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CaptainKyle

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Well I picked up my uncle's Bultaco Matador that he had shipped back from Spain in 1973 when he was in the air force. I will have fun restoring it in honor of him.
 

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That looks like it should be an easy restoration. I will be interested to see how it turns out. I'm sure your work will be exemplary.

My friend in western NY raced for the factory Bultaco team in Europe in the 1960's. They (his brothers and he) bought-out the east-coast Bultaco distributor in Schenectady NY and got a lot of parts and bikes. This included the Full Bore line of motorcycling material. They were famous for using the metal reinforcements on the front of their motocross boots, I believe they were the first to use this design. I have one of their enduro jackets, made of heavy nylon, near-indestructable, and furnished with multiple pockets to carry spare parts, tools, and even some food/drink, no Camelbacks in those days. I bought it off the back of one of the brothers, at Daytona one year, during Bike Week, when they came south from NY to sell bikes and parts, and they stayed with us in our hotel room.

FX Bulto, who started the Bultaco company, was a visitor at my friend's home in NY on more-than one occasion. He accompanied Mr. Bulto around the USA to show him the support that Bultaco had stateside. From the trials Sherpas, to the motocross Pursangs, to the street/road course Metrallas and to the flattrack Astros, Bultacos were an integral part of motorcycling in the 1960's and 1970's.

Here are a few shots of the bikes they still have.
 

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Thats cool as hell. There is just something extra cool about the classics. Is that getting a full restoration or more of a sympathetic restoration?
 
Thats cool as hell. There is just something extra cool about the classics. Is that getting a full restoration or more of a sympathetic restoration?

It is probably not going to be a 100 % restoration but I am going to do a lot to it. It will be torn down to the frame and everything will be repainted. I am gonna try and get it fired up first. It has probably been 30 years since it was started. It seems to have pretty good compression so hopefully it will still run. If not it is not a big deal to rebuild.
 
That will be a cool resto Kyle, especially so that it will also be honoring your Uncle.
As a young lad of the early 70's I subscribed to 2 or three dirt bike mags and I loved to read the reports on Jim Pomeroy racing in Europe. One particular story that has stuck in my mind was a race in Spain(If my memory serves me) on a particularly rough track that Jim was racing with one of the stars of the time where they were passing each other from lap to lap until Jim took it upon himself to make a final pass on a long downhill that they had been only going part way the whole race. Jim's daring move was to pass his formable rival by jumping all the way to the bottom, over his rival to take the lead then onto win the race. At least that is the way my memory serves me and had given me fond memories of Jim Pomeroy. Apparently Jim died while rolling over his Jeep in his home state of Washington.
 
Pomeroy did a 'double,' which I think is the way he took the lead. I recall reading about that. I used to buy Cycle, Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Cycle Guide, and Cycle News East, along with being an AMA member.

Remember how Cycle Guide used to chrome-plate the entire 'Motorcycle of the Year" they chose? It made for a bright magazine cover.

The fact he died in a Jeep is ironic, a waste. master of two-wheeled offroad motorcycles, killed by a 4x4 offroad-capable Jeep. I see them doing 80+ mph on the interstates and driving like they're 350Z's, weaving in and out of traffic. Poor high-speed offroad tires, a high center of gravity, and what protection is offered in event of a rollover? Like the AAA Indy front-engined roadsters, whose drivers wanted to be 'thrown-free' in the accident, instead of using seatbelts/harnesses.

Here are some 1960's era offroad bikes being auctioned in Alabama, owned by famous actors. https://www.cyclenews.com/2018/09/a...eter-fonda-and-dennis-hopper-to-be-auctioned/

One is a Bultaco ridden by Peter Fonda at the beginning of Easy Rider, before he meets Phil Spector at LAX, to sell him Peruvian Marching Powder, which allows Fonda and Hopper to buy the Captain America and Billy-Bike H-D panhead choppers, and to head for New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
 
I think I am gonna go back with the metal fenders and the red and silver paint scheme.
 

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The Matador fully-enclosed chain gave the drivetrain a much-longer life. They used that on a lot of their enduro bikes.

I agree, I like the metal fenders from the appearance standpoint, though the Preston Petty-style plastic fenders were durable, and inexpensive to replace if needed.
 
The Matador fully-enclosed chain gave the drivetrain a much-longer life. They used that on a lot of their enduro bikes.

I agree, I like the metal fenders from the appearance standpoint, though the Preston Petty-style plastic fenders were durable, and inexpensive to replace if needed.

This thing does not have an enclosed chain anymore the swingarm must have been changed at one time. . I think I will be fine with the metal fenders my dirt bike days are over. I will just trail ride on this. I actually probably wont ride it much at all.
 
This thing does not have an enclosed chain anymore the swingarm must have been changed at one time. . I think I will be fine with the metal fenders my dirt bike days are over. I will just trail ride on this. I actually probably wont ride it much at all.

I had an OSSA 250 and liked it. One of my friends had an OSSA when I lived in MI and I liked riding it when we would switch-off. Later, when I was in FL, I found an OSSA and got it. I no-longer have it. Bultacos, OSSA's and Montesas all made good offroad rides. Light, powerful, good handling, and easy to work upon.
 

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