Some years ago John did all Metralla owners a big favour by writing the definitive book on the subject “Bultaco. But in reality the two bikes were poles apart as you would expect in a Japan versus Spain situation one perfectly behaved with impeccable attention to detail (and an automatic oiling system called Posiforce), the other a rorty little pug with a real Latin temperament and few frills.Īt this point I will introduce John Somerville, the doyen of the Metralla in Australia a man who is a self-confessed Bultacoholic (he owns over 20, including the ex-Tommy Robb factory Isle of Man machine). In this respect, it came squarely into competition with the Suzuki T20, another 100 mph 250 and which carried a good deal more customer-friendly tweaks, particularly in the electrical department, than the Metralla.
Bultaco pursang specifications full#
Now a full 250 cc (well, 244.3 cc actually), the ‘big’ Bully sported a 5-speed gearbox, poked out 27.6 hp at 7,500 rpm and was good for a genuine 100 mph. The following year, the Tralla 101 was superceded by the 102 and was basically visually identical (apart from some minor things) to the Metralla 62 in all respects except the capacity of 125 cc.Īnd so we come to the subject of our story, the Metralla Mk2 of 1966. In 1962, the Tralla’s engine was squeezed out to 196 cc by over-boring – the maximum size obtainable using the original crankcases, to create the Metralla 62, Metralla being Spanish for Shrapnel in the artillery sense. Several features of the Tralla 101 became synonymous with all subsequent Bultacos, such as the big exhaust port and polished crankcases, and, on the road bikes, the suede strip in the centre of the seat. Beautifully styled and a spirited performer, the Tralla was an instant hit, particularly after a near-standard model finished second outright in the prestigious Montjuic 24 Hour Race in Barcelona later in the year. So strong, he quit Montesa and started his own concern, taking with him several of Montesa’s key employees.īultaco was set up in an old farmhouse and in March 1959 launched its first model, the 125 cc Tralla 101 (Spanish for whiplash).
However the move to larger premises in 1957 coincided with a slump in the Spanish economy, and a decision by the company’s majority shareholder to suspend all racing activity met with strong disapproval from Bulto.
Montesa had steadily built its business into a range of two-stroke bikes, using racing success as its main form of promotion. It was this passion that led to the formation of Bultaco (the named derived from the first three letters of Bulto and the last three letters of his nickname) in 1958.īulto was a director of the Montesa company, which began motorcycle production in 1944. By all accounts, Francisco Xavier Bulto (also known as ‘Paco’) was a formidable man with a typically robust Latin personality, and he loved motorcycle racing with a passion shared by legions of his countrymen.