VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P141
Aberg, Jim Pomeroy, Kenny
Zahrt and others were racing
and winning on Bultacos. Take
a look at yourself in the highly
polished engine cases and ask
yourself not what your Bultaco
can do for you—ask what you
can do on your Bultaco.
The lengthy list of admoni
-
tions from Huetter makes it
clear that the burden is on you,
the rider, to get the job done.
"The 360 Pursang is a specific
sort of weapon," he wrote, "and
demands full attention whenever
it is in motion." There is also no
room for lazy riding. "You must
concentrate on proper weight
transfer when changing direc
-
tions. You must stand up, going
faster than ever before, down
bumpy straights, and let the
machine work under you. If you
don't do it right on an LTR (long
travel rear suspension), you will
fall down."
Cycle News made sure the
reader was fully aware that
motocross bikes are made to go
fast, stating, "If you go slowly,
the feeling of being too high
for effective weight transfer or
cornering confidence returns.
The suspension feels hard. The
front-end hunts. The solution is
basic: don't ride it slowly. If you
want to ride it slowly, you should
not have paid $1600 for this
two-wheeled weapon in the first
place."
Bultaco faithfuls have kept
the brand going strong. Take in
any vintage MX event and you
will see the famous "thumbs up"
logo popping up around the pit
area. Jeff Graber, from Omaha,
Nebraska, has been on board
Bultacos of all sizes for more
than 50 years.
"My first Bul was a 1972
Pursang 125. I cut my teeth
on a '71 Yamaha AT-1 MX and
this Spanish mount was quite a
revelation—faster, quicker, and
it handled much differently than
the Yamaha," he remembers.
"The Bultaco was quite inter
-
changeable, as most Euro bikes
seemed to be in those days. In
late '73, we swapped out the top
end and changed it from a 125
to a 250. Later, I bought a Mark
VIII—handled better than any-
thing else I had ridden. Corner-
ing on a rail!"
The famed Spanish marque,
like its German-born competitor
Maico, was a popular choice for
motocross racers throughout
the 1970s. Like Maico, Bultaco
riders won races but claimed
few major championships in
either the Grand Prix or AMA
competition. Riders like Aberg,
Pomeroy and Zahrt, along with
the original motocross profes-
sor, Gary Bailey, were all threats
on racetracks throughout the
decade but could never string
together the kind of consistent
finishes needed to grab titles.
Sadly, mechanical issues would
often negate good rides by
some of these talented racers.
The CN staff of 50 years ago
had no crystal ball, so they could
not have known that the end of
the road was just eight years
away for the Bultaco motorcycle
company. But they did offer one
bold prediction. Stand up! Pay
attention! Concentrate! "If you
can coordinate these things,"
they wrote, "then you will prob
-
ably think that the 360 Mk VIII
Pursang is The Answer. And you
will probably be right. You will
win."
CN
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You had to be a good rider and an even better mechanic to own a Bultaco.
