Bultaco Matador Mark V
BULTACO MATADOR MARK V
Improvements? Yes. A Better Bike? No.
Cycle World Road Test
HIGHLY SPECIALIZED equipment. That’s what one needs to compete with a minimum of fuss and a maximum chance of doing well in an enduro. Ordinary machinery usually is a hazy proposition at best, even for the casual enduro rider. That’s precisely why we see such a high number of “enduro only” motorcycles in this type of event. Sure, there are a few dual-purpose bikes that can do beautifully in these long grinds, but all of them require certain changes and modifications. Run them “as is” and you’re likely to have your tongue caught in the spokes after a few hard miles.
So what about these ISDT type machines? Can they actually be taken off the dealer’s door and run in competition without any modifications? In the case of the new Bultaco Matador Mark V, we’d have to say yes and no. It’s got all the goodies, including an enclosed chain, but a few areas need some attention before a rider can run an enduro with ease and peace of mind.
The new Mark V is the most refined Matador to date, the only resemblance to the original 1965 model being in concept; mechanically the machines differ tremendously. Of course, that’s expected after a model has continued in production for almost ten years. Bultaco says it has planned a number of times to discontinue the Matador, but the dealers will not hear of such a proposal. As a result, the refinements and updates keep on cornin’ and the Matador lives on.
Those familiar with last year’s version, the Mark IV, may recognize several new and important changes in the Mark V Series. Styling, of course, is the tipoff, but on the Mark V the beauty is more than superficial.
Remember the Akront rims with the deep recesses that collected all the muddy junk and added lots of unsprung weight? No more. The Mark V uses something new. Akront has seen the light and is now producing a wheel as strong as the old design, but without the dreaded lip. In addition, the rims are drilled on the sides and fitted with small screws which protrude into the tire casing, to prevent it from spinning on the rim. In ISDT or enduro competition rim locks are not used because they slow down a tire change considerably. The screws do the same job, but can be removed much faster.
Looking at the opposite ends of the spokes we find a new set of aluminum hubs. The aft unit is smaller in diameter than ones used on past models, for a 5.5-lb. weight reduction. In addition, Bultaco has installed a front hub almost like the one used on the Pursang motocrosser; again, more weight saved. And even though the hubs are small in size, they contain brakes that do a more than adequate job. As we said, the hubs are aluminum, but the brake drum material is a sprayed-on steel layer.
Front brake lever pressure is moderate, but control is excellent and the “feel” just right. Rear brake pedal pressure is also a bit on the high side, but let’s face it, no one wants overly sensitive brakes in the dirt. And yet, when you need to stop the Mark V in a hurry, it’s no problem. Give a cute chickie a ride across the pits, get on the brakes hard, and we guarantee you’ll smile.
The only negative aspect of stopping the Matador happens on downhills. The rear unit hops and chatters, sometimes creating control difficulties for the rider, but it’s not as bad as some. Older models have had the same problem, so some of Bultaco’s attention should be turned in this direction.
Early Matadors used a cable operated rear brake; then, starting last year, Bultaco gave the model a rod activated unit. The rod passes from the left of the machine to the right via a transfer shaft, continuing to the rear brake arm itself. The entire mechanism is well protected and mounted high to help prevent damage that could be caused by debris along the trail.
Designing a machine for ISDT type use must be a difficult job; such a motorcycle must do so many things well. Of course, the heart of the whole matter is the basic frame geometry and here is where Bultaco has always excelled. The Mark V, happily, follows tradition. The present frame is unchanged from last year, a single toptube, single downtube arrangement. Smaller diameter tubes branch out under the engine to form a cradle, which has a perforated steel bashplate welded between for engine protection. We would advise serious riders who often ride enduros to install one of the readily available accessory skid pans. These protect the engine’s side cases, which are expensive to replace when damaged. The stock unit is not adequate enough.
Suspension is again provided by Betor, both front and rear. Forks have about 6V£ in. of travel, but contain two aluminum alloy spacers atop each fork spring. Unless the rider is a fairly weighty individual, which none of our staff members are, the forks are far too stiff. We had our eyeballs jiggled out of their sockets until we removed one of the spacers, then fork action improved noticably. Damping is good, but prepare for a lengthy break-in period, as the forks are tightly set up. And too, don’t be surprised when the forks start burping oil out from around the seals. They’re Betors, remember? If you think for one minute that Honda dealers sell all those Honda fork seals for Hondas you’re kidding yourself.
Rear suspension also proved to be on the stiff side, but some of the stiffness went away as the units got hot, another indication that break-in will take quite a few trail miles. The units should suit many owners once broken in, but one of our staffers said that he would probably experiment with a couple different brands were the machine his own. Our test bike had actually been run in one enduro and had many additional test miles, adding credence to our “lengthy break-in” statement.
Being very familiar with Matadors in general, we immediately noticed something different once perched on the seat of > this latest offering. Seems as though the boys from Barcelona thought the riding position wasn’t quite right, so they substituted Pursang Mark VI triple-clamps in place of the old ones. This has no effect on steering geometry, since dimensions are as before, but handlebars are now a little farther forward, placing more of the rider’s weight over the front wheel. Our shorter staffers were quite happy with the change, but the taller riders were not.
The seat, too, has been altered somewhat, with slightly more padding in its forward portion. The padding is on the soft side, but feels good for long riding periods, probably helped a bit by the seat’s width. In case the rider has to remove the seat unit, all that’s required is a twist of a couple of large thumbscrews and a tug; the seat will pop right off.
Footpegs, of course, are cleated and self-cleaning; they also fold back at a slight angle. Positioning is just about ideal. The same goes for the foot controls; that is, of course, if you happen to be one that likes the shifter on the right and the brake on the left. Next year both the brake and shift levers will appear on the opposite side because of the new Federal regulations. Rather than change now, Bui is waiting right to the last minute.
Much of our bitching was directed toward the kick-start lever and side stand. Both are just the opposite of where you’d like them to be, on the left and right respectively. Since Bultaco sells most of its motorcycles in the U.S. and most U.S. riders prefer to have their side stand on the left and kick start lever on the right, we can’t figure out why the company stubbornly refuses to change. Why not give the customers what they want?
Still, there are quite a few nice little touches that take some of the sting out of the annoyances. Both the brake and shift levers are protected somewhat from damage with a wire cable that keeps branches from snagging and tweaking them out of position. And if one does manage to bend or break something, or has to change a wheel to fix a tire, or any other of the countless number of things that can happen during fast going in the “out back,” there are enough tools to do some fixing. And what’s more, there’s plenty of room to carry them and some extra parts in the giant tool pouch mounted on top of the fuel tank. Even room for a Coors if you don’t mind it being shaken up a bit!
The enduro extras are here as well. There’s a speedometer with an odometer that’s resettable forward or backward in tenth of a mile increments, a watch holder so you can play John Cameron Swayze with your Timex, and even a route card holder on the handlebar crossbrace. Rubber number plates, too, what next?
Another plus and new to the Matador are a neat set of flexible plastic fenders. The aluminum alloy jobs are gone, so you might as well put away that tube of Semichrome and the body shop hammer. The new, white, plastic items are nice and wide for extra mud protection, especially in the area beneath the seat and behind the airbox, to prevent the junk from finding its way into that critical area. The only problem with the fenders happened in hard going. Seems as though the front fender is mounted just a bit on the low side, so when jump are made or dropoffs encountered the tire goes “thunk” against the bottom. It was hitting hard enough that it had us wondering whether or not it might lock the wheel if it caught just right.
After motoring around quite a bit we noticed that the fuel tank cap wasn’t leaking—a surprise from Matadors of the past. The new cap doesn’t leak, to be sure, but it sure is a bummer to pop on and off. When inserting it back in the opening, the two rubber O-rings refuse to stay on the cap, so you have to wrestle with the thing. There must be an easier way to make a leak-proof filler cap. The fuel carrying capacity of 2.75 gal. should be adequate for most enduros we know of, but don’t forget, pre-mixed fuel is required on this one.
One of the dirt rider’s main headaches, especially enduro riders, is with the rear chain. The exposed links are fair game for any water, mud, sand or dirt the rear wheel can throw at them, making the chain one of the items likely to fail first on a bike of this type. Of course, the Matador is one of the few motorcycles that features a totally enclosed unit, something that always manages to attract its share of attention wherever you take it.
At one end, a substantial aluminum alloy casting has a hole stoppered by a rubber plug which, when removed, allows the tightening of the rear sprocket nuts. Two flexible rubber tubes stretch from the alloy casting to the countershaft sprocket cavity, completely enclosing the chain, and these are held on by metal clips and rubber bands for easy removal. The chain is a Spanish Joresa item which features additional side clearance between the side plates and rollers to allow lubricant to penetrate into the bearing surfaces more easily. This is one machine on which you can almost totally neglect the chain with no negative results.
Several changes to the engine have caused mixed reactions among our staff members. The entire top end of the engine is now the same as the Pursang Mk. V motocross machine. The port timing is more radical than the Matador Mk. IV, and although slightly more power is developed, low and mid-range power has suffered somewhat. As long as you keep the new Matador buzzing, there is plenty of power, but low speed tractability has suffered. Exact horsepower figures for the Matador Mk. V are not available at this time, but the increase in power was evident to all who rode both the Mk. IV and the new Mk. V. Even though the new engine isn’t particularly fussy, we feel that the trade-off of the former excellent low and medium speed characteristics just for a couple (we think) of additional horsepower wasn’t worth it.
Another change is the substitution of a flywheel magneto for the Femsatronic pointless ignition system. The flywheel magneto provides better spark at low engine speeds for easier starting and better low speed running. Lighting coils to supply the lights with power are located inside the magneto, but the Matador is in no way “street legal” in California, at least. The lack of a battery and turn signals shows that Bultaco has designed the Matador with one thing in mind: winning enduros.
The remainder of the engine remains unchanged with ball bearings supporting the crankshaft, roller bearings at the big end of the connecting rod and needle bearings supporting the piston. A twin-row primary chain connects the crankshaft and the clutch, which features a roller bearing throwout mechanism. Clutch lever pull is still moderate, and slipping occurred during a few of our hillclimbing runs. Much of that could be > blamed on the lack of low end “grunt” and power, which made life unnecessarily hard for the clutch unit.
Transmission ratios are still the fairly widely spaced ones found in earlier models. Low gear is low enough to climb almost any hill where traction can be found and high gear will permit a speed of approximately 75 mph. However, a better way to go is with the substitution of a countershaft sprocket having one less tooth. This makes the Matador much more fun to ride in the dirt. There just isn’t any need to run 75 mph in the boonies, and dropping (raising numerically) the overall gear ratio allows the higher, more closely spaced gears to be used more frequently, which is the name of the game on a machine of this sort.
Air to the 32mm Amal carburetor is drawn through a flat piece of oil-wetted foam, mounted vertically, so debris can’t collect and eventually clog it. Any water which may find its way into the chamber through the air inlet at the top can exit out the bottom through a drain hole. Servicing the air filter element takes only a few seconds.
The huge exhaust pipe/muffler is now a one-piece unit, precluding exhaust leaks from the junction between the header pipe and the muffler. The muffler does a good job of quieting the exhaust noise, but the lack of an approved spark arrester for the second year in a row is inexcusable, especially considering how many areas require the use of a spark arrester for off-road riding.
The left hand kickstarter annoyed us all, as did having to shift to neutral before kickstarting the machine. Control placement is fairly comfortable, along with the seat, but a reduction in overall weight, most of it unsprung, has helped the handling characteristics only slightly. The retail price has gone up along with the price of everything else, but considering the specialized nature of the Matador Mk. V, it is still fairly reasonable.
So the new Matador is somewhat of a trade-off, better in some areas, worse in others. The real shame is the loss of low and mid-range power. Like a Steinway & Sons piano, the new Matador is equipped with the finest parts and pieces, but it does the rider little good if it’s not tuned. The prospective owner of a new Matador will have some work to do before the machine will perform to its capacity. [5]
BULTACO
$1195
