42:57 AM »

PeWe..... very true!

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Author Topic: 1974 Rickman Honda (Read 35321 times)