Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

'" ..'Ugh twelght .' . Review #7 1 BULTACO 125 PURSANG N ,r- CD .: ~ « Ul By John Huetter and Randy Dietzel The Bultaco 125 Pursang is a no·nonsense, single purpose, don't-mess-around-with it, flat-out racer. It is really not suitable for anything else and does not pretend to be able to do a multitude of things, or be all things to most motorcyclists. It is designed to be raced, very rapidly, on dirt courses: TT or motocross, where the high-revving screaming power can be translated to the ground and in to forward motion. Buddha Bultaco out in Riverside provided one of the new 125 Buls for us to wring out. It was a very pleasant experience. One look at the low, long, red Barcelona export and you just know that it's going to be quick, even without any history of riding Bultacos. Comparison with the Sherpa 125 is almost inevitable and points up some significant (and not too significant) changes. The long wheelbase is the same as the 250 Pursang, slightly over 55 inches. The new swingarm is also much beefier and longer; it, too, is identical to the one on the 250. A staffer whB> raced a SherPa for over a year insists the 125 Pursang is a better handJing, more respon,sive machine. Even without the comparison there can be no doubt that the Pursang handles super and is very forgiving. It has the capability of making even the non-racer feel like a superstar as you go high on the benns, in complete control. The low bars, low seating position and CG contribute to a feeling of total control and stability. I t also comes over jumps straight as an arrow. Coming out of comers, it has a definite tendency to straighten itself out, getting the rear wheel behind _you (instead of beside you) and driving the bike out of the comer in the direction you pick. The Buls have .always been neat sliding machines, the 125 Pursang continues this fine old Spanish scrambles tradition. Despite the long wheelbase (on what is really a full-size bike despite i.ts lightweight classification) there is enough power from the engine and frame geometry is set up properly to get the front end as light as you want it. Shift your weight back and dial it on and the wheel gets lighter in perceptibly controllable stages. Slide your weight forward, squeezing the beautiful, narrow tank, and the front end gets back in contact with the ground for negotiating comers ei.ther MX or TT style. The whole riding process feels stable and you can go over some very cobby terrain at competitive speeds without feeling like everything is about to let loose (Another interesting feature about this Bul is that nothing ever did let loose ...or break, or fall off during our test period. With one noticeable exception: the plastic fenders. We'll get into that in a minute.) This is due in large part to the preparation by Buddha Bultaco. The bike was detailed right. Nothing special, just the sort of set-up we think any conscientious competition motorcycle dealer should do for a customer's racing machine; basically cleaning up any rough edges. A tip of the hat to Buddha get Z w -' o > o for doing ,a job too many dealers don't. The other reason for the lack of problems is an inherently better design. The old Sherpas had gussets on the frame under the number plates that were prone to break. The new Pursang 125 doesn't have that problem. The old Sherpa expansion chamber bracket tended to crack off. The new one is rubber-moun ted to the frame, behind the footpeg. It looks, and apparently is,. strong. The new levers are neat, comfortable and of better construction. Allen head bolts are used extensively on the machine and they just don't come loose with the same frequency as slotted head screws. This kind of detailing and other features are rapidly destroying the old "Bultaco breako" image and making it into a quality machine. Some of these other features include standard Akronts and double rear rim locks. They've been there for a while but seem to make it with the 125 Pursang more of a total pi"ce. Bultaco had a basically great idea in coming out with bendable plastic fenders on their new Pursangs. The problem is th at they are not molded with a bead 011 the edge but taper to afine edge. A bead would prevent the tiny flex cracks starting in the fenders that vibration eventually causes to run all the way across the fender. Now it appears that Bultaco is going back to fiberglass, rather than try to come out with something like a Preston Petty or WHAT THE 125 BULTACO HAS Displacement 124.98cc Compression Ratio' 14:1 Ignition ' ' Femsatronic COl Carburetion 30mm Amal Wheelbase 55+ inches Clearance 9 inches CiS sprocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1'1 Toath Rear wheel sprocket .. '.' 56 tooth Fuel capacity 1.5 gal'. Suspension Betor forks and shocks and plenty more numbers, ratios, dimensions, etc. "sv and make good photos. Serious ride.. cut back the fork stops to let the aankad way in. TT slides are fun. front end ~ W Monarch fender. This was our only real complaint with the machine in over a week of running it. The powerplant. It has a lot of power. Forget the horsepower claims, the 125 mill will get you moving very rapidly in a very short time. There is not much low end, which is no big surprise, but there is an adequately broad power band starting at about 4000 RPM. It is really an explosive engine. It has the same lower end as the 250 so it should be heavy enough to go for a while without the past Bultaco problems of bearing replacement and sorting out the gearbox every month. Shifting was always smooth and positive, with or without the clutch. You never had to think about it, just dab with the toe until you got to the gear you wanted to keep it in the power band. You could do this without removing your foot from the excellent serrated steel footpegs. The 4.00 X 18 Pirelli that Buddha fitted on the 125 got the power to the dirt in a very efficien t manner. The front tire was a Spanish-license Firestone. There are a few other notable detail improvemen ts. The electrics are different from the 250 and 350 models which have a flywheel-magneto. The 125 features a stator-rotor configuration. The new still air box is a great improvement over the open screen Hcleaner" on the Sherpas. The reputation of the Betor forks bas been steadily increasing in this country. It is well deserved. The Betors are a perfect match for the Pursang frame; they really work well. The rear shocks seem to do the job, providing a controlled, almost comfortable, ride. The seat looks too thin and like it should really be uncomforable. It isn't. It's neither over- or under-padded. Its sleek appearance fits. the look of the machine and its configuration fi ts your rear ~nd, the few times you'll find yourself on it. It's a natural to be up on the tank, leaning the low, flat bars way over with a foot stuck up by the front axle. It all works very reass.uringly. The brakes are still not up to the standards of the rest of the machine. The fron t brake is greatly improved and does a fair job of getting the speed down to square off comers. The rear brake, regardless of adjustment, was more of a gesture than 'an effective stopping mechanism. All Bullacos seem to have an exhaust leak between the barrel and the header pipe. The flange seems to vibrate loose no matter how many trick set-ups are tried. These are really minor problems and easy enough to live with that some racers may not notice them, or mind them if they are noticed. The Bultaco 125 Pursang is a racer's racer. It looks the part, it goes fast and the handling is better than ever. The super narrow profile culS a small ,hole in the wind; says: Racerl

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