#Bultaco Motorcycle

[boanerges20]

Ángel Nieto Montjuïc // 1976

[el-osario]

10 spanish motorcycles.

Montesa Impala

Bultaco Lobito mk3

Derbi Mulhacén 659

Ossa Yankee 500

Rieju MR 300

Sanglas 400

Derbi GPR 75

Pursang e-track

Ossa Enduro

JJ Cobas K100

[jims73]

[cainrizquez-blog]

[ledepassionne]

Bultaco 348 1975/76

[6d-grees]

[frenchcurious]

Bultaco Metralla 1965. Ph: Corey Levenson. - source Motorcycle Classics.

[wetsteve3]

1967 Bultaco 250cc Mk II Metralla

Bultaco’s history began in 1945 when Francisco Xavier Bulto and Pedro Permanyer co-founded Montesa. The Spanish firm became synonymous with small, effective motorcycles and attained prowess in the heady world of competition. However, in the latter half of the 1950s, the board wanted to withdraw from racing, a decision that Bulto vehemently disagreed with. So, in 1958, he resigned from the company and taking the racing department with him, set up Bultaco. Progress was swift and by the spring of 1959 their first machine – the Tralla 101, a 125cc 2-stroke – was ready for production.

In 1962, the firm introduced the 200cc Metralla, a sports roadster that  quickly became a force to be reckoned with, winning its class in the 1963 European Grand Prix d’Endurance series despite giving away 50cc to its rivals. By 1967 the Metralla was available as a full ‘250’ and in that year’s Diamond Jubilee TT in the Isle of Man secured a remarkable result in the production race when a team of race-kitted bikes entered by the importer for Southern Ireland, Harry Lindsay, finished 1st and 2nd, Bill Smith leading Tommy Robb across the line with Kevin Cass in 6th place.

The Bultaco Metralla Mk 2 was marketed as ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a road racer that you can ride on the street.’ The design was simple, the hand-built mechanicals reliable and tough, the handsome bike stark, stable, and fast. The Mk 2 single cylinder piston-port 2-stroke put out a quoted 27bhp at 8,700rpm which with its 5-speed close ratio gearbox (and enclosed rear drive chain) gave a genuine 100 mph.

[waru-chan8]

hi, I send you an ask about this because there is more space than the text chat. I find interesting what you said about Alonso and people from Madrid being posh, and I want to ask you what you think in general about spanish riders and their origin. I explain myself: italian riders, of every class and championship, don't usually come from wealthy families. For example Vale, Dovi, Sic, Corsi, Paso, Petrucci, Iannone, Pirro, Morbidelli, but also the younger like Bassani, Nelli, Mig, Fenati, Enea, they come from 'normal' middle class or working class families, and they usually got into this sport because they come from Emilia Romagna (where it's basically the traditional sport, more popular than football), or because they have relatives that were racing riders or mechanics or had some contact with the racing world (for example Petrucci's father was a truck driver who drove trucks for some motogp teams). We don't have many who clearly come from wealthy families (of course when I talk about wealthy families I don't mean anything remotely close to f1 drivers families), but the problem now (well, in the last 10 years or more) is that it's so difficult for young riders to find a sponsor to support their careers (wssp and civ riders often point that out, and even in wsbk there are riders who hardly find some help despite their talent, like Bassani, who's son of a construction worker). Then the fact that a rider is more or less arrogant or one to brag is not particularly related to their origin, but it's probably more related to how they were educated by their families (for example, despite not being particularly rich, Iannone has always been a spoiled child, according to Pernat). I don't want to go into the political topic (if they are conservative or not etc) because usually they are private about their personal opinions, but also I suspect some of them just live in their own world (in general, especially in the past, motorcycle riders are known to be just crazyheads and out of the ordinary). So I wanted to ask you about Spanish riders, and if it's a similar situation or not. I always had the impression it's a similar situation, considering that we are the closest countries when it comes to motorcycling.

When I meant Alonso being posh, I meant in the way he dresses himself, and he talks in Spanish. Also, it's about Madrid in general being a much more expensive area/city than other part of Spain.

So if we talk about traditional areas of the sport, then it's the Mediterranean area (Catalonia, Valencia, and Balearic Islands and more recently Murcia too). Catalonia is/was because of the motorcycling industry was set in Barcelona (Derbi and Bultaco for example) and at the beginning riders either come from Barcelona or moved there. (An example Ángel Nieto, who was living in Madrid when he discovered motorcycling, moved to Barcelona because he knew it was his only way to race).

I'm not sure about how Valencia and Balearic Islands come to play, but I imagine Valencia is due to Ricardo Tormo (2 times 50cc world champion) and because small villages allowed kids to race in between villages on their fest (according to Aspar). Apart from that, Cuna de Campeones, which is a no profit and public riding school, is doing wonders (started in 1999 and it's still going). It's a public riding school where they allow kids from anywhere in the world and different backgrounds, to learn how to ride a bike. They train the kid to be the best on the track, but also outside of racing just in case hey don't make it. Some of the riders from the school: Joan Mir, Jorge Martín, Raúl Fernández and Franco Morbidelli. Same with the Balearic Islands, not sure, how it started, but having Jorge Lorenzo, Augusto Fernández and Izan Guevara is doing wonders for them.

And now how did they get into racing? Some of them because they parents were into bikes. Dani's dad had a motocross bike and Dani's first bike was a motocross one, but he did not start competing until later on a mini/pocket bike. Pol, Aleix, and Jorge Lorenzo's first bike were done by their parents, and apparently Jorge's mom was a rider too (not sure). I think Joan's dad own a rental shop in Palma de Mallorca where he had surf related stuff and bikes, but he also had a cousin who was into bikes. Pablo and Gelete were born into a family of racing. So for most of them, racing started because they had someone close to them who was into racing. Maybe some of them got into it due to the Lorenzo-Pedrosa fight or Marc's tittle because it made TV focus on motorcycling.

Backgrow. Most of them come from working class too, and basically being in the right place in the right moment. For example, Dani was out of racing even before he started because his parents could not afford to get a 125cc bike, and he owns his career to Puig. Chicho did not have the funding so he contacted with everyone he could and send tons of letters and video until Jorge got admitted to Montlau. Montlau is another racing school, but they also train mechanics (Rins also started there). Joan for example, he said he could not choose his path, he went from promotion cup to promotion cup because they did not have the money and if did not win, it could have been the end of his career. Jorge Martín had said his dad had to ask money from members of his family because they were living out of 600 euros, I'm guessing it was out of the state support money, and that he is so greatful for Aleix aids. Augusto did not follow the normal path due to the lack of money, he comes from European Stock 600. So yep middle or middle-lower class.

The one I know who did not have that problem was Tito. His family is the owner of a jewellery chain store where they sell expensive brands and custom-made jewellery. In fact, their parents did put money into the Avintia team with the sponsorship deal so Tito could race.

I was not into Alonso López until this year, but 'La Caja de DAZN' was pretty revealing. Apparently he is from the upper-middle class, as his parents had 2 residencies, both in Madrid. He was born in the Madrid city, but the rider in him was born in 'Los Molinos' where his parents had a second residency. He got into expensive sports as a hobby, golfing and ski/snowboarding and according to him, he was good, so he spends a lot of time and money. In 2021, his dad had to sponsor him for the last couple (not sure if only the last 2 or some more) races of the European Moto2 championship, but he also was sent to live in Valencia due to his erratic behaviour. Alonso did not have to worry about the money, nor is he worrying now as he could choose to say 'no' to do a second year in the European Moto2 and wait for Fenati's results. So let's say he is not wealthy, but he is in a comfortable position.

I agree that getting sponsors, is a struggling thing here too because let's remember that Tito's parents had to put money for him to stay in the championship, despite him being a Moto2 World Champion or that Alonso was kicked out of Moto3 due to the lack of funding, and he could not go into endurance for the same thing.

[boanerges20]

Ricardo Tormo Brno // 1978

[mikeepoos-mechanical-mix]

An ad for the 1974 Bultaco Pursang line including the 125 250, and 360

Motorcycle Monday

[el-osario]

[motorcycleclassicsmag]

Rare as hen’s teeth, fewer than 100 Bultaco Streakers were brought to the U.S. over its three-year production. Read more at https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/more-classic-motorcycles/1978-bultaco-streaker-zmgz17ndzhur

[Photo by Jeff Barger]

[greaseandmoonshine]

I’m liking this setup #bmwmotorrad #bultaco #caferacer #moto #motorcycle #style #vintage #fashion #luxury #ridefastdrivesmooth #greaseandmoonshine https://www.instagram.com/p/CUAK-uHhxZX/?utm_medium=tumblr