Bultaco El Bandido Mk Ii
BULTACO EL BANDIDO Mk II
CYCLE WORLD ROAD TEST
Although A Trifle Heavy, It Pleases With Forgiving Handling, Good Balance And — (Surprise!) A Broad Power Band.
JUST LIKE PEOPLE, motorcycles go through evolutionary stages; some improve, others get worse. Most importantly, some are incapable of evolving quickly enough and so expire, like dinosaurs during the Ice Age.
By keeping a sensitive hand on the pulse of American motorcycle competition, Bultaco has managed to keep abreast of the ever-changing racing scene. As market demands change, so should the product evolve. The old is cast away and the new added.
When the 360 Bandidos first burst onto the scene they were accepted as one of the best scrambles and TT mounts available. Few other bikes matched them for speed and acceleration, not to mention hairline handling. But for motocross endeavors, riders soon discovered that the engine was just too peaky. The engine put out the necessary horsepower, but it was concentrated in the higher rev ranges. Now, in light of the burgeoning popularity of motocross, Bultaco has produced a model for the public designed specifically for that type of racing. Indeed, it was motocross champion Marcel Wiertz who participated in this bike’s design.
The MK II’s power band is broad and smooth. The ample low-end torque adds considerably to the bike’s manageability in tight and/or off-camber turns. There is no sudden blast of power as engine revs reach a certain point, but a nice, even pull from low rpm. This makes throttle steering a much less critical chore, a far cry from the oblivion-tempting, on-off power curve of yore.
The machine’s handling is easy and predictable, due mainly to that long-legged 55.5-in. wheelbase. Such distance between the front and rear axles is responsible for the Bandido’s relatively smooth ride in the rough and keeping the front end down under hard acceleration. Also, the weight distribution (42 percent front, 58 percent rear) would likely prove unmanageable in a short wheelbase chassis, so in that respect the lengthy dimension is a necessity. It is possible, however, to loft the front wheel over obstacles or skim it across choppy surfaces by shifting rider weight to the rear.
The frame has been revised; now it mounts the powerplant slightly lower and farther back than earlier models. The swinging arm has also been shortened, again adding to rearward weight bias. The motorcycle’s suspension feels good, especially when bounding over dips and mounds. At no time was there detected any rebound “clunk,” which speaks well for Bultaco in arriving at an ideal spring rate/damping combination. Tail-wagging, inordinate frame flex and related vices were completely absent.
Generally, the best way to cover rough ground in a hurry is in a standing position, so the handlebar, seat and footpegs are laid out accordingly. But there is one annoying trait. The handlebar is several inches too long. It measures 36 in. across the ends, which is too much a stretch for most riders. Better too long than too short, for it is simple to remove the controls and grips and saw the ends to your liking. The footrests have been relocated slightly forward and the seat is longer and narrower than last year’s model. The riding position is quite comfortable, disregarding the handlebar, and one could conceivably spend a good deal of time in seated position without becoming saddlesore.
As in the past, air filter intakes are situated on each side of the seat and to the rear. This is an excellent location as it is well above the road’s surface to minimize ingestion of harmful matter. There is a small reservoir and drain hose in the intake passage, so that water will not enter the engine.
One of the more obvious improvements of the Bandido is the dual spark plug ignition. Initial spark is provided by the Femsatronic capacitive discharge system, but the cylinder head now sports two Lodge spark plugs of different heat ranges, the colder plug being in front. It is crucial that the colder of the two remain in front because of the engine’s scavenging characteristics and flame propagation. In many big bore two-strokes, the delicate relationship of combustion chamber pressures, flame travel and scavenging currents can pose many problems, not the least of which is overheating. To circumvent these difficulties, Bultaco has utilized dual spark plugs to better control combustion. Further, the nature of the head’s design is such that if this balance were upset by rash plug swapping, overheating would almost surely follow.
Starting posed no problems. Hot or cold, one or two kicks would usually do the job. It is probably the good balance between the carburetion, excellent ignition, and somewhat restrained port timing that gets the job done.
When the test bike’s throttle was held steady near the one-quarter-open position, a slight pinging could be detected. This almost innocuous malady might be remedied by adjusting the low-speed air screw or by changing to a throttle slide with a smaller slide cutaway. But with that exception, the carburetion and throttle response is excellent. The 32-mm Spanish Amal concentric unit displayed a completely cooperative disposition.
There is nothing really fancy about the engine; conventional piston-port induction with one intake, one exhaust and two transfer ports. Primary drive is through helical gears, a good deal stronger than duplex chain. This latest Bandido also incorporates a heftily redesigned transmission mainshaft, selector mechanism and clutch to eliminate any operational problems.
Bore and stroke dimensions are extremely oversquare, 85 by 64 mm. The obvious advantages of these dimensions are reduced crankcase volume and low piston speed at high rpm. Indeed, from the standpoint of piston and ring wear the Bandido should have a comparatively long life, because at 7000 rpm the piston speed is just barely over 3000 ft./min.
However, in a strictly theoretical sense, there is a design disadvantage in having such a relatively drastic stroke/bore ratio. Basically, two-stroke breathing potential is best with a stroke greater than the bore. This is because there is a limit to port width due to piston rings bulging and snagging in the port. But a long stroke engine might breathe like crazy, because as its piston descends in the cylinder more and more port area is uncovered. In other words, the stroker’s long suit is port area through cylinder height, while the big-bore offers gobs of circumferential area and little vertical leeway. This is not to backhandedly imply, however, that all oversquare engines wickedly operate in direct violation of physical laws. On the contrary, it graphically demonstrates how “a little theory” can be woefully misleading and that the only criterion is the performance of the finished product.
The machine is not without negative traits. With a half-tank of fuel it tips the scales at 274 lb., which is about 40 lb. too heavy for some types of racing. Superfluous poundage is a cardinal no-no in motocross competition because it more or less affects every facet of a bike’s behavior. But it will be of no great detriment in “smoother” sportsman scrambles. Even with diligent trimming, not much more than 10 lb. could be eliminated, which is rather discouraging. To be perfectly fair, however, to the test bike, we must admit that its bulk bothered it little during our eighth-mile drag strip testing. It clocked consistently in the 8-sec. bracket, finally posting a best e.t. of 8.23 sec. This is good performance for any motorcycle, much less a knobbily-tired dirt machine. This acceleration was not the result of particularly low gears either, as top speed was around 80 mph.
Also, during drag strip testing, the Femsatronic coil fell off. Only time will reveal whether the unit’s mounting brackets are too weak on all of the MK Ils, or if this breakage is just a quirk.
In all, El Bandido impresses for several reasons: it has excellent low-end torque, but not at the expense of high-speed power, which was also very strong. Its handling is easy and forgiving. With such virtues, racing success is assuredly on the way. [Q]
BULTACO EL BANDIDO
Mk II
$1135
