The year was 1970. I remember it correctly because I was visiting the local Kawasaki Dealer in Memphis to drool over the current Kawasaki Mach III. The early 1970 Mach III's were Metallic Charcoal with black stripes on the tank. The later '70's were red with white tank stripes. I did not have the cash for a 1969 model in white with blue stripes, just like the '66 Ford GT-40 or the '65 Shelby Mustang that I also could not afford. I thought the charcoal Mach III's were a bit bland in color, although they were certainly unusual then and rare today. I felt that the fire engine red of the later '70's was a more appropriate color for such a fire-breathing motorcycle. When the metallic blue '71's came out, I absolutely had to have one! Instead I bought a new, blue Honda CL-350, of which my biggest mistake was selling it eight years later, after I bought a used, blue, '71 Mach III. Although I liked the Mach III enough to keep it until 1996, the simple little motorcycle I saw on that Memphis dealer's showroom has never left my memory. It was a black Bultaco Metralla, one of the very few European bikes I have ever truly desired. This particular Kaw dealer was also a Bultaco dealer, and every time I went to look at the Mach III's, I felt compelled to examine the Metrallas, too. If, like me, you like skinny, minimalist motorcycles and the KISS principle, then you must stare really hard at a Metralla. There was not a piece or a pound on it that was unnecessary. Swing your leg over this motorcycle. Feel this motorcycle.
The Metralla was built throughout most of The Sixties, and an updated model with less elegant styling was built in small numbers in The Seventies. The one pictured here has always been my favorite type. The Metralla Mark II debuted in 1967 with a five-speed transmission. The model came in one of two colors: black with silver or red with silver. The long, semicircular gas tank was the Metralla's most distinguishing feature from its little 200cc brother, the Mercurio, which had a rounder, more conventionally-shaped tank and a four-speed transmission. Most Mercurios of all years were red and silver, while some versions of the Metralla were silver and the later types were even offered in blue.
The Metralla was an incredibly simple machine. Its dry weight was a measly 225 pounds. The 250cc single-cylinder, piston-port two-stroke made 27.5 horsepower. There was a minimal electrical system without a battery. The air cleaner assembly was a simple tin-can shape. The single-downtube frame was crude in finish, yet efficiently simple in design. The seat had more shape than can be noted from a side view. The driver's portion is much wider than the passenger's, and the top surface has a suede strip sewn down its center length for traction. The single glaring exception to this ultimate simplicity is the manually-operated oil pump behind the side cover. No, you do not mix the gas and oil the old-fashioned way, but you do not have modern oil injection, either. You pump straight gas into the tank; then refer to an included chart to determine how many squirts of the manual pump you need apply to match the amount of gasoline you just pumped!
The Metralla was very famous for its speed and handling. Like its four-stroke rival of the era, the Ducati Diana, a racing kit for the Metralla was offered by the factory. The kit consisted of a flat-black expansion chamber, high-compression head and piston, larger carb, close-ratio gearset, Femsatronic ignition, rear-set footpegs, racing gas tank, racing seat, a small fairing, and many smaller parts. In contrast, some Diana models were sold with megaphone exhaust, clip-on bars, and other racing acoutrements included in the standard package, in addition to the equivalent road components. To contrast the two competitors, you might say the Metralla was sold as a road machine with superb handling and spunky performance, but if the owner also purchased the racing kit, metamorphosis into a competitive racer would be extensive. The Diana offered the racing goodies as a bonus with the road equipment, but with the exception of rattling the neighbors' attitudes with the open megaphone exhaust, you can easily imagine that many Dianas were probably driven on the street, even with the racing parts attached. The neighbors probably would not have felt as accomodating to a crackling expansion chamber....
See also: Bultaco Lobito
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