Bultaco 250 Pursang

BULTACO 250 PURSANG

Cycle World Road Test

Yet Another Superlight, But This Time With Radical Suspension

KNOWING A LITTLE of how Spaniards think is helpful when trying to understand why they do things the way they do. Spain’s people are very proud. They know that their country isn’t the richest one around and that they don’t have as many resources as many other countries do, but they know how to take advantage of what they do have...both in the area of resources and in the area of technology. The latter has been the strength behind their successful motorcycles. The technology is of the homemade variety. They figure things out for themselves, and it works. No megabucks, electronic thingamawidget telling them how to design motorcycles.

Their machines have come about through many years of trial and error. They love motorcycles, not just as a source of income, but simply as motorcycles. They take pride in their accomplishments and, as long as they continue to produce competition machinery as fine as this newest Bultaco, they have every right to.

This is Spain’s first attempt at mass-production of a FMS (forward-mounted shocks) motocrosser. At least it’s the first to hit our shores. Montesa has just released its slant-shock VR, of which CYCLE WORLD will have the first test, but which won’t arrive for another month or so. Until then, the Bultaco will do fine. Just fine.

The 250 Bul carries the same paint scheme that was introduced on last year's model. Blue with white stripes. At first it seemed a bit odd and difficult to get accustomed to, since we've always known Bultacos to have red paint somewhere, even if it's only a touch. But after a while, you begin to accept the blue But and the color never bothers you again. In fact, it sort of starts to grow on you.

The Mk VIII is a little heavier than last year’s Mk VII. At 206 lb. dry, it carries four pounds more. While some of the modifications on the Bui make certain components lighter than before (such as the new right side cover that more closely follows the contour of the internals), the FMS conversion, along with a new hub, makes up the difference in weight. In order to maintain as much swinging arm rigidity as possible, the full length of the arm has been gusseted along its lower side with a piece of curved steel tubing. The gusset, swinging arm and entire frame are made from chrome moly.

The rear hub is new in that it is reversible. The brake drum can be placed either on the same side as the sprocket or on the opposite side. This, of course, works in conjunction with the new shift shaft that runs completely through the cases, allowing the rider his choice as to which side to shift on and which side to place the brake pedal on. As you buy it, the machine comes with a left-side shift and right-side brake. One of the reasons for the change was that some Bultaco people felt that sales were being lost to customers who were graduating from a left-shift Japanese bike and didn’t want to have to relearn shifting reflexes.

This arrangement is most noteworthy because it gives the rider a choice. It doesn’t alienate long-time Bui riders, while at the same time appealing to those who might otherwise deny themselves the pleasure of owning a Pursang. Also, riders who take the time to become proficient shifters with either foot can take advantage of the adjustability of the machine to set it up for a particular track, depending on which way it circles and where the most troublesome corner approaches and exits might be.

No matter which side you choose, the rear brake works> very well. That’s more than can be said for the front one, though. At first, ours hardly worked at all. Little by little it got better as the hours were piled onto the machine, but it never stopped with what we would consider sufficient strength. We understand that part of the problem is that in order to keep things light, Bultaco discarded the brake drum lining in its Dural hub and uses a metallic spray finish instead. The finish doesn’t peel or anything like that, it just doesn’t create enough friction.

The attempt to keep things light did succeed. We’ve never ridden a machine, any machine, that was so totally responsive to body position and movement as the Mk VIII was. Anything you wanted to do you could do on this bike. Wheelie forever, slide like Dave Aldana, take the inside line, the outside line, carom off berms, make Saturn V leaps off jumps, play DeCoster in mid-flight, or, even better yet, do some of those patented Rex Staten double cross-ups. The Bui won’t let you down. And even if you don’t get completely straightened up from your antics before you land, the Bui lands softly and straightens up immediately. It’s uncanny.

When the playing around is finished and it’s time to take care of business, the real fun begins. Of course, with the mediocre front brake, you’ll have to work extra hard to beat anyone going into corners, but getting through and smokin’ out is a blast. Again, the incredibly light feel allows you to toss the bike around and take any line you like. The Pirelli tires stick well, even on some of the dry tracks to which we took our test bike. The monstrous 4.50 tire we’ve always liked, but the fact that the skittery 3.00-21 up front didn’t wash out really surprised us. Sure speaks well of Bultaco geometry.

To get the front end up you must merely think the word “up” and there it is. Almost like magic. Yet when you want the front end to stay down and track straight, it does that just as automatically. At times, it’s as though the machine can read your mind. A light front end alone can’t just get itself up in the air, though. You need good strong power to get it lofted, and that’s just what the engine delivers.

Power starts building in the lower rpm range where many 250s can’t even run. Only the VR Montesa and the Ossa Phantom have exhibited similar power characteristics. Midrange was the Bui’s strongest area of power delivery, while the top end wasn’t too shabby either. If you only want to talk about outright screaming horsepower, the Bul is down a little to most other bikes in its class, and even more to engines like the Can-Am 250. But the mid-range is particularly strong, and that’s where the torque peak lies. When you keep the engine running in this range, the bike rockets out of corners. It doesn’t erupt or explode with wheel-spinning roostertails of dust and debris, but it grabs hold of the ground and comes out like good of greased lightnin’. For the backyard tuning whizzes who just drool at the thought of attacking a stock barrel with their roto-rooters, there’s room for improvement, but you’d be messing up a really great powerband just for an extra pony or two.

The 36mm Amal carburetor appears, on paper, to be more than the bike needs. Yet, the engine starts on a few kicks at worst and runs clearly throughout the range. No doubt the pointless Motoplat ignition helps.

Suspension-wise, the story of the day sits aft of the engine. Offering just a tad more than six inches of travel at the rear axle, the Telesco shocks—which, surprisingly, are not of the gas/oil variety—mount in a perfectly vertical position. They work great and didn’t fade during the weeks we had the bike.

The frame on the Bui hasn’t been modified at all for the FMS. Just the swinging arm has. The chassis is the same as last year’s. Performance of the rear end is super. A little harsh for just putting around, the set-up really comes into its own when the throttle is dialed open. The whole suspension system is great. The forks react to all the pounding you can dish out by responding perfectly. After a while, the left fork leg on our test bike (which, by the way, came to us courtesy of AAA Cycles in Santa Ana, since the Bultaco distributor was completely sold out), began to leak. The trouble was traced to a flapper valve on the damper rod that was kind of hosed, causing extreme hydraulic pressure and the resulting leak. There was one problem that the rear suspension caused, and there’s little anyone can do about it.

This is our major complaint with the bike. It is far too tall for most people. The seat height crests the 35-in. barrier; and even six-footers on our staff found sitting astride the Bul a tiptoe situation. Just to see what would happen to someone decidedly shorter, we asked a guy who was 5-ft. 4-in. to sit on the bike and he had one heck of a tough time. To the racer, the only time that the tallish stance of the machine is a problem, is on the starting line. Shorter riders might need blocks to stand on as they steady their machine, waiting for the gate to drop. The thought of that seems funny, but we don’t see any other way.

Once underway, everything fits fine. Riders in a large range of sizes can feel at home with the positioning of the controls. The handlebars may be too wide for some, but that isn’t a serious problem and can be easily corrected.

As we’re sure you can tell, we liked the new Pursang immensely. It has a great number of features that, in addition to its performance, make it desirable. There are non-ridged Akront rims, complete with sheet-metal-screw-type pins in the rims, thereby eliminating the need for rim locks; there are the best footpegs in the industry, good grips, aluminum levers, and a comfortable saddle. You can also add to the list a foam filter element in a well-protected airbox, a chain guide and brake anchor arm made from Dural, and even replaceable fiberglass packing for the quiet downpipe. But the details are not entirely without fault. We hoped the fiberglass fenders would be a thing of the past this year. They aren’t. The chain stretches readily; and we wish the fuel tank were plastic instead of fiberglass. A little more volume wouldn’t hurt either.

Overall, the newest Bultaco is a true delight. It isn’t often

that we come across a machine that allows us a chance to write as laudatory a road test as we have here, but the machine deserves every word of praise that it has received. It is fast, light, handles superbly and truly comes ready to race. The Spaniards have really done themselves proud on this one.

But, above all else, the Bultaco Pursang Mk VIII is a stone gas to ride. Pure, undiluted fun. And if you haven’t found motocross to be much fun lately, this one’ll put you right back in the game. 0

BULTACO 250 PURSANG

$1495

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