Bultaco was founded in 1959 by famous Spanish road racing champion, Francisco Xavier Bulto. It was not Francisco’s first shot, as he created Bultaco right after he resigned from Montesa (which he co-founded in 1946). Bultaco’s first competition success came early in 1962 with a motorcycle adapted from the 175cc Sherpa trial bike. It won two gold medals at the Intentional Six-Days Trials (ISDT) the same year. In 1964, the first Matador was created. It started out as a 200 CC dirt warrior that had lights, a horn and speedometer so it could be licensed and titled as a street bike. By the Mk3, displacement had grown to 244cc and was a very solid dirt racer with lights which had seen success with multiple gold medals in the ISDT.
The 244cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine pushed 23 horsepower through a five-speed transmission, and the whole package weighed less than 250 pounds in street-legal trim.
This example “has gone through a ground up restoration and is in showroom condition.” The seller acquired it on eBay in September of 2021 – the previous owner acquired it in the spring from the Mecum auction “so its exact history is unknown” but it was claimed to have been restored. Hugh’s Bultaco went through it in July 2022 and per the seller, everything works and it starts in two kicks. The odometer shows 268 miles “but I would guess that’s not the actual mileage.” The sale includes the repair manual, owner’s manual, and parts manual and a few new extra parts.
Find this Matador for sale in Dover, New Hampshire for $5,500 here on ADVRider.