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This larger portrait version puts the machine right up front. A wild purple-skinned mutant with bulging eyes, jagged teeth and a green-and-red mohawk is muscling the blue Greeves through a rough dirt course, rear wheel spinning and throwing an enormous spray of rocks and earth behind him.
The setting pays tribute to the Challenger's British roots with rolling green countryside, dry-stone walls, a stone farmhouse and twisting dirt trails. Huge 1967 GREEVES lettering dominates the sky, while 250 CHALLENGER and the Monsters on Machines logo fill the lower portion of the artwork.
The 1967 Greeves 250 Challenger
For collectors, the important identification is 1967 Greeves 250 Challenger — model 24MX5. The Greeves Riders Association identifies the 1967 24MX5 as a 246cc Challenger Scrambler using the Greeves/Albion power unit. Greeves also offered a larger 362cc Challenger that year, so the 250 designation distinguishes this particular machine within the 1967 range.
The Challenger used an air-cooled two-stroke single-cylinder competition engine. The 250-class engine displaced approximately 246cc, with a 66 × 72mm bore and stroke, and was developed specifically for serious off-road competition rather than simply adapting a street motorcycle for dirt use.
For 1967 the 250 Challenger received significant development, including a revised chassis and four-speed transmission. Contemporary specifications put the machine at approximately 217 pounds, giving the Challenger the light weight and quick response that made two-stroke Greeves competition motorcycles formidable dirt machines during the period.
unmistakably Greeves
Few motorcycles of the 1960s are as instantly recognizable mechanically as a Greeves.
Instead of a conventional tubular steering-head arrangement, Greeves became famous for its unusual cast-alloy front frame member, an engineering feature that gave the company's motorcycles a look unlike almost anything else competing in trials, scrambles and motocross.
Another trademark was Greeves' unusual leading-link front suspension, clearly represented in this artwork. While conventional telescopic forks became virtually universal on motorcycles, the distinctive Greeves front end remains one of the features vintage enthusiasts immediately associate with the marque.
Greeves built its motorcycles in Thundersley, Essex, England, and developed an enviable reputation in international off-road competition. The company produced road machines as well, but competition motorcycles became a particularly important part of the Greeves identity.
By the time this 1967 Challenger appeared, motocross was becoming increasingly international and fiercely competitive, with British manufacturers facing machines from manufacturers such as CZ and Husqvarna. The Challenger represents that fascinating transitional period when specialized lightweight two-strokes were rapidly transforming off-road motorcycle competition.
Today, surviving Challengers have become desirable machines among collectors of British motorcycles, vintage motocross bikes and classic two-strokes, while Greeves' unconventional engineering ensures they remain unmistakable even among rows of other 1960s competition motorcycles.
That's exactly why the 250 Challenger belongs in the Monsters on Machines collection: strange engineering, serious racing pedigree, British character and a screaming two-stroke engine.
This print would make an excellent display piece for a Greeves owner, vintage motocross racer, British motorcycle enthusiast, scrambles fan, two-stroke collector or classic off-road motorcycle enthusiast.
Perfect for a garage, workshop, motorcycle room, race trailer, office, man cave, game room or vintage motocross display.
This is an original Monsters on Machines artwork photo print. It is not an original Greeves advertisement, brochure or factory promotional item.
Print Details:
Size: 10 × 8 inches
Orientation: Portrait
Finish: Glossy
Subject: 1967 Greeves 250 Challenger
Artwork: Monsters on Machines
Style: Retro Monster / Vintage Motocross Art
Print Only – Frame Not Included
