Jump to content

Vesty Bultaco For Sale


legs
 Share

Recommended Posts

 

 

Go to Spain to a classic trial, beg a go on one of the Puma Racing Bultacos and you'll forget all about a Vesty replica. The Puma bikes retain the standard set up at the back, have a slightly steeper steering angle and have everything else (clutch, brakes, motor, suspension, carburation etc.) set up so perfectly that they ride like a dream.

Yours for about 4 - 5000 Euros and if it is the only classic bike you'll own, worth every penny. I tried 3 when I went to Robregordo and they are superb. So was the 247 Montesa I tried which belongs to El Puma himself, and a 250 Ossa MAR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
 

i have read about el puma in a few forums. i cant afford to go to spain and buy one of his bikes hence i want to build one over time, any idea on what he does to the bikes??? also any webites in english about this guy as i cant speak the lingo i am afraid

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Yes I know, the suggestion was tongue in cheek, they're a lot of money - if it was the only bike I had I could probably find the money for one but I'd rather have a bit of variety and have a few old 'uns than just the one. They're for riding and I enjoy riding them.

I don't know for a fact what he does to the Puma bikes but from riding a few I would say nothing too dramatic to the engine, maybe very slight porting to clean things up but I'd say that most of the benefit comes from lightened flywheels and perfect carburation, the engines run clean right through the range, instant pick-up and they rev a bit higher maybe as a reult of that and possibly from changes to the exhaust. He's used various length front pipes from longer to much shorter, middle box is a bit fatter, probably just more packing than bigger bore core. Rear sliencer is probably straight through with baffles removed and replaced with a perforated tube.

Its the improvemets to the clutch, brakes and suspension that really make the bike feel good though. Clutch has perfect take up and is one finger operation, very light. So are the brakes which means you don't need to put much effort into using them which, along with the slightly quicker steering, gives the bike a light and effortless feeling to clutch / brake and makes it easier to flick around. No idea what he does to the clutch to make it work like that but the Montesas were the same. The forks are Bultaco but must have modern internals as they were faultless and the rear shocks were very good also - Magicals I think.

The performance of the bikes is really down to superb preparation in all areas, everything works as it should but it is in essence still a Bultaco, or Montesa. A puma bike still looks like it should and isn't too far from a standard bike.

There is no website and El Puma doesn't speak any English - there is no info on the web about these bikes - just some very nice pictures in Todotrial reports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

hmm very interesting woody you seem to know a lot about a lot.

the clutch sounds like a wisper i heard not so long ago about trick plates made down under in oz dunno how true that is

i think i am just going to have to sit there and spend quality time on the bike and do a bit of trial and error to see what comes of an ambitious project

the girlfriend is going to love me spending so much quality time in the garage

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
 

To be honest, you can get the standard bike set up to work very well without any drastic mods.

The standard clutch in good condition (ie; no ridges on the basket to stop the plates sliding smoothly) and set up properly is good enough for the classic trials over here. The bike will ride most sections without the clutch anyway - I've just done the Lakes 2 day on my 340 and there were only 2 or 3 sections over the whole weekend that needed clutching to get around a turn - out of 80 sections. Lengthen the clutch arm, make sure the cable run is free and not snagged or has tight bends in it. If the clutch springs are tensioned by nuts you can back the nuts off and expeiment, finding the balance between a light pull on the lever and too much slippage when riding. WARNING - If you back the nuts off more than about 4 turns from fully home they will foul the inside of the clutch cover. You can mill/cut/file the nuts down in thickness to avoid this. If you have clutch springs that are held in by pins there isn't much you can do about relaxing the tension a little. However, if your springs are old, or you can get your hands on older springs that have compressed/weakened over time, you can fit three strong, three weak, this will require less effort on the clutch lever. It's just finding the balance between biting/slipping. Don't worry about it slipping when kickstarting, that can be normal, as can be occassional slipping in top gear. Again, it's about finding the balance. I use Barnett plates and they seem ok - don't know of any other trick plates.

Front forks aren't so good on the Bultos - in my opinion - damping is too weak and they can top/bottom out easily, especially accross the moors or riding fast up rocky sections - can depend on how heavy you are I guess.... I've fitted Ossa damper rods in mine and they work much better. I'm going to look at filling in one of the holes on the damper piston on the other Bulto I have to slow the oil flow and see if that stiffens up the damping. Again, all about experimenting and trial and error. No more than 200cc per leg - SAE is personal choice, with the Ossa rods I use 10W

Engines don't really need anything doing, they are very strong, the 325 pulls like a train. However, if you want to sharpen them up, fit a 250 ignition flywheel to a 325 and the pick up is much quicker. If you want to go further, fit the single weight on the clutch side. Not gone that far yet. Bing carb is fine on 325 if in good condition, OKO is a cheap alternative if it isn't. Ditto the Amal on the 250, fine if not worn.

Exhaust needs to be packed correctly to get the best out of the engine. It's a crappy job but if it is coked up or has blown all its packing out it will affect the way the bike runs. The exhaust note should tell you, they whisper when packed correctly. Middle silencer and lower pportion of the clubfoot will both need doing.

Decent working shocks to finish off should give you a bike that rides very well, make them 10/12mm longer if you want to quicken the steering a little.

Brakes - not much to say abouit them - they'll either work or they won't....

Well set up, the Bulto will easily cope with the type of sections at Bath Classic trials, Miller series etc, and model 159 onwards will cope with the sections in most of the Traditional rounds. You would have to work harder on it in some of the Traditional rounds where the sections need a bit of clutch and brake control but there aren't that many.

To do a Vesty rep is a lot of work, there are plenty of pictures about of them plus an article on the bike itself in a recent Classic Dirtbike mag. When they were developing that bike they were trying to keep up with Fantics etc and the sections they were riding were much harder than anything we ride now in classic events. I've never ridden one so I don't know how much better they ride than the standard bike. It would be a nice project to have a go at and a nice bike to have, but your Bulto set up well will cope with today's classic events no problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

we always used to set the 340 clutch to just slip a litlle in top gear and it was as light as you could get it. Watch the take up and make sure the lift is square this can be a fiddle but helps.as does adjusting the cable so it actuates over the tangent rather than working against the arc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

rode the bath classic today, my first ride for a number of months due to work and uni etc etc,

a few really nice bultacos there today and to my amazment i rode like an old dear so maybe i dont need a special, i think time riding would be a much better investment

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
  • Create New...