Bultaco Lobito Mark Iv 175
BULTACO LOBITO MARK IV 175
CYCLE WORLD IMPRESSION
“A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing..."
FAST, AND BLESSED with a marvelous assemblage of components, the sum total of the new Bultaco 175-cc Lobito leaves us puzzled. It is hung high like a woods bike. It is equipped like a woods bike. But it doesn’t always behave like a woods bike.
What happened is that the five-speed engine, with the high revving power characteristics of Bultaco’s rapid 175 Sherpa TT scrambler, has crept into an enduro-type frame. Quoted horsepower figure for this 60.9 by 60mm two-stroke Single is 22 blip at 8000 rpm. This is greater than the claimed output of several successful 250-cc enduro machines, which are in milder states of tune and develop peak horsepower in the 6000-to-6500-rpm range. The result with the Lobito 175 engine is that it is primarily suitable for fast riding. It is not particularly “peaky” in terms of throttle response, but the power flattens out somewhat below 4000 rpm. Thus, slogging up steep hills, or through slow, tight going requires an agile throttle
hand and hair-trigger balancing.
The frame is a single-backbone, single-downtube affair, which splits into a double cradle at the engine cases. It frames the engine in a compact manner, which promotes both strength and rigidity. The tires, fitted on alloy rims, are full-size woods bike fare: a 3.50-18 Firestone Motocross at the rear, and a 2.75-21 Pirelli trials pattern tire at the front. Thus, ground clearance is a cavernous 1 1.5 in., excellent for ISDT-style stump jumping.
At this point, the 175 Lobito reveals another facet of its split personality. The footpeg height is a vertiginous 13.0 in.-quite appropriate to trials riding in a standing position. However, this foot height proves somewhat cramped when the rider sits down, just as it does on a trials machine.
In spite of these drawbacks, the Lobito has some excellent attributes. The front and rear suspension work beautifully, offering copious travel and good damping. The fenders are highmounted to prevent mud blocking;
these and the attractive side panels are made of aluminum. Constant chain tensioning is assured by a spring-loaded tensioner.
Fully applicable to enduro work is the large, clearly numbered VegliaBressel resettable speedometer/ odometer. It is suspended in a rubber “cat’s cradle” to isolate it from off-road shocks. Lighting equipment and horn are standard equipment, useful for short sections of pavement where the law casts a watchful eye on enduro competitors. The silencer works, after a fashion, but the noise level is still rather high, should the rider want to amble through a quiet town.
On the fireroads, the 175 will accelerate in a shockingly quick manner and run at about 65 to 70 mph, and, if it had higher gearing, about 10 mph faster. But if we are correct in assuming that its purpose is for all-terrain riding, a meeker engine with mild port timing, and foolpegs mounted about 2 in. lower, would help this latest Lobito do its job better. [Ö]
