t
Offerings from
SP9. in &Canada
Can-Am: New shapes, new colors. new mod els
T he black and red MX·3 catches up with th e suspension revolut ion ,
using la id-dow n "gasbag" Gabriel shocks and longer-travel forks.
Th e Daddy Longlegs is the 250 , wit h lead ing-axle 8.75·inch tr avel
Marzocchis and 16·inch Gabr iels that yield 8.5 inches of rear wheel
tr avel. The 175 has Betor fo rks and abou t an inch less travel at
either end . Power is, as ever, eye-bugg ing. At a brief test·preview
session, riders said the 175 MXer went like most 250 s and handled
like a 125. The 250 was suita b le impressive, but a bit fr ightening on
slick California hardpan. The new baby is the red-tanked Qual ifier, a
serious enduro-Two Days type motorcycle to be marketed in 125,
175 and 250cc sizes. Chassis will be virtually ident ical for all three,
with a 3 gallon t ank, 7 .5 inches for k trave l (Betor), a nd 7.3 inches at
the rear wheel . A well·thought-out six speed gearbox and good usable
power made the 250 Qualifier an especially sat isfying motorcycle for
our Lame Turkey to ride. If you 're old and stove-up, you'll love it .
If you're young and fast , you'll probably love it even more.
The T'nTs (not shown) have changed only in detail : gotten quieter,
and are Californ ia st reet-legal. Word is that the MX-3 and Qualifier
will be available in q uant it y start ing about January, 1977 .
Bultaco 's Alpina and Sherpa T
Can the good get better?
For 1977 , Bultaco has announced three available She rpa
T' s (125, 250 , 350) and two Alp inas (250, 350) in assorted
colors, mostly red, gold and blue . The 125 Sherpa T shares
six speeds wit h the MX engine. The 250 Alpiria and Sherpa
share the same bore and stro ke (71 x 60 mm) and the same
power character ist ics; but d ifferent gearbox es. Th ird gear
on the t rialers is where second on th e Alpinas would be.
Both 250 engines share a 27 mm Amal; both 350s have a
128 mm Bing. But the 350 Sherpa is 83 .2 x 60 mm (same
. crank as the 250) , 326cc; wh ile th e Alpin a is 83 .2 x 64mm
' (t he MX cran k?), 348cc. Isn't part s-bin engineering fun ?
The Alpin as feature the chrome-lined alloy brake dru ms
and moved -up Betor gas shocks. Claimed dr y weight, 222 .
pounds for both. The 125cc " baby T" has a 20 inch front,
17 inch rear wheel , 176 pound all-up weight for the flywe ight
and/or short-legged set . The bigger T' s weigh 195; the 350
features slightly longer "legs" than the 250.
Oh , to be a Bultaco parts man again. Wonder what
they'll do for an encore?
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