stevem75

I've read the article mentioned. Vesty has never exactly said why they were trying different swing arm and rear suspension. But the point he is trying to get across is that the amount of " anti squat " that was present with the Bultacos was unacceptable for him. " on the rear suspension swing arm angle and chain forces combine to cause stiffening or softening of the rear spring rate during acceleration and deceleration. The effective stiffening is called anti squat as it " holds up" the rear of the motorcycle during acceleration keeping it from squatting." The chain pulls on the rear sprocket and causes the rear suspension to actually extend. This extension causes a momentary lack of grip on with the rear wheel. Woody if you're reading this , this may be why you have said many times that the Bultaco rear suspension feels "dead " Think of a dragster in slow motion pulling away from the start of a 1/4 mile strip. Throttle is applied the rear wheels and suspension actually raise up considerably before forward momentum is gained. This lack of grip obviously can be unwanted. The idea of moving the swing arm forward and up as close to the countershaft sprocket ( main shaft on Bultaco) tends to alleviate the anti squat issue. In theory it makes perfect sense. Look closely at all motorcycles today and you'll note that the swimg arm pivot is almost always as close as possible to the front sprocket. Its been mentioned on this forum that with tire technology being what it is these days the swing arm mod is not something that is necessary for most riding situations. i happen to agree, modern tires are a big step forward from what used to be available. The best advice is to take your time and set up your bike properly. Good quality front and rear suspension set for your weight. Good quality tires Properly adjusted carburetion and no air leaks. Properly adjusted ignition timing. Proper clutch set up. And updates for brakes. All of the above and you'll have a fine weapon for trials !!! Pleas note that anything in the above post in quotations was not written by me but by Paul thied from the book motorcycle suspension. I've only used it here to describe the issue that vesty wanted to overcome Steve

I actually think Bultacos model numbering system worked quite well. It enabled them to not be confined to "year" models. If they wanted immediate production changes the model number system allowed it.... They didn't have to wait until the next model year to make the change. the problem comes when the rest of the industry uses the year to identify a motorcycle. It causes confusion amongst owners. A 1975 Sherpa t means nothing to a parts person at Hugh's or in motion. Bultaco had the m151, m159 , and possibly the m183 all in that year. The bike could have been titled in your home country in 1975 but that is inconsequential when it comes to a Bultacos actual manufacture date. I think with the 199 series that the factory was going through so much strife that changing model numbers would only add to the confusion that was already occurring. They had no idea that 30 years down the road a bunch of Bultaco enthusiasts would try to decode why they did what they did. But .... In saying that, separate model numbers at this point would make our lives a little easier. We would wonder what the first 199b serial number actually was. We just know it's in the 12000 range. Steve

Hard to say the exact time that the factory was shut. We know that in the fall of 79 that it closed its doors for a short time until the Spanish government gave them a grant to reopen and keep going. I believe in doing this the factory was required to considerably downsize its workforce. The workers revolted, didn't downsize, and basically took over the factory. At around this time Honda was looking to purchase Bultaco but because the workers couldn't get their &$@# together Honda passed them up and went to montesa. By this time sr bulto was locked out of the factory and I've even heard rumours that an workers burned an epitaph of him outside the factory. Hard to believe that such a wonderful man like bulto was treated so badly by his staff. In any case some development work continued. Like the prototype mk 15 pursangs and the m199b Sherpa t. By 1982 all funds and loans were drying up and the factory could t continue so it was closed. The extra stock of parts was for whatever reason ( I'm not sure ), sent to the derbi factory where some of the original Bultaco workers continued to build m199b's with whatever was left. This is why some of the later bikes came with different brand parts like motoplat vs femsa. It's also worth noting that the mercurio road bike was also being manufactured too in this way. So by 1985 all leftover parts were gone and that was the end of a brand that actually close three years before. Steve

You could be quite correct. the rudimentary production numbers that are available are sometimes accurate and most times not. Example. The production list states only 500 M159 models were made ..... But I've owned 4703 so there was over 4000 of those produced. The other thing of note that happened through 79-80 was that North America in particular was starting to use the now standard 17 digit vin #. This may have been difficult for Bultaco to switch over to at the time as they were going through a lot of strife. Keeping the 199 199A and 199B numbering system was likely to keep things as simple as possible when everything else was falling apart Steve

Anything could have happened near the end with Bultaco. It is my understanding from those that have worked at the factory that before 1980 all bikes that were assembled left the factory with matching numbers. In Franco era Spain the government was extremely stringent in this regard. They kept dibs on all exports to be sure the government got its share. If you now have a non matching numbers bike built before 1980 then it was changed after it left Spain. This I am absolutely sure of. When the 199B was being produced I do believe all record keeping was lost. By then Franco was long gone and the economic policies had changed. The 198 series bike were separate numbers altogether. They didn't combine production values. some years back I recorded every Bultaco serial number I came across. Be it eBay or other websites just to see if for example say 167 and 168 pursangs shared a production run. They didn't. I found identical numbers for both models. Also worth noting is serial number batches were sent to certain parts of the world. For example I know that model 75 Matadors with serial numbers between 2000 and 2200 were sent to western Canada. I know that model 167 pursangs in the 1500 range were sent to eastern u.s. And so on. Further research has also proven that the British importers regularly swapped engines in frames. I hear way more frequently of non matching numbers in England than here in North America. Maybe there were displacement laws at the time..... I don't know. But it seems that was the case. This new info regarding numbers in the 14920 range is fascinating. Id be interested see where this research goes Steve

That seat on eBay is a Sammy Miller reproduction and a poor one at that. I had one several years ago. It did work kind of ok but had no mounts and when fitted it looked terrible. Buy one from inmotion. You won't be disappointed Steve

As noted in a previous post stating "only 500 159's were built making it relatively rare" is incorrect. I know this as I owned at one time serial 4703 and a good friend has 4698. They made thousands of 159's. Steve

Ya was quoted 285

Interesting that the puma bikes dont use the cast iron liner. I found someone in wisconsin who can do a steel liner and has had great success with it. I'll likely try him and see how it goes steve

Yes. Alloy head stay. Forks only drilled on one side. 14644 is serial number. Impossible to know for sure but I think the last number built is approximately 14653. Steve

I can as a last resort but I live in western canada. The exchange between canadian dollars and the the british pound is about one and a half times. Add to that the shipping and it will be quite expensive.

I've recently acquired a very late model 199b. Likely one of the last dozen built. In any case like most of these bikes the chrome lining has peeled off both brake drums. Over the years on this forum and elsewhere I've read how good the puma or Vazquez brakes are. My question is this. Where is the cast iron sourced from? What size can you get it in. I have a machinist that can install it but we are having issues on where to buy the material. Any thoughts ? Steve

I'd have to look at my manual to determine the final size but 1.7 is in the ball park. The mahle pistons work just fine at that clearance and so long as they are properly warmed up there won't be an issue. Wiseco pistons have to be run quite loose to prevent cold seizures and even at that they'll still seize at some point. In 25 years of being a professional mechanic I've never seen a wiseco piston not seize. Stick with mahle always if you can

The T2+ indicates final cylinder diameter after boring. If using a Mahle piston (oem) , then these markings are critical as they need to be used to get the proper final bore size. If using a wiseco piston then follow their specs...... And then add another 3 thou to prevent cold seizure. Steve

Awesome you've got spark. That's good!!! Don't worry if you think it's "not much ". If you have it you have it. Move on to making sure the carb is fully cleaned and all passages clear. Hugh's will have gaskets and parts if required for it. Make sure you have compression. Primary and secondary. If when you push the kick start by hand you feel a lot of resistance then secondary compression is likely satisfactory. Bultacos can be notorious for crank seal leakage. This will affect primary crank case compression. In any case you've got spark. Make sure you have fuel by having a clean carb. And make sure the engine has compression and it'll go!!! Steve

Being in New York you are very close to one of the largest bultaco dealers in the world. Hugh's bultaco. They are located in craryville. Maybe 30 miles from Albany. They will have manuals, parts and advice for you. Most dirt bikes for the last 40 years have never used a battery for ignition support. Some yamaha's and 1970's Hondas did but they are the odd exception. The femsatronic system should work fine if properly maintained. The coloured wires you mention are correct. Make sure all connections are clean and tight and the plugs are grounded and you should have spark. Steve

One thing that threw me off the first time I rebuilt a Bultaco sherpa wheel was that the inner spokes all go the same direction. And the outers the opposite direction (cross two or three). This type of design is not used on modern wheels and as a professional motorcycle mechanic I only had experience on the new stuff. Not sure why akront or Bultaco for that matter built the wheels that way. Anyways check to make sure you've got it laced that way. Steve

How about a hub from a later model alpina. ? That'd work perfect Steve

Back in the mid 80's as a teenager I really wanted a dirt bike. When I was young My dad always talked about his "old Bultaco" that he had and then sold. Anyways around 87-88 when I was showing interest in all things mechanical including motorcycles my dad said " why don't we get back my old Bultaco ". He had sold it to a colleague 12 years before and that person still had it. The guy who had it took it to Pender island on the coast of bc. He used it for a few years fully thrashing it when it stopped sparking. So it sat in the sea air for about 8 years before we decided to buy it back from him. Bear in mind in the 80's Bultaco parts were non existant here. We bought it for 80 bucks and then set out looking for parts which turned out to be easy with a few phone calls. There was a dealer 10 miles from us !!!! Acme Bultaco for those that have heard of it. I restored that old matador mk4 in 1989 and then sold it cause I wanted a 167 pursang. !!!! 12 years later in 2002 I called the guy I sold my dad's matador to to see if he would sell it back. Which he did. Again it was left outside in the elements and was a roach. !!! So for the last 12 years I've slowly bought all the parts to put it back to original. Slowly restored all the parts and finally have it back to the way it was when it left the factory. It's a beautiful bike that functions as it should. 198 was the year that started my passion for all things Bultaco. I've had many different models over the years. But I cherish the m75 matador. Currently I have a m199b and an m 92. Steve

I agree with all suggestions above. I would however not use a BPR type plug. Only Use a BP type. The R stands for resistor and it is used to suppress radio interference. They can and should be used with modern bikes but the increased resistance while being used on the bultaco can sometimes cause ignition issues. Steve

Likely yes. My bike that I just got has it. Steve

Very interesting. I'd never heard that before. Would this also have happened with the last Mercurio model as well ? I know production continued with that model well into the 80's as well

Yes 4653 is the last number. I just picked up 14644 and it's likely one of the last dozen or so produced. I know many production lists state that the 199b was produced until 1985 but I'd be surprised. More likely all 1778 of them were actually built in 1982 and it took until 1985 to sell them all. By then the B model wasn't competitive as the fantics and such. Giving a B model a year designation would be pretty difficult other than to say it's a 1982 as that's the year it was assembled Steve

The very first M199b was serial 12876. The last number produced was 14653. These are an estimate at best and those numbers could vary by 10 or more. In all as noted above there were 1778 m199b's produced. The first M199 started at 0001- 5960, M199A 5961-12875, M199B 12886-14653. Steve

Yes they're stamped from the factory that way. Quality control wasn't a top priority when it came to stamping. I don't think any models I have are stamped in a straight line.