New Models
Showroom 1978
From the moment Sammy Miller moved to Bultaco in 1965 the wind in the sails of the Spanish Armada meant they just got stronger. It seemed that they had it all their own way from that day on. The Japanese interrupted proceedings in the early eighties but to be honest if you wanted to win in the seventies you had to be on a Bultaco, Montesa or Ossa. With financial problems just around the corner for them, as seen with Ossa, and the Japanese selling off what was a majority of old stock the Italians started to take note of an opening in the trials market place.
Bultaco and Montesa were still developing new models but for Ossa it needed an injection of government money to continue with production. The Japanese, as has been well documented, didn’t get the production models quite right to mount an attack to the big three, but in Italy and with strong moped sales they had the finances to develop, manufacture and sell a new breed of trials motorcycles. Article: Yoomee • Pictures: The Beamish Suzuki Owners Club, Beamish Suzuki, Bultaco, Fantic, Gollner Kawasaki, Honda, Montesa, Ossa, SWM and Yamaha.