PART TWO: BULTACO BUILD
I decided that the Bultaco must be road registered, and I found the process of obtaining a registration document quite uneventful through the usual HMRC NOVA check and submission of documentation to the DVLA at Swansea. An age-related ‘R’ suffix number was issued, and I then invited Paul Houghton at Anglia Vinyl Art to make me the numerals and a set of bespoke airbox decals which proclaimed that this was a ‘370 Sherpa T’.
Alot of the fiddly stuff I carried out myself but decided to outsource much of the work to local businesses. Fabricator, Richi Foss, corrected some damage that the frame had suffered and to square up the swinging arm, and Loch Ness Restorations subsequently painted both these items. I then fitted a needle-roller bearing kit to the swinging arm. Specially anodised red Rockshocks suspension units with chrome springs were ordered from Gary Fleckney as a nod to the colour scheme of the original Betor dampers supplied on new Bultacos of that era. The front suspension I did myself, using a very good set of genuine Bultaco forks I had sourced. These were stripped completely, cleaned and new seals fitted, and a progressive suspension kit was ordered from HFS Suspensions.
The yokes and sliders were then mirrorpolished, so the forks were back to an almost new condition. A nice bespoke front number board in red and silver adds the finishing touch. The only snag I faced with the chassis was the saddle. I had planned to fit an earlier unit, that was designed for the model 159 Sherpa, but this didn’t allow the rear mudguard to line up correctly. An old model 199 component was on the shelf but missing its mounting brackets. I fabricated these fittings from sheet steel and carefully drilled and profiled them before painting and pop riveting onto the base, and the task was complete.
I used a local retired upholsterer, Jim Sutherland, to fit a cover sourced from InMotion. I’m almost there now apart from the wheels, which I will get rebuilt by Barry Brown
“… I have always had a soft spot for the brand, and it’s nice to have something that you have dreamed up, which isn’t a replica.”
in Fife. Then, of course, the final item which is the 370 motor and its assembly, which will be undertaken by racing engine builders, Stuart Young Tuning.
Why do all this, you may ask? Well, I have always had a soft spot for the brand, and it’s nice to have something that you have dreamed up, which isn’t a replica. It looks like a Bultaco; is a Bultaco, but is essentially different.
As to performance, well you will have to wait until I get the beast up and running.
Before I close, I’d like to say stay safe and keep strong to all my fellow motorcycle enthusiasts around the world during the Coronavirus pandemic.