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►When we picked up the new
Bultaco Mercurio 175 at Bultaco Western in North Hollywood the item was so new
the factory had not even put out a spec sheet on it, hence, the lack of certain
vital statistics in our own list of specifications. The distributor had just
received his first shipment a day or two before, and we were literally the first
to give the machine an objective test.
The outcome was an unexpectedly pleasant experience —
unexpected because we had never riden a Bultaco of any size before and had heard
little if anything about them. Now we can say unequivocally that it is not just
another putt-putt out to grab whatever it can of the surging American market,
but a well built, well designed machine that will have no trouble building a
reputation, despite its current place relatively far from the top of the
popularity list.
To begin
with, it is a well thought out bike obviously designed for owner maintenance.
Plenty of room is left around the engine so that all engine and transmission
parts are easily accessible. The little mill is inclined about 10 degrees
forward to get a good air flow around the barrel, insuring even cooling and
little possibility of warping, even under abuse. On top of this, the barrel
itself is bigger than that of any other 175cc engine on the market, and
tolerances between barrel and head are so close that no headgasket is needed.
On the
inside, Bultaco utilizes needle bearings at the wrist pin and rollers at the big
end to keep friction to a minimum. A Mahler low expansion piston comprises the
other moving part.
We are also
pleased to note that Bultaco still utilizes a magneto instead. of the ignition
coil so common on today's machines.
The gearbox
is four–speed and of the constant mesh type. Shifting pattern is down to first
gear and up to the other three. The shift lever is at the right, of the rocker
type and has treads just a bit too small for clubfooted idiots like ourselves.
We found it difficult to shift by pressing down with our heel and equally
uncomfortable to pull it up with the top of our instep. This very minor
annoyance could be remedied by extending the tread at front just another
fraction of an inch to make the lever easily operable either way.
The kick
starter is at left and a little too far forward for comfort. But despite our own
attachment to the right side kick, we found it no discomfort at all. The lever
is extremely easy to kick, requiring little or no weight shifting, and during a
day of stopping and starting, we never failed to start the engine on the first
kick.
As our bike
had logged only a few miles before we picked it up, we could not put our foot in
the carburetor to see what it would do, but the general feel of the machine
indicated it would cruise nicely at 60-65 mph all day without squawking. Packing
two on the ample saddle, it did not have to strain its guts to get going and
held its own in traffic. Advertised top speed is 78 mph.
Bultaco, of
course, utilizes two-stroke engines throughout the line. The necessity to mix
gas and oil and the fact that "they sound funny" will take some customers out of
the market. But who cares what they sound like as long as they run well? This
one certainly runs as well as any we've ever seen and much better than most. ■ |
Bike Tests 
