1967 Bultaco 250cc Mk II Metralla

Description

1967 Bultaco 250cc Mk II Metralla

Bultaco’s history began in 1945 when Francisco Xavier Bulto and Pedro Permanyer co-founded Montesa. The Spanish firm became synonymous with small, effective motorcycles and attained prowess in the heady world of competition. However, in the latter half of the 1950s, the board wanted to withdraw from racing, a decision that Bulto vehemently disagreed with. So, in 1958, he resigned from the company and taking the racing department with him, set up Bultaco. Progress was swift and by the spring of 1959 their first machine – the Tralla 101, a 125cc 2-stroke – was ready for production.

In 1962, the firm introduced the 200cc Metralla, a sports roadster that  quickly became a force to be reckoned with, winning its class in the 1963 European Grand Prix d’Endurance series despite giving away 50cc to its rivals. By 1967 the Metralla was available as a full ‘250’ and in that year’s Diamond Jubilee TT in the Isle of Man secured a remarkable result in the production race when a team of race-kitted bikes entered by the importer for Southern Ireland, Harry Lindsay, finished 1st and 2nd, Bill Smith leading Tommy Robb across the line with Kevin Cass in 6th place.

The Bultaco Metralla Mk 2 was marketed as ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a road racer that you can ride on the street.’ The design was simple, the hand-built mechanicals reliable and tough, the handsome bike stark, stable, and fast. The Mk 2 single cylinder piston-port 2-stroke put out a quoted 27bhp at 8,700rpm which with its 5-speed close ratio gearbox (and enclosed rear drive chain) gave a genuine 100 mph.

The motorbike offered

The 1967 Bultaco 250cc Mk II Metralla  on offer here, hails from a Westcoast collection of extremely rare cars and motorcycles. He purchased it from Alan Chalk, a Los Angeles area collector and restorer with a formidable collection of his own. As per the substantial file of paperwork, Chalk purchased the bike in pieces in 1990 and set about a ground-up restoration to very exacting standards. The quality of that restoration and its subsequent maintenance and storage can be qualified by the condition the bike is presented in today. The odometer currently displays 1,607, likely reset in that restoration.

On static display for some time, the bike is in need of simple re-commissioning to return to the road, but once there it would provide a dynamic riding experience. I have seen such a Metralla ridden from Oregon to Northern California, take on a 3-day rally of over 900 miles and then transport the rider and his luggage home again to Oregon – all at a very healthy pace, I should add.

Overall, this Metralla MK2 is a fantastic example, full of character and would make for a fantastic addition to any motorcycle collection. It is accompanied by the aforementioned file of post-restoration photos, owner’s manual, service and repair manual, extensive notes on wiring and rebuild, plus a clean, clear title.