BULTACO ESPECIAL
Finally,  after nearly three years languishing in the shed, the Campera is on the build table. Unlike all my other Bultacos, this will not be a restoration to original spec. Instead it will be built as a sporty road bike.

The first step is deconstruction, that is complete. 

The dry build, assembling the bike in its final form before disassembling for paint and polish is complete. The build will use mostly Bultaco parts, many from the stash I've assembled over the years.

The motor is a M125 Pursang (thanks Bill Hawes!) with a chambered exhaust and Mikuni carb. A M103 cylinder replaces the full race original with new piston, seals, etc.

The frame has had all extraneous brackets and tabs removed. Side panels and skid plate were ditched. To stabilize the more powerful motor, head stays from an M123 Astro have been incorporated. To clear the pipe, a new sidestand has been fitted on the left side. A Sherpa T M27 tool box replaces the airbox. The original dirt peg mounts have been cut off and rearsets fitted to custom fabbed plates.

The battery system has been removed, in its place a Metralla diode has been fitted to moderate voltage spikes. Wiring is bespoke.

The forks have been shortened. A gusseted Sherpa S M66 swingarm, 1.5" longer and stiffer, has been fitted along with Girling pattern shocks. The effect is to lower the rear about 1". The Sherpa S also provided the rear hub and an M85 Alpina brake arm is used with the standard Campera rod and modified chain guard.

Wheels are WM2/WM3 Akront replicas with Shinko (Yokohama) street rubber. The front hub is M25 Matador with an M08 Metralla brake plate. The front forks have been modified to lower the front about 2".

Handlebars are M23 Matador using the original Campera levers and M08 grips. A digital dash has been fitted onto the original top triple clamp along with on/off kill switch.

The headlight is from a moped (Garelli?), modified to 12V LED, using vintage Ducati side mounts. The LED taillight is combined with the license frame. Originally designed for axle mounting and 12V LEDs, it was modified to fit. Brake switch has been replaced with a Megura unit.

The original Campera tank has been smoothed and fitted with a large Aston-style quick fill cap. The seat fender unit was sourced from the UK and Sargent Cycle did the seat itself. The front fender is a modified Airtech unit. The rear is a Sherpa T M199 bobbed and mounted backwards.

The frame is finished in Charcoal Metallic with clear coat powdercoat. Various smaller parts are Silver Matte, again with clear powder over. The bodywork is Trim Black and Radiant Green Mica with added pearl.

Shown here nearly complete needing only some carburetor work and a leaky side cover to be dealt with. It's already been test run and the lights have checked out as well.

After finishing it, I sent a letter to UK's Classic Mechanics Magazine. Since they usually ignore Bultacos and feature Japanese Cafes and restos, I thought they might be interested in seeing one done up. 

A movie of the first startup is here and a walkaround video is here. Shortly after, I took it to a 2 stroke bike show in SW Florida where it won its class.

The Especial (along with a few other MotoEuro bikes) was featured in a four page article in the February 2021 issue of Real Classics magazine. There were also pieces in Classic Motorcycle Mechanics and Cafe Racer magazine.