Frame builder · 1924–2001
Master constructor of the finest off-road motorcycle frames of his era
Eric Cheney was a British racer turned designer whose hand-built chassis carried riders to the very top of world motorcycle sport — all from a modest garage workshop, with no formal training and a piece of chalk.
Born on 5 January 1924, Cheney served in the Royal Navy through the Second World War — on the Arctic convoys and in motor torpedo boats. Afterwards he joined the Archers motorcycle dealership in Aldershot and became one of Britain's leading motocross riders, until illness brought his own racing career to a close.
Denied the track, Cheney turned to building. Working intuitively — sketching his first designs in chalk on the workshop walls, building a prototype, then cutting the production jigs — he developed a reputation for chassis of exceptional balance and strength. His firm evolved through several names: Eric Cheney Designs, Inter-Moto and finally Cheney Racing.
I know when it's right, and it screams at me when it's wrong.— Eric Cheney
Photographs to be added.