Hi,

I'm new to this site and it looks like there are some very helpful and knowledgeable people out there.

I recently purchased a Model 85 as a box of bits, engine and frame numbers match. I have some questions;

The swingarm axle holes are 14-15mm but the axle is 17mm, has someone put on the wrong arm? Looking at the photo's I have a earlier frame as it's got bolt-on brackets for the footrests and the swingarm is "smooth" no holes for oilers etc. Can anyone tell me have I right swingarm? and did Bultaco change the axle/axle hole?

Seperately I purchased a 68 Matador front wheel with the 6.25" brake will it fit without any issues?

Second queery, could I fit a Matador or Lobito single expansion chamber on the bike, would it work properly?

Thanks

I suspect your M85 is similar to my M80 sherpa of similar age. my M80 has the correct bolt on seperate foot rest brackets, the spindle is 14mm diameter with thread at each end for a nut. I suspect the 17mm one you have is a later part. My M80 has a grease nipple in the middle but I have owned this bike so long and also owned many other Bultaco bikes over the years so can not be sure if this is original or something I have added.

I can not comment on the exhaust as I have no experiance of doing this. I guess a lot depends on what you want to do with the bike but I have always found that the results of swopping important pipes like this are usualy disapointing but I am happy to be proved wrong.

Nice to hear from a fellow Alpina owner. My own is a later M188

Stuart

Hi Stuart,

Thanks for the mail.

The axle spindle is 17mm but goes down to 14mm at the thread, so will go through the holes but then stop. It looks like at some time they used smaller axles diameter??

Mine also has the greese nipple in the middle as well.

Nice to hear from a Alpina owner also, I thought that they are fairly rare as a US bike?

Mark