8-23 Update: Six years later and this bike is back up for sale – this time with Iconic. The current owner is a long time Bike-urious reader and I’m excited to see it up for sale! Find it waiting for the opening bid in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions.
Post Listing Update: Despite 4 bids on eBay up to $5,300, this Metralla did not meet reserve.
When it was released, the Metralla Mk2 was the fastest two-stroke motorcycle you could buy. It held that title for a short time – you should check out Mat Oxley’s book Stealing Speed to learn why two-stroke development was at a fever pitch during this decade – but even as other companies built faster bikes, the Metralla was still fantastically impressive. They were able to put down 32 horsepower at a time when plenty of cars made less. This example was recently restored with some “updates for improved rideability.”
One of my favorite quotes about the Metralla is from a April 2010 article in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car: “Riding it is like throwing a smoke bomb into a hornets’ nest, then climbing on. Every time I ride the bike, I think to myself, ‘Really? Guys rode these skinny-tired, drum-braked, springy-suspensioned things in anger?’ Major respect for those brave souls who had no idea what sport bikes would be like a scant 25 years later.” Top speed was 103 miles per hour and the bike weighs just 250 pounds!
This numbers-matching example (VIN: M2302439) is one of 5,508 examples built between 1966 and 1974. The current seller acquired it in 2006 and had it restored by Bultaco expert and publisher of the Spanish Motorcycle Owner’s Group newsletter, Ken McGuire, between 2015-2017. It has just 30 miles since that work was done, and the seller says he spent over $6,000 on the work. Everything is said to work and the list of known issues is small but not insignificant: the speedo isn’t connected, the horn isn’t installed, the true mileage is not known, and the oil injection pump was removed so you have to premix.
Highlights include a new chrome exhaust, rebuilt motor and transmission, repainted frame and bodywork, and a whole lot of new parts (brakes, levers, cables, spokes, tires, bearings, and more). New Progressive Suspension rear shocks have been installed, as has a new wiring harness. The sale includes receipts showing over $6k was spent, the original factory parts catalog, original exhaust, and a few other original pieces.
Find this Metralla for sale in West Bloomfield, Michigan with an unmet opening bid of $4,999