I
f you really like wrenching on
motorcycles, like maybe 10
times as much as you like
riding them, then drop down into
a nearby wormhole and head
back to 1975, when One Flew
Over The Cuckoo's Nest is at the
theater, Starsky and Hutch are
taking their Ford Gran Torino
over some sweet jumps and The
Captain and Tenille vow that
"Love Will Keep Us Together."
Once you've arrived, jump in
your Chevy Van (bypassing all
long-legged, tanned girls hitchin'
a ride) and head straight to your
Bultaco dealer to check out the
new MK VIII 360 Pursang.
However, according to Cycle
News' John Huetter, it's going
to take a lot more than love to
keep your maintenance-hungry
Bultaco together. In the April
22, 1975, issue, Huetter states
that "a generally accepted ratio
for Grand Prix bikes is 10 hours
of preparation for every hour of
competition time." Ten hours of
repair and prep for one hour of
racing! Is any motocross bike
worth such a lopsided ratio of
work to pleasure?
This particular look at the new
360 was less a test of the mo
-
torcycle and more an evaluation
of you, the rider. The production
bike, which was apparently very
similar to the model ridden by
Bultaco star Bengt Aberg to a
victory in the 1974 Motocross
des Nations, was obviously up
to the task of winning local MX.
Features included a chrome-
moly frame, a staggering seven
inches of travel at the rear and a
362cc powerplant that pumped
out 40 horsepower. Add in some
extra niceties like Pirelli tires, a
Twin Air foam filter and some
-
thing called "frangible fiberglass
fenders." This racer came in at
a wispy 209 pounds, just three
pounds over the FIM minimum
weight.
CNIIARCHIVES
P140
BY KENT TAYLOR
THE 1975
BULTACO MK
VIII 360
PURSANG
THE MK VIII 360
PURSANG WAS
A FANTASTIC-
PERFORMING MX BIKE,
BUT GETTING TO THE
FINISH LINE WAS A
DIFFERENT STORY.
Cycle News tested the Bultaco MK
VIII 360 Pursang 50 years ago.
