In the post war world of enduro motorcycling, a few brands have earned legendary status: the Swedish Husqvarna and three famous Spanish brands: Ossa, Montesa, and Bultaco. 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 was a 200cc engine and was made both as an enduro and as a commuter bike.
Right after it was released in 1964 and used for racing, the Matador brought two other gold medals to Bultaco at the ISDT. At the time, the Matador weighed 232 lb with a 200cc engine developing only 16.5 hp which made highway commuting kind of complicated. In 1971, the Matador MK IV was released after 7 years of continuous improvement. In 1966, the bike got 250cc motor – thanks to better fuel delivery and a higher compression ratio, the MK IV now reached 23.5 hp. A major improvement Bultaco did on this version was electronic ignition, which made starting much easier. Thanks to many improvements in the electric system and to the frame reinforcement especially with swinging arm nuts and engine mount bolts, the Matador became more and more reliable. The team was fixing bugs and problems every year thanks to competition and racing. All of this plus combined with actual comfort made the Matador a great commuting bike as well as a good competition bike. For more information, check out this 1971 Cycle World test here on Ye Olde Cycle Shoppe.
This specific bike here is a quality example of the MKIV Matador. It is in excellent condition thanks to a restoration, and the bike hasn’t seen much use since the work was performed. It is claimed to be in show condition by the seller, who is the second owner. Pictures show a mileage of approximately 2,650 miles.
Find this Bultaco Matador 250 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, here on Craigslist for $5,200.