Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125566
BULTACO 350 ROAD TEST By Bill Pettigrew 00 - ~ W a wo k e to i. cold, damp e "": dawning morning in the middle of ~ the Southern California desert and ~ proceeded to pop out of the sleep..., ing bag, dance around trying to ~ get warm and finally get the coffee on. The Cycle News crew in~ eluding the publisher, ad man...:l ager, myself and our spouses deo ;:... cided on a camping trip at EI c..> MirageDryLake to conduct a Bultaco 350cc road test in and around the lake area. ;g More Padding, Please With the temperatur e around 40 degrees we were 'r ather skeptical about getting this s uper-healthy Spanish produet to start after slttlng all night In the damp cold air. But, to our .surprise, the Bultaco s tarted on the first kick and after a little war m-up we began to put It through a few easy broadslldes on the billiard table El Mirage surface. The 56-Inch wheelbase made the Bul' a natural sli der and with the r ubber s upplied we jus t about went out of our minds sliding all over the desert floor . '- Super Suspension Caution was the word because of the newness of the engine so the speed and revving was kept to a reasonable range. Into the r ough and hilly sections away fr om the lakebed we found the s uspension to be typical Bulta co - gr eat. Although the tuned exhaust pipe Is of downs wept des ign, we had no problems when meeti ng rather abruptly with rocks or low-lying trees. Using little In the way of revs, the 350 would pull all the way up the power band at a ferocious r ate but s till r emai ned stable. The gear spacing Is great for mos t types of competltion TT , desert, etc. The reported 42 hor s epower s eems to be rather optimis tic but then 50 are the figur es with most of the other bikes In the Industry. The ,350 Is ver y strong, Is , to slap hands a little as we get to the atrocious welding that seems to be a dominate gene In the production of motorcycles fr om SpaIn. There's - plenty of metal on the seam s but it would never pass a high school welding test as to neatness. The concentric Amal carburetor works like a charm but I wouldn't want to have to take it apart between motos at a mote-cr oss. The tiny Phillips head screws that hold the carb together are extremely hard to r emove and will strip easil y. The front fork s on the EI Bandido are the beau tiful s ix and one- halt inch variety and the dampening Is ver y good. Threeway adjustable rear shoc ks bearing the Betor stamp provided a good stable ride In the r ough as . well as TT action. '" ...- .. Cycle News slaffer Bill Pettigrew slls as tride lhe mighty 350cc Bullaco· EI Bandldo." EI Mirage Dry Lake provided needed test area. The 350' s saddle is jus t too fla t and ,hard. We would like to s ee a li ttle mor e padding there as even the moto- cross boys would find it just a little too hard. El Bandido 350' s power is overwhelm ing and It should make a grea t TT bike or desert rig, but the power Is ther e ins tantly and It would be better to have this more gradual for the moto-cross people . Basically the El Bandido 350cc Bultaco is a ver y good Investment and would put you In there with a machine that has all the capabillties of making , you a winner - if you have the guts to keep It on the pipe . s table over rough ground , and Is alr eady winning all types of competition. The 11.1 to 1 compres sion ratio Is not as high as some of the other competition, but who needs it in the des ert or motocross? We won't go into technlcal detalls on the engine as you ca n find that in a Bultaco br ochure . But we should mention that mos t of the engine r uns on either r olle r or needle bearings and looks as it the forethought in the Bultaco factory will pay off In the end with an extremely dependable machine. . Looks Neat, Too El Bandido' s fiberglass is one of the finest production units tha t we've seen In a long time. The black and white color scheme was very well done and the res ult Is ver y good looking, Nowwe'll have 12th ANNUAL ANGEL'S FLIGHT Story by Tom Cul p P hotos by Dic k II'riJ:ht Bergquist Wins - Gets 12 Hours of Practice The Lost Angels M.C. held their 12th annual Angels Flight this past Sunday, June 16, in the area of Hi Vista, Calif. and we, Bill Pettigrew and myself, journeyed out to take in some of that warm, healthy dese rt air. (Did I say WARM?) the ro ad it was uphill on a gentle slop e. This completed, we returned to the pits to awai t the riders meeting. Riders Meeting Draws Moans At the riders mee ting the course was r oughed out and other basic procedures taken care of. Then the bomb shelll You were to straddle your front wheel on the li ne and the banner would be dropped behind the line with you facing it and the smoke to your bac k. This drew som e maons . Big Bikes Go The 250-0pen class riders lined up and received their start check, then the club referee rode up and down the line to chec k something. Must have been to see if everyone was wearing a helmet; he COULDN' T think anyone would cheat on the start! The banner went Up and after about a minute or two was dropped and away they went, oul for the smoke, with Larry Ber gquist (Bultaco), leading. He still led at the smoke and that is just where he stayed, with Lynn Fortner (Husky) In close pursultand J.N . Roberts (Husky) hot after Lynn. As the big bikes disappeared over the hill we turned up for the trail bike start. Trailb ike s Give Chase Larry Bergquls l put his 250cc Bullaco Pur· Sang through Its pac es a s he copped his 51h overall desert win. The Club chose the same basic area as their run last year . We arrived, unloaded, signed up and checked the r oute to the sm oke bomb, chasing jacks In the process . The terrain to the smoke was flat and open to the power line ro ad which cut ac ross about halt-way; not a had crossing, no ditches or high banks. After <. The trallbikes lined Up to have their shot at the course and at the start I ca ught sight of Jack Morgan (Hodaka) leading (an d I can see pretty far), with Eric Jensen (Hodaka) and Wes Anderson Jr. (Steen Hodaka) right behind. The leaders disappeared over the rise and Into the sandwash, which took Its toll of machines, and sorted everyo ne out, also eliminating a lot of the dust. Angels Fligh t - Riders Fright! The club had Informed methe run was over rough terrain and after I rode it I thought it a lot like the Southern Nevada desert. The gr ound broke up Into fine powder after only a few of the leader s passed over the course, making It quite dusty if you stayed directly behind another rider. The sandwashes were deep, sandy things, wide enough to pass ea sily The 350cc Bullaco handled well on the jumps, hard cornering, broadsllde s, and fast rough de sert. Power was never lacking. In mos t cases. This helped to sort out the riders and give us a rest after crossIng the powdery stuff which developed Into one bump after another, keeping you on your pegs constantly. The rocky sections weren't bad to me, being a rock hound from the Las Vegas area, but may have disenchanted those not used to riding In this type of territory. At check one, a rolllng check, you went straight up this cinder cone which sits all by Itself at the edge of the El Mirage Dry Lake . The Lost Angels got their share of @#$%~& *,s at the sight of this. The danger marks were well in advance of the appr oaching hazards and had club members there In most instances, but when you saw one you knew you'd better slow down because It was a real one: such as dropping Into sandwashes, road crossing with a-root banks on both sides and rocks up the crest of the ridge with the course making an abrupt turn at the top, Bergquist Takes Easy Victory Bultaco-mounted Be r g q u Is t, fresh from the Stardust 7-11, where he and Gary Preston took first overall on a Long Beach Honda, salled to the win In easy form and was seen on the course riding with one hand and feet In the air . Larry got his practice riding the first leg of the Stardust In a little under 12 hours for 350 miles. Lynn Fortner (Husky) and J .N. Roberts (Husky) came In second and third overall winning the 500 Amate ur and ' 500 Expert class In that order. Fourth overall went to Orval Angell on the super experimental model Angel. Jack Byers on his Tr iumph Metlsse came In fifth. First 500 Novice went to Larry Burns (Husky) In 19th overall and it Is seldom you see any Novice finish in the top twenty. Morgan Works For Victory Jack Morgan (Hodaka) copped another first overall In the trallblke class, but not without worklng on Eric Jensen (HO daka), and Wes Anderson Jr. (Hodaka) gave close chase. Jack F r oelich (Bultaco) took fourth overall. Fellow Bultaco r ider Mike Rendlch was In fifth overall and first 100 Novice. A fine job of flying Mike did. Sixth overall and first 100 Amateur was J . Spence (Hodaka) with Moto-Beta rider N. Raglandrlghtbehlnd. The course turned Into a r eal test for both man and machine In the trallbike class as the big bikes really tore it up. 12th Annual Angel's Flight A Good One The Lost Angels M.C. threw a good run In some ro ugh territory and on a hot day. The Angels like to ride ro ugh r uns and felt a good tough one was neededand that's what we got. I would Imagine a lot of complaints were filed Jo r all the rocks. Let's remember we have a lot of runs without a lot of good areas to hold them In, and a rough one here and there only keeps us In shape and makes us prepare our machine a lot better . LM's hope another club gives the Lost Angels a chance to ride a rough one, since that's what they like. Howabout It, Vegas! (Results on page 20) ..