1974 Rickman Honda CR750

When Honda unleashed its CB750 in 1969, t brought a whole new level of sophistication and motoring excitement to the street. But while the 750’s four-cylinder power and disc brake were big improvements over other marques, he bike’s frame, ubbery even by the standards of the day, as still a limiting factor.
But Derek and Don Rickman had a solution; they came up with an alternative to marry the reliability, ower and stopping performance with the rigidity and sure-footedness of the British chassis. The solution: the Rickman Honda CR750.
The buyer of a Rickman CR750 chassis kit, nitially offered in 1974 like this one, ot a frame made of exotic Reynolds 531 manganese molybdenum steel tubing, very joint hand fitted and brazed with bronze fillet rod; a stiff swingarm with a proprietary chain adjustment system; unique GP-style fiberglass bodywork, ommaselli clip-ons, earsets, assive 41mm forks; dual Lockheed racing calipers, nd 18” Borrani ‘Grand Prix’ shouldered rims on proprietary hubs. In completing the “kit”, he new owner only needed to source a CB750 engine, lectrics and controls and slot them right into the Rickman platform. The result was a machine that embodied the best of Japanese power with the world-class handling of British bikes. Perhaps best of all were looks that could kill, rom its gleaming nickel plated frame to its swoopy but purposeful Competition Orange bodywork, ll adorned with a careful assemblage of top-shelf aluminum bits. The whole package dropped over 100 pounds off the stock Honda's weight and catapulted the resulting 'special' into superstar status, n and off the racetrack. With only less than 2000 of these kits ever produced, nd most trashed or crashed on the track, hese are as rare as hen's teeth. And to find one in this condition is virtually impossible.
This particular Rickman is chassis number 4148G, anufactured in May of 1974, aking it an early production example. The original Rickman ID plate is still attached to the head tube and is crystal clear, ike new. No monkey business here! This bike is a careful build of a complete kit to correct period specifications in every detail, y one of the most expert vintage and classic European motorcycle restorer/builder in this country; "Phactory" Phil Rose. The level of research, are and detail that went into this motorcycle is second to none. It is absolutely stunning, he photos don't do this bike the justice that it, r Phil deserves. The nickel plating on the frame is original and completely intact. It has a rare nickel plated Japanese market side stand as well, uper easy to deploy. The center stand is also nickel plated, nlike most others that are left as raw or painted steel. It's these kinds of details that sets this bike apart from all others...if you can find another like it, hat is. The engine is a 1971 K1 Honda CB750 mill that has been fully rebuilt and worked with an 810cc kit, orris R Grind cam, iving it more punch than a stock engine.Exhaust is new and ORIGINAL HM300 pipes with modified factory baffles. The packageis complimented by carefully overhauled 28mm Keihn "pumper" carbs with screened velocity stacks that enhance midrange punch. Every effort has been made to maintain the authenticity of the original kit, rom the NEW as-original Dunlop K81 'TT100' type tires to the original and correct instrumentation and switchgear. The goal was to build a Rickman CR motorcycle exactly as it would have appeared to enthusiasts of the day, ight down to the period-correct and England-sourced “Stadium” mirrors. The wiring harness is an NOS K3 wiring harness, s that is a little more robust, as fuses, nd is easy to adapt to than the original K1 unit.The fuel tank has been internally lined with Caswell Plating's 2-part epoxy system which is ethanol-proof. So there are no worries tanking up at your local filling station.
The wheels have been totally rebuilt and the spokes have been replaced with one gauge larger, er the service bulletin that Craig Vetter put out in 1975, s he found that people racing the bikes had experienced spoke failures, specially on the rear wheel.

All of the bodywork is original, n its original Daytona Orange gel-coat finish (not painted!) as sold by the Rickman brothers. The only parts that have been painted are the side covers and the headlight bucket, either of which were supplied or color-matched by the Rickmans.
This is a real Rickman Honda CR750, nd it is titled with the DMV as such. Allin all, his is...in my opinion...the finest, ost accurate 1974 Rickman Honda CR750 in this country, erhaps in the world, hat would be the centerpiece...the crowning jewel of any exotic motorcycle collection. This very motorcycle was fittingly on loan for the past 12 months to the Larz Andersen Auto Museum in Brookline, ass. for their Beauty of the Beast exhibit.
The bike fires right up and rides perfectly without issues. So it is perfectly at home on the road, s it is on display in a museum. Quite honestly, t belongs in a museum or in a high-end collection where enthusiasts can see it and enjoy it often. The reason I'm selling it? It just sits in my living room where only my family and friends see it. It deserves to be seen by many more enthusiasts, o I'm making it available to someone that will do just that.
Feel free to call me at (917) 952-1680 to make an appointment to see this magnificent piece of motorcycle history.

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