Bultaco 250 Matador
CYCLE WORLD ROAD TEST
ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS facing the new motorcyclist, or the fellow who wants to graduate from the motorbike stage, is selecting a machine that will give him the most pleasure for dollars spent. Also faced with this problem is the large group of motorcyclists who want a bike for part-time transportation on the street or highway; yet suited to riding off into the country or across the desert in search of trails.
Although several manufacturers have offered dual purpose machines, most of these are converted street bikes. Such motorcycles serve a purpose, but are not really satisfactory on any but the smoothest of back-country trails.
The subject of this test, the Bultaco Matador, has been designed for the seasoned veteran who wants an all-round motorcycle. It is ideal for the new rider who can ride to school through the week and have fun in the hills on the weekend. Or, the hunter interested only in offthe-road travel, but who can always hop on it and go to the market when he wants a change from the family car.
The Bultaco factory have proven how much more sensible it is to take a motorcycle that behaves well in the rough, add a muffler, lights, plus all the other things to make it legal for street use, and sell it as an all-round bike.
BULTACO 250 MATADOR
Dual-purpose theme in reverse; the correct way.
This is not a new machine. A 200cc-engined version met with such success on the American market that the factory decided to go ahead with production of a full 250cc engine. Although the earlier Matador was a very pleasant motorcycle in most respects, it did lack the oats for a really effective dual purpose machine. Now, with a slightly larger engine it is possible, due to a horsepower gain, to pull a higher overall gear ratio. Consequently, while first gear is low enough for plunking, fourth gear is sufficiently high for rather decent highway speeds. Thus we have a most flexible machine which, except for extremely unusual circumstances, will do anything and go anywhere the heart desires.
Comfort while getting to particular places is very important, and this is one area where the Matador really scores. The seat is unusually thick and soft, and the springloaded folding footpegs are well positioned for either fast or slow going in the rough. Bultaco has continued to use the separate clip-on bars, and here we would like to really give the manufacturer some praise — the bars can be adjusted to almost any conceivable position. To permit standing on the pegs and using body-lean in tricky trials sections, the fiberglass tank has been made extremely narrow at the rear. There is a high level exhaust system tucked-in so as not to be in the way, and a small chromed guard prevents one’s leg from being burned on the muffler. The muffler actually passes inside the right rear down tube and exhausts inside the rear fender.
The Matador’s front forks have a total of 6 1/2 inches of travel and are of the Ceriani/Telasco design with those nice little plastic dust excluders at the top of the sliders. The rear legs have a full 4 inches of movement. The suspension yields an exceptionally smooth ride with unusually good handling, expecially when riding the machine quite hard over rough, fast terrain.
An extension on the carburetor intake enters an aluminum panel under the seat to an air cleaner that is protected from road dirt by a large, molded, rubber flange. Air is drawn in from immediately under the seat, ensuring cleanest possible air at all times. Weather-proofing is evident also at the handlebar levers. A rubber patch snaps over the lever body to eliminate dirt and grit around the cable ends and lever pivots. The cover is easily removed for servicing the levers simply by undoing the snaps — very handy in a muddy Enduro.
The Matador has a very striking color scheme, frame, swing arm and most of the gas tank is finished in a deep red, with a black panel on each side of the tank to add contrast. To complete the sporty exterior, fenders and under-seat panel are unpainted, polished aluminum. It has a zero-to-one hundred mph speedometer and an extremely healthy (for this sort of motorcycle) horn mounted in the black headlight. One might be inclined to think this sounds a bit much; however, the Matador has a rich appearance, while it leaves little doubt regarding its sporting nature.
Frame construction is quite sturdy. The main cradle is single loop with the engine gear box mounted fore and aft, plus a third mount underneath the crankcase. Swing arm and rear damper units are mounted on a double tube rear sub-frame that is welded top and bottom to the main cradle, thus the swing arm is carried inside these rear down tubes. Immediately above the swing arm pivot there is an additional strut joining the sub-frame to the main cradle down tube. Therefore, the whole assembly is quite rigid and certainly up to the rigors of a 250cc engine. Obviously Bultaco wants to keep the front wheel spindle secure as the wide fork bottoms have two clamp bolts on each side. This system ensures a strong fork leg/spindle combination.
Riding the Matador is pure fun. It has no inherent bad habits. There is a friction-type steering damper so that the rider can adjust the front end “feel” to his own liking. The Matador is light and easily handled, but at the same time it has the stable feeling one expects with a larger machine. While it would be necessary to fit lower gearing for ultra-slow trials riding, the standard first gear ratio is fine for trailing or Enduro riding. We can understand the Matador’s popularity after spending a day in the woods trying to find fault with it. Here is one more indication that Spain is interested in giving the American rider what he wants.
BULTACO
250 MATADOR
SPECIFICATIONS
$.795
