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/126020
&om Ball.co... Purtv iii' t hang - Aside fro m t he " Ti ron" pro ject, Sultaco has not been one to create a "toy" trials bike to reach t he y ounger rider. Apparen tly a Bulto grandch ild is co ming of age, how ever, for th is perfectly proportioned 125 Sherpa T will be available fo r t he coming season . How good is it7 We're told t hat Charle s Cou tard grabbed one o ff t he line and used it to regain his French Championship late t his seaso n. Even th ough it shifts on the right. o ur sharp eyes spot f ront and rear brake light swit ches on the pho to mo del, wh ich means bo rderline legalitv in some areas. "-..J ~ Re-b irth of t he Mat ad or - A motorcyde th at he lped ignite t he trailridi ng boom and refuses to become obsolete, the Matad or is bac k as a fully ' st reet-legal 350. The ' Mk 9 Mat ad or ret ains the enclosed cha in and adds gas Betor shocks. Hopefully, the tort uo us t ucked -in e xhaust system will sat isfy the bureaucra ts . Wit h t he Frontera already aimed at the super-serious Enduro/lSDT enthusiast. the Matador now takes on more of a dual-purpose character. in hope s o f widening its appeal to t he commuterbike generat ion . The Astro 250 and 360 shorttrackers for '76 will be available in early December, carry ing detail changes to make them even more serious equipment las if they weren't, already!. Two-point shock lowe r mounting and repositioned rear brake controls make the super-tracker a bit easier to dial in. New Bing carb and detail engine mod s pump up ;::) of lile Spa.ish e...p Dedicated to the propos ition that dirt fun is sti ll clean fun, the f irst new, improved, and/or uprated Spanish models are beginning to t rickle over to await the spring thaw. The trend appears to be to diversify out of the traditional " 250" slot and attune to the latest suspension techno logy. from O.B.•. And now, the Super Plonker - What do you do to improve a five·year<>ld des ign three years after the guy who designed it went to work for somebody else7 You punch it out and call it a 350 MAR, of course . Actually t he 77 x 65mm eng ine specs out near 31Occ, carrie s a 27mm Amal carb and pulls slightly higher final gea ring. Wheelbase, for k travel . and rear ax le t ravel have all been increased by about an inch. New 2-ply Pirellis and woods light ing are standard . Son of Phantom - It 's ca lled the GP Phantom and carries inverted gas Betors as sta ndard rear suspension . (Th e trick Bolger setup is an op tio n). The latest lo ng-legged Beto rs wo rk t he fro nt. New pipe w ith the strange reverse-flow muff ler can y ield about 1000 RPM extra usabl e pow er range . It st ill we ighs under 200 lb. dry . .Dd .1 MODles• ... We're st il l waiting for a first hand look at t he 348cc six -speed Rathm ell Repli ca Cota. It's report edly the one bike that all th e oth er factory dudes were clamori ng to ride after th e serious stuf f was over at various FIM trials meets. Our man at Montesa also tells us that th e Rapita st reet machines are now gett ing out to dealers in some quantity. More later. 31