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1966 Matador


darmst6829
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Hello all,

I have been riding a 1966 250cc Bultaco Matador in the USA AHRMA trials Classic Class for some time. My Bike handles OK on the milder events but when the going gets tough its a real pig. Any thought on how I can get the bike to behave in the rough?

Thanks,

Dave

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Hello all,

I have been riding a 1966 250cc Bultaco Matador in the USA AHRMA trials Classic Class for some time. My Bike handles OK on the milder events but when the going gets tough its a real pig. Any thought on how I can get the bike to behave in the rough?

Thanks,

Dave

Is it a 4 speed or 5 speed Matador?

Softer springs front and rear

Sherpa T triple clamps from M10, M27, M49 or M80

Move footpegs rearwards by about 150mm

Bigger rear sprocket

Flywheel on primary drive side from Alpina or Sherpa T motor. Sorry don't know if 5 speed motor drive side flywheels fit 4 speed motors.

Bring wheelbase down to 52.5 inches using shorter swingarm

Regards

David

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Surely better to buy a Sherpa than destroy what, over here in Britain, would be regarded as an interesting rarity? Horses for courses.

I'm glad you said that,I was reading this post while eating my lunch today,didnt have time to reply - but it made me think exactly the same thing.

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I'm glad you said that,I was reading this post while eating my lunch today,didnt have time to reply - but it made me think exactly the same thing.

I absolutly agree with jon v8 and 2/4.Please dont destroy that rare bike.Buy a sherpa.

Chrs:Mike

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I have heard that name already in an other Forum, ADVRider, olds cool department, there are quite a lot Matadors in the US around, In ADVRider there where just two rebuilds completet, (user: blaine.hale user: tenorjazz).

Looking over the pond from the Europeen view it looks like there are more Matadors around then Sherpas from this decade, (my personal view, motorcycle.jaxed.com search engine for US craiglists.

I follow the statements of the previous posters + 1 for their opinion!

Get a Sherpa, it will be more pleasent to ride in the "rough" or a TY (I know something different but less expensive in the US). The time, effort (and money) you will spend to do all these modifications will not be as noticeable in the outcome compared with a Sherpa.

Edited by PSchrauber
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Hi from Spain: Matador was designed in 1964 as Mk1(just a few prototypes) and produced by Bultaco starting in 1965 Mk2 as an enduro bike, not a trials bike. A 1966 Matador is a rare Mk2 enduro bike.

To transform it isto a trials bike you need to make very deep transformation in the frame and engine.

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Thank you all for your response. The bike is a 4 speed, this makes it eligible for the AHRMA Classic Class. The bike was set up for trials when I bought it and when new they were sold as Enduro/Trials bikes. Mine has had the foot pegs moved to the exact location of a model 10. Nothing else has been changed as far as chassis goes. The only engine mod is fitting a Mikuni carb and final drive changes which is all perfectly legal in AHRMA competition. I am thinking the bike would steer better without the "tiller" upper triple clamp and think that straight leg forks would also help. I would never butcher up a complete model 4 Matador. In the USA Bultaco sold these bike by the boat full. The problem is everyone (including me and my first model 4 in the 70's) threw all the lights and road gear away.

Dave

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Is it a 4 speed or 5 speed Matador?

Softer springs front and rear

Sherpa T triple clamps from M10, M27, M49 or M80

Move footpegs rearwards by about 150mm

Bigger rear sprocket

Flywheel on primary drive side from Alpina or Sherpa T motor. Sorry don't know if 5 speed motor drive side flywheels fit 4 speed motors.

Bring wheelbase down to 52.5 inches using shorter swingarm

Regards

David

The shorter swingarm is a real problem. Not much room without big changes to the main frame. I also have not been able to find any other flywheels that fit. I have done everything else on your list. I think that straight leg forks and a triple clamp with the handlebar mounts up top would make a difference. Any idea what model forks to look for?

Dave

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Hi Dave

If your Matador front end looks like the Mk2 in the brochure photos, you will make the steering worse if you fit forks with an in-line axle. To make it steer better for trials you should be trying to reduce the trail dimension which requires moving the axle forwards relative to the line of the steering axis. If you want to get rid of the handlebars that clamp to the forks as well as improve the steering, an easy way is to use a set of triple clamps from a trials Bultaco and if you get the right ones you can still use your Matador forks. First off, can you confirm that your fork tubes have a taper at the top end where they fit into the top triple clamp?

David

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Hi Dave

If your Matador front end looks like the Mk2 in the brochure photos, you will make the steering worse if you fit forks with an in-line axle. To make it steer better for trials you should be trying to reduce the trail dimension which requires moving the axle forwards relative to the line of the steering axis. If you want to get rid of the handlebars that clamp to the forks as well as improve the steering, an easy way is to use a set of triple clamps from a trials Bultaco and if you get the right ones you can still use your Matador forks. First off, can you confirm that your fork tubes have a taper at the top end where they fit into the top triple clamp?

David

I have Alpina triple trees installed. The fork tubes are tapered. No one ever rode a Matador with the stock clip on handle bars!

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If you have Alpina triple clamps from an Alpina model that has taper seat fork tubes, they are the triple clamps from one of the very early Alpinas, which shared geometry with the late 1960s and early 1970s Sherpa Ts.

So if you also have leading axle sliders, I suspect that you already have the best arrangement available using standard Bultaco parts. Further improvement may be possible by making the sreering head angle steeper, but beware that on some Bultacos, the front tyre OD/mudguard is already very close to the exhaust header and front downtube when the forks are compressed, so a head angle change may not be that simple.

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  • 1 year later...

So I have been actively riding my 1966 Matador in trials competition over the last few years. Here is a video or two from the Plastered Purple Penguin trial held the other weekend. It was 25 degrees out and everything was frozen solid.

Edited by darmst6829
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  • 4 weeks later...
 

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