My lil spanish Bultaco

[Elnogue]

Hi to all!
First i present myself.
Im Pablo from Spain, so my english is not the good i want! so sorry if I don't write correctly.

Some months ago, i've bougth a very nice and small Bultaco Mercurio 125, an spanish made, daily use bike from 1966.
I don't know a lot about mechanics but the bike rides good, and now I'm thinking about make some changes to get the bike more Cafe racer style.

I show you some photos:

here is my lil machine at original state.

Me and the bike

Last week I've changed the old bar by a new 3-pieces racer bar, I hope i can show you the result as soon as i take some photos!

Hope you like it!
Pablo from Spain.

 

[matt365]

That's an interesting bike. I've never seen a Bultaco in North America, it should make an interesting cafe project

 

[BANDIT]

A nice looking original little bike like that looks great the way it is. When I first saw it I thought you'd already done some work.
Pablo, don't worry about the "Not so good English" as I can't read too well : ...and my Spanish, "No able' Espaniol' (see what I mean)
Anyway, welcome to the forum.


Graham from Canada

 

[Tripler]

I agree with Graham, very nice original bike. Try to make it that it can be returned to stock. Have fun with it, Doug ;D

 

[rawfish]

That's a cool little bike!! I thought you had already did work to it.

 

[chrisf]

welcome!!

All that bike needs is a lady on the back. Other than that, I wouldn't do anything different. That is an amazing bike. Well, maybe I would remove the chain guard.

You English is fine.

--Chris

 

[Elnogue]

Hi guys!
I didn't work on it , I just bought that way.
It was restored by the last owner and he did a really good job on it!

My idea is to make some lil changes, and stock de original parts so the changes can be reversibles.
Also here in Spain there's no culture of cafe racers or customized bikes, and is due to serious legal restrictions in making changes from the original features.

Here, you can't modify frames, or change the wheel sizes... legally of course!
So the posibilities are really lows.
Also, here it's very dificult to find parts, and if U find some they're probably very expensive...

In bikes that age it's necessary to make a technical revision each year by the local administration, and the bike has to be as the original technical card says....
So if in the technical card says that your bike has a two persons seat, the day you go to that revision you have to put on a 2 persons seat...

U see, Spain is different...hahaha!

Hi to all!

 

[BANDIT]

Maybe that's the reason you have so many beautiful old stock bikes on the roads. Geez, who'd believe that a local government could actually get something RIGHT for once.
Hey Pablo, if you don't think me being rude, but what kind of money would that bike be worth? You could set up an export business if all the bikes from the 60's over there look like that one!!!

 

[Elnogue]

Hi Graham,
I can tell You tha not all bikes form 60's looks like mine... 8)

Mine is good restored and a rare model so it's about 4707 U.S$
U can find from the cheaper full of rusty and without license at 450 US$
to a 60's real racing machine perfectly restored from 10700 US$

If you wanna see some a good place you can go to: http://www.lamaneta.org/mercadillo/soloconfotos.cgi?inicio=1000
but it's only in spanish....here you can find a lot of classic spanish and european bikes to sell.

See ya!

 

[HerrDeacon]

Beautiful bike Pablo. I love seeing different bikes from around the world that you would never see locally. Sucks though that there is such tight restrictions on modifications.

 

[904cafe]

very clean bike, honestly like some of the others have mentioned, i would not change much. if you plan on having passengers keep the seat, if not maybe a single cafe seat, or make one so they are swapable. honestly though, the bars and everything else already look great (not that the seat doesn't). NICE find!

 

[RUDEBOY]

Personally I like the way it is.....but if you really want it to be a cafe racer. Put on clip on handlebars or clubman, look on the board about building a seat and I would say that's about it.......DON'T let LOCOLEON convince you about spray painting it matte black!
Good luck and post some pics when your done.
Cheers Rudy

 

[Elnogue]

Hahahaha Rudeboy, Locoleon only can convince me to make a metal seat the way he put on tehe forum... I think it's a easy and effective way to make one.
I love a lot the actual paint of mi lil!

Few days ago I put a new bar, a mix betwen clip-ons and clubman bars, here is the result:

 

[Ease]

Wow those are some nice looking bars. First one's I've seen like them!

Cool Bike!

 

[BANDIT]

Pablo, nice subtle change to the look. A bike like that should not have any "radical changes". 8)
If you were to shorten up the rear fender, go buy a rusty used one and modify it. I don't know how well the local admin knows the bike specs, but even a fender off some other bike would work seeing as you are reworking it anyway, so you might get away with it . Then if needed you can put the original back on for inspections and then swap it out again ;D. What is the riding season like in Spain? We are JUST coming out of hibernation mode here in "The Great White North" ;D
Post a new full on side shot with those new bars, they look terrific! ;D ;D


Graham

 

[Elnogue]

Yeah Graham!
Thats my idea, just a few changes like smaller fenders and a new seat.
And for it I´m lookin for old fenders that I can well put on the Bultaco...so I can put on the original parts for the inspections...hahaha! ;D ;D ;D

Here the riding season is all year!!!
even in winter You can ride without problems, some raining or even snowing days, but that's all. Most of the time weather is good, about 10º C in winter, so it´s no so cold for riding!!

From same day:

another close up of the bar:

and a frontal pic (sorry for the bad quality, is a phone pic....):

See ya!

 

[BANDIT]

Now I've seen everything........a mirror on the front axle!!!!
Sure keeps the bar ends looking tidy, come to think of it, it'd be great for upskirts (I'm sure I'll hear something on that comment) on busy streets! ;D ;D
But I'm sure that idea has never crossed your mind, eh Pablo.

 

[coolatula]

Great looking bike!
Bultacos are a lot like Hodakas in the fact that they are very universal machines for racing. Bultacos lean more to the street side and Hodaka lean more to the dirt side,but they both were/are used for many different forms of racing and they are both very competitive machines.

Tacos make some of the best looking road racer ever built!

If you get a chance check out my Hodaka Ace project to see what can be done to an old Hodaka trial bike!

 

[HerrDeacon]

Now I've seen everything........a mirror on the front axle!!!!

First for me too, is it very functional Pablo? Meaning can you see much in it. I would think that where it's so far away from your eyes that you wouldn't get a very good view of whats behind you. I know with my old eyes I wouldn't ;D

Love the helmet too. Bought like that or did you customize it yourself?

 

[britbike]

Great looking bike. I had a 175 Bultaco in the 60's that was similar to yours. Always ran and with an Alpina high pipe, was loud. Sold it and bought a BSA 441 Victor (mistake). Don't touch a thing, find the girl and ride.