Metisse set for Hollywood stardom
By Michael Mann
BikeSocial Managing Editor. Content man - reviewer, road tester, video presenter, interviewer, commissioner, organiser. First ride was a 1979 Honda ST70 in the back garden aged 6. Not too shabby on track, loves a sportsbike, worries about helmet hair, occasionally plays golf and squash but enjoys being a father to a 7-year old the most.
09.04.2015
British bike firm, Metisse Motorcycles, famed for producing one of the most iconic dirt bikes in modern history, has provided three of its modern-day Scrambler machines for the forthcoming Hollywood movie, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Scrambler is the replica of the Triumph-engined Metisse bought by screen legend Steve McQueen in 1966 on which he competed in desert races in the USA.
However, the bikes produced for the film differ from the McQueen family authorised replicas. They have different fork yokes, for example, and run 750cc engines rather than the 650cc to provide extra horsepower for the stunts.
In the film, based on the original 60's TV show, the bike is ridden by KGB operative Illya Kuryakin, played by American actor, Armie Hammer. The 28-year-old has stared in lead roles in recent hits including The Lone Ranger and The Social Network.
Metisse even provided a mock foam-engined bike so Hammer could throw it about a bit, as seen in this trailer:
Directed by Guy Ritchie, the blockbuster is due to be released this summer and stars Hugh Grant and Henry Cavill alongside Hammer, as well as a rumoured appearance from a certain ex-England football captain and Triumph rider, David Beckham.
The plot follows secret agents who work for a secret international espionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E. When the original TV series was first broadcast, the shows’ producers were keen not to reveal the meaning of the acronym although the broadcast networks’ legal department later clarified it stood for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.
Metisse are continuing their limited run of hand-built scrambler’s which are available for £15,540. 300 will be available and the first off the production line went to McQueen's son, Chad.
Judging from what we’ve seen in the trailer, we’ll be first in line to see the Metisse in action when the film is released in August.
Keep your eyes on Bike Social for our feature when we went behind-the-scenes at the Metisse factory and met owner Gerry Lisi. Coming soon!
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