Bultaco Matador Mark Iv Sd
BULTACO MATADOR MARK IV SD
Cycle World Road Test
The “Specially-For-Enduros” Bultaco, With No Dual-Purpose Pretensions
THE FIRST BULTACO Matador was designed by an American specifically for the American rider. The idea: a competitive enduro trail machine which could be used for getting back and forth to work during the week when the family car was in the garage.
As with most fledgling machines of this type, however, the Matador wasn’t the best in either category. A not-too-quiet muffler, knobby tires, high ground clearance and off-road steering geometry hampered its performance on the street. Its mildly tuned 200-cc engine gave spirited performance in the dirt, but enduro buffs had to be content with a non-resettable speedometer driven by the transmission (which also recorded the rear wheel’s slippage), and several weak points which have gradually worked themselves out of the design.
Unlike the original, the Matador Mk IV “Six Days” is not a dual purpose machine in any sense of the word; it is a faithful replica of the machines which won four gold medals in last year’s ISDT. Nothing has been spared to make the “Six Days” an out-of-the-crate winner. Lighting is provided, but only to make the machine “enduro legal.” There is no battery, no horn and no brake light, factors which make it illegal for street use in some states. And the Femsa pointless ignition/lighting system doesn’t require a rectifier and battery to operate the lights, so you can forget about riding this one on the street.
Another competition-oriented feature of this machine is the huge muffler, which is little more than a very quiet expansion chamber designed to extract maximum power from the spirited engine. Although it sounds quite loud in a quiet area, the noise level is not objectionable for off-road use.
The first Six Days models are not fitted with spark arresters, but dealers will be supplied with a bullet-shaped arrester which they can install in a short time, and subsequent models will have them as standard equipment. The spark arrester will also lower the noise level somewhat without adversely affecting power output.
Standard equipment formerly lacking on older Six Days models are the forward-backward resettable speedometer, which is driven from the front wheel for maximum accuracy; a clock holder which will accommodate any watch with a 44-mm diameter face (it has a convex plastic lens to magnify the watch’s face for better visibility); an enduro route card holder, also with a convex plastic lens; three rubber, ovalshaped number plates, and a roomy leather bag attached to the top of the fuel tank to serve as a tool kit. A compressed air bottle for filling flat tires fits neatly out of the way behind the outer aircleaner cover on the right side of the machine.
A not-so-obvious improvement over last year’s Matador is the rod-operated rear brake which is superior in every way to the cable system it replaced. A short rod between the brake pedal and the cross shaft is adjustable for length, permitting the brake pedal to be adjusted up or down to suit the rider’s preference. Another bonus is a tighter fit between the rear brake backing plate and the brake drum to further inhibit the ingress of dirt, mud and water.
Other touches reveal the seriousness of the Six Days: a cable made of an inner clutch cable extends from the brake pedal, through an eyelet in front of the junction between the frame’s main tube and the lower cradling members, to the gear shift lever. This cable effectively keeps branches and other unwanted items from becoming lodged between the brake pedal, shift lever and the engine. A substantial bash plate is now welded between, rather than bolted on, the bottom frame rails, thus strengthening both the plate and the frame. A hole is provided in the plate for draining the transmission oil.
And the Matador finally has an aircleaner which is up to par with the rest of the machine. A large airbox located under the seat is connected to the carburetor by a flexible rubber hose as before, but instead of placing the oil-wetted foam horizontally where foreign matter can collect, it is now increased in size and rests in a vertical plane behind a sealed fiberglass cover on the right side of the machine. Air is admitted only through the top portion of the airbox cover. This cover can be easily removed for servicing by undoing the large thumbscrew. A naugahyde shroud encloses the Spanish Amal concentric carburetor for additional protection.
The Six Days is a replica that hasn’t been cheapened for production. A closer look at the Akront aluminum alloy wheel rims reveals the incorporation of sheet metal screws on the sides to keep the tires from creeping around the rims when low tire pressures are used, thereby doing away with the heavy and sometimes tricky-to-insert rim locks. The brakes are the same as before and work with just the right amount of “feel” before sliding the tires, a boon when negotiating tricky downhill sections.
New one-piece motocross-style handlebars, which replace the clip-on type previously used, are stronger and much less expensive to replace if they are bent. A heavy-duty top triple clamp forms the top member of what is one of the best front suspension units in the business. The Bultaco/Betor front forks provide 6.5 in. of travel, combined with an excellent choice of spring rate and damping qualities. Two preloaders are installed on the top of each fork spring on the Six Days, allowing the forks to top out audibly when the front wheel is lofted; but one or both may be removed to get a softer ride for the light rider.
Oil sealing has also been improved; only a trace of dampness showed around the rubber dust excluders after many hard bumps at Saddleback Park. A point worth mentioning is the taper inside the top triple clamp which complements a similar taper on the fork tube tops. These tapers work in conjunction with a knurled portion of the fork tubes, where they fit into the lower triple clamp to prevent fork twisting and obviate the need for a fork brace.
Rear suspension is also excellent and shows the coming trend: lighter spring rates combined with softer damping. In fact, the 45-lb. springs were just right for our 125-lb. test rider when they were set in the top (stiffest) position, whereas our 160-lb. staffer said he’d prefer 60-lb. springs for a firmer ride without bottoming.
One of the dirt rider’s main headaches is keeping his rear chain fit. With the Six Days, he can practically forget this problem area and concentrate on other matters. A totally enclosed chain is not new to the Matador, but the aluminum alloy casting forming the rear sprocket cover now has an inspection hole stoppered with a rubber plug for checking the tightness of the rear sprocket nuts and for additional ease of rear chain lubrication. The Spanish Joresa chain has additional clearance between the side plates for better penetration of the lubricant. Flexible rubber tubes from the rear sprocket box to the countershaft sprocket cavity are fastened on with metal clips and rubber bands for easy removal.
Professionalism is apparent in the controls, as well. Saw toothing on the hollow footpegs and brake pedal permit mud to pass through, instead of building up. Also, both foot controls are tucked in out of the way. Weight transfer can be varied by the use of body english, but the peg position makes it easier to weight the rear end for traction while climbing hills.
We found the seat soft and comfortable in the forward and center sections, but a little harsh towards the rear. More padding is needed there. The overall riding position is excellent, though, when either sitting or standing. Ample clearance between the muffler and the rider’s left leg is provided by the competition-proven assembly.
The engine has received a boost in power from last year’s model through the incorporation of a new five (or six, depending on how you count) port cylinder with more radical port timing. A 32-mm Amal concentric carburetor meters the fuel into the new cylinder without fuss, and an unusually wide power band is the result of the porting and expansion chamber/muffler. Compression ratio is still 10:1 (uncorrected), but power is up to 28 bhp at 7000 rpm, making a noticeable difference in overall performance. The “guts” of the engine also remain unchanged; the familiar 72 by 60-mm bore/stroke ratio, ball bearing supported crankshaft assembly, roller bearings at the bottom of the connecting rod and needle roller bearings at the wrist pin are still there. An additional hole is provided in the cylinder head for the installation of a compression release or to carry a spare spark plug.
A lighter, narrower external flywheel than on the Sherpa T trialer permits the use of a twin-row primary chain between the crankshaft and the clutch. The clutch features a roller bearing throwout mechanism, light lever pull, and will stand a great amount of intentional slipping without protest. The transmission has the same evenly spaced gear ratios as the last Matador, permitting clutch-out riding at a child’s pace in low gear and a high-gear top speed of 75 mph! Short, deliberate prods at the gear lever produce crisp, positive shifts from the robust transmission, the shafts of which run in ball bearings.
Ignition duties are once again carried out by the now-familiar Femsatronic pointless system, which provides a healthy spark for starting and high speed running. A crankshaftmounted rotor on the left-hand side contains magnets which align with sensors on the stator to send a trigger signal to the secondary coil, providing the spark. There are no points to get out of adjustment or burn, and all components within the left-hand cover are encapsulated in epoxy to prevent their deterioration.
Riding the Six Days is a joy. The engine starts on the first or second kick every time, vibrates very mildly, and has an astounding amount of low-end torque in spite of the spirited port timing. After a short warm-up period the unit is ready for anything the rider can dish out. Fast fireroading is just as reassuring a game as plonking through heavy brush. A sensible wheelbase length of 54 in. and a generous amount of rake and steering trail makes high speed broadsliding a pleasure. Oddly, the machine also steers well and lightly enough at low speeds to make it a passable mount for trials-type riding. Bounding over seemingly impossible whoop-de-doos at high speed is possible because of the suspension’s excellence, and steering is precise and rock steady even without using the friction-type steering damper. This ease of handling makes it possible to ride the Six Days for long periods of time without becoming unduly tired, in spite of the 264-lb. weight, which is not all that heavy when you consider the standard equipment you’re carrying.
The quality of the finish is very good for a competition bike: welds on the strong full-cradle frame are even, paint is smoothly applied, and bits of chrome and polished aluminum add the finishing touches to a ruggedly handsome machine.
BULTACO
MATADOR MARK IV SD
List price ............... .. . .....$995
